220 



Frits Johansen. 



disturbed ice and washed-up water), while the surrounding fjord ice 

 was quite flat aud free of snow, and in the one end of the cave 

 there were signs that the seal had often lain there. Perhaps it was 

 a breeding place of the seal, Avhicli had had an undisturbed place 

 of retreat until the bear came or the hole closed." At another place 

 (lie de France) breathing holes were observed in the middle of 

 April 1907. 



From the middle of May the seal is common on the coastal 

 and fjord ice. They are extremely shy, 1^ — 3 keeping together; and 

 already when one is far off they shuffle along to their holes and 

 disappear, "springing off" with their hind flippers so that these 



Fig. 9. Killed Fjord Seal near Danmarks Havn. June 1907. 



show high up in the air. As the summer gradually advances, the 

 fjord ice disappears more and more and the seals now simply "swarm 

 up" through the holes in the melting ice, channels etc. We now see 

 them in larger and smaller herds lying sunning themselves on the 

 ice out in the fjord, and the shimmering, uncertain light doubles 

 their numbers. Most of the seals shot on the Expedition were taken 

 at this season (June — July), when their watchfulness is less and 

 they have plenty of food. When the rivers begin to flow on the 

 land (end of June) they move into these, and can be seen day after 

 day lying on the ice at the mouth of the river, on the watch for the 

 fish which occur there, where the open water is on the increase from 

 day to day. The largest male shot at this time was 170 cm. long 



