CHAPTER XXVIII 
TAMMY-NORIE-LAND 
ns ania ae again to-day, and there, upon the 
same great slab, and at much the same time, five 
great seals are lying, whilst on other rocks there 
are six more. The tide is coming in, and one that is 
on a low rock goes gradually off with the wash of it. 
The others lie on, though now, at high noon, the tide, 
I think, must be in. Seals, therefore, do not go off 
their rocks at high tide, as a custom, unless the water 
leaves them no choice. Of course if they have a 
favourite rock which is covered at high tide, they are 
then compelled to do so, but in that case they can 
seek another one which is not so restricted, and lie 
there sleeping, if they will, “the washing of ten 
tides.” Their bed-times are not governed by the 
ebb and flow of the sea. 
The larger seal which I spoke of yesterday is called 
here, locally, a bottle-nosed seal, or at least some so 
designate it. He is here again to-day, rising at inter- 
vals and staring at the sky, in the other of these 
two-in-one-contained bays, which seems to be more 
particularly his own. When he rises he remains for 
a full minute standing upright, as it were, in the 
water, with his muzzle about six inches above it and 
pointing straight into the sky. Then it sinks for an 
instant, and the next his whole head appears above 
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