THE HARBOR SEAL 



age by hook or by crook to get on to the bar 

 —if they are not actually stranded there— and 

 soon the whole herd is established on dry 

 ground. 



With back braced against the timbers of 

 an old wreck on the beach, and with a good 

 telescope resting on a forked stick stuck in 

 the sand, one can spend very enjoyable hours 

 in the close company of these interesting 

 beasts. Twenty years ago I have counted as 

 many as fifty seals together on Ipswich bar, 

 but of late years from fifteen to twenty-four 

 is the usual number, although on March 10, 

 1912, I found forty-four of these animals on 

 the bar. 



Splendid fellows are these seals, and won- 

 derful in the variety of their coloration. As 

 far as I know, this is the only mammal that 

 varies so much in the color of its coat. At 

 a distance the seals look very dark when wet, 

 but of a uniform gray or buff when dry, while 

 near at hand, or studied with a good glass, 

 they display a great variety and considerable 

 beauty of pelage. Some are nearly white with 

 a silvery sheen, others delicately shaded in 

 grays and browns, still others mottled with 

 large dark spots or patches, while others still 



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