THE HARBOR SEAL 



ently had not reached the age at which man 

 is regarded as a thing abhorrent, and simply 

 nosed about the mother. Again in her trep- 

 idation she took to the water, where she 

 splashed violently with her hind-flippers. 

 Several times she clambered up beside her 

 young one only to lly in terror to the water, 

 but at last, by dint of coaxing and pushing, 

 the youngster was got into the sea. There- 

 upon the old one headed for the open ocean, — 

 from which, however, it was separated 

 by a line of breakers, — followed eagerly 

 by the young one, who held its head and 

 neck high above the water and splashed awk- 

 wardly with its fore-flippers in its anxiety to 

 follow. At times the head of the young one 

 was so close behind that of its mother, and a 

 little on one side, that it seemed as if the baby 

 seal were partly supported on its mother's 

 back. Every now and then the mother would 

 gracefully turn her head up and around, so 

 that the mouth appeared to touch the out- 

 stretched mouth of the little one. What the 

 object of this movement was, whether to en- 

 courage or to kiss the infant, or to give it 

 nourishment, I was unable to determine, but 

 the simultaneous action on the part of the 



175 



