BABY SEALS APPEAR 213 



but it seldom removes itself many yards at a time, for 

 the motions of the seal are just as clumsy and slow on 

 land as they are active and swift in the water. When 

 it has crawled with great pains to a little distance, there 

 is no sign that the interruption has made any lasting 

 impression on it. It looks more as if it took it all as an 

 unpleasant dream or nightmare, which it would be best 

 to sleep off as soon as possible. If one shoots a single 

 seal, this may happen without those lying round so 

 much as raising their heads. Indeed, we could open 

 and cut up a seal right before the noses of its com- 

 panions without this making the slightest impression on 

 them. 



About the beginning of November the seals began to 

 have their young. So far as we could make out, the 

 females kept out of the water for several days without 

 taking any food, until the young one was big enough to 

 be able to go to sea ; otherwise, it did not seem that the 

 mothers cared very much for their little ones. Some, it 

 is true, made a sort of attempt to protect their offspring 

 if they were disturbed, but the majority simply left 

 their young ones in the lurch. 



As far as we were concerned, we left the females and 

 their young as much as possible in peace. We killed 

 two or three new-born seals to get the skins for our 

 collection. It was another matter with the dogs. 

 With them seal-hunting was far too favourite a sport 

 for the opportunity to be neglected. Against a full- 



