MAMMALS OF PENNSYLVANIA AND NEW JERSEY. I25 



Hudson and Essex Cos., greatly to the disgust of the fishermen, because they 

 destroyed the nets. 



In the "North American" (Philadelphia newspaper), under date of Octo- 

 ber 20, 1901, a despatch from Trenton, N. J., says : "A spotted seal, 6 ft. lo 

 in. long, was caught in the Delaware River here yesterday by William Hill 

 and Joseph Springard, two sixth-ward fishermen. The men shot the animal 

 when it appeared alongside their rowboat." 



Warren records a seal, probably this species, " taken in the Delaware River 

 two years ago [1895] ^^ Chester City, Delaware Co.," Pa. — Poultry Book, 



P-3I7- 



Regarding its occurrence on the N. J. coast, I find on inquiry among fish- 

 ermen that it is frequently seen, sometimes shot and sometimes captured 

 accidentally in seines. I have seen two dead and one live one at Atlantic 

 City in the last 10 years. Dr. T. P. Price, of Tuckerton, recently informed 

 me that H. Shourds has seen about a dozen altogether in Tuckerton Bay and 

 that B. Chew saw one at Deep Point, MuUica River. Mr. H. W. Hand says 

 I or 2 are seen or shot in Cape May Co. waters yearly. Mr. W. S. Williams 

 writes that he saw one about 1890 feeding in his shad net in Cohansey Creek, 

 presumably near Greenwich, Cumberland Co. It was allowed to escape for 

 fear of breaking the seine. 



Habits, etc. — This is the only American species known to wander volun- 

 tarily into fresh water in pursuit of fish. In so doing it gets into the fresh 

 water lakes of New York, hundreds of miles from salt water. In Pa. and 

 N. J. it is known only as a winter or fall migrant from its summer home off 

 the coasts of northern New England and farther north. In these regions it 

 inhabits the rocky reefs and outlying islands of the coasts, there bringing forth 

 its single young. Its food consists of fish ; the flesh and skins of the young 

 are much prized by the aborigines. It is exceedingly wary where hunted 

 and difficult to kill with shot. Its commercial importance was always small. 



Description of species. — Color variable. Usually yellowish gray varied with 

 irregular spots of dark brown, smaller on the underside than on back. Some- 

 times without dark spots, sometimes dark, streaked irregularly with lighter 

 color. It can be distinguished from the other two rarer species found in our 

 limits by its color and smaller size. Its total length when adult is about 5 

 feet. 



Harp Seal. Plwca groenlandica Erxleben. 



1777. Phoca groenlandica Erxleben, Systema Regni Animalium, vol. i, p. 

 588. 



Type locality. — Greenland and Newfoundland. 



Faunal distributio?i. — Circumpolar seas, south along the east coast of 



