IN THE SHETLANDS 333 
on, must have been well known to him. Perhaps, 
however, he thought to get some purchase on it with 
his teeth ; and there remains my first theory of petu- 
lance. I ought to add that in all these little outbursts 
of pique and disappointment which I have recorded, 
something of a frolicsome nature also entered ; there 
was nothing morose or gloomy in them. At the 
worst, the creature was a disappointed seal only, and 
“in the very torrent, tempest, and, as I may say, 
whirlwind of his passion” there was a touch of 
humour, a something of make-believe, a dash of most 
lovable playfulness. 
Lovable and delightful creatures these seals are, 
indeed, for which reason the great idea is to shoot 
them, and they have been almost driven from our 
seas. The hunting instinct is an extremely strong, and 
a quite natural one, for it is lineally descended from 
our savage ancestors, who hunted and were demi- 
devils, of necessity. Therefore, perhaps, it may be 
said to be a healthy instinct, and therefore it seems 
right. Nevertheless, reason and humanity alike rebel 
against it, and there is no valid answer that I can see 
against their protest, except, indeed, that one I have 
already mentioned, viz. that it is in strict accordance 
with the scheme of the universe. . I confess I hardly 
know how to get over this, except by admitting what 
I call an appeal against God ; but putting this difficulty 
aside, then once let a man think (I mean, of course, a 
man who can think), and, if he be a sportsman, “ fare- 
well the quiet mind, farewell content.” Though 
