508 THE SEAL. : 
to cast away all human habits and movements, and while lying prostrate on the ice to 
imitate the actions of a Seal. 
Taking care to remain motionless whenever he sees the Seal looking in his direction, 
he creeps gradually towards his intended prey, in hopes of getting between the ice-hole 
and the Seal, in which case the death of the latter is almost inevitable. If, however, the 
relative position of man, Seal, and ice-hole be such that this manceuvre becomes impossible, 
the hunter contrives to crawl up to the sleeping Seal, and with a single blow lays it lifeless 
upon the ice. 
The Common SEAL is spread very widely over many portions of the globe, and is of 
very frequent occurrence upon our own coasts, where it is found in considerable numbers, 
much to the annoyance of the fishermen, who look upon it with intense hatred, on account 
of the havoc which it makes among the fish. 
It is rather a handsome animal, with its beautifully mottled skin and large intelligent 
eyes, and although not so large as other species which are also found upon the British 
coasts, yields to none of them in point of beauty. The colour of its fur is generally of a 
greyish-yellow, sprinkled with spots of brown, or brownish-black, which are larger and 
more conspicuous along the back than upon the sides. The under portions of the body 
are of a much lighter hue. The feet are short, and the claws of the hinder feet are larger 
than those of the anterior limbs. The total length of the adult Seal is seldom more than 
five feet, the head being about eight or nine inches long. 
This creature is wonderfully active both in water and on land, although its bodily 
powers are but awkwardly manifested when it is removed from the watery element in 
which it loves toroam. It is a persevering hunter of fish, chasing and securing them in a 
manner that greatly excites the wrath of the fishermen, who see their best captives taken 
away from them without the possibility of resistance. So cunning as well as active is the 
Common Seal, that one of these animals will coolly hang about the fishing grounds through- 
out the season, make itself familiar with all the turns and angles of the nets, and avail 
itself of their help in capturing the fish on which it is desirous to make a meal. 
A crafty old Seal will sometimes continue this predatory mode of existence for a 
series of years, until his person becomes familiar to the fishermen, and will carry out his 
depredations with such consummate skill that the fishermen can find no opportunity for 
stopping his career with a rifle-bullet or a fish-spear. Seals have been known in this 
manner to haunt the salmon fisheries as long as the nets were down, and when the fishing 
season was over, and the nets had been removed, have been seen to ascend the rivers for 
some miles, in order to devour the spawning fish, 
There is a curious tradition among the inhabitants of the Irish coast respecting the 
Seal, which constantly haunts the same spot through a series of many years. 
They think that the animal is supernaturally protected from harm of any kind ;—that 
bullets will not strike him, however well the gun be aimed; that steel will not enter his 
body, however keen the blade, or however strong the arm that urges it; and that the long 
array of nets are powerless to retain so puissant a being in their manifold meshes. So 
after a while a Seal, if he be only bold and wary, may lead a luxurious life at the 
fishermen’s cost, for no one will venture to attack an animal that bears a charmed 
life. 
Fortunately for the Seals in general, they are not often visited by the wrath of those 
whom they rob, for there is a feeling prevalent among many fishermen that to kill a Seal 
is unlucky, and that such a deed would prevent the murderer from obtaining any more 
success at sea. This humane idea seems however to extend no further than the regular 
fishing grounds, for the chase of the Seal has long taken its place among the most valuable 
of commercial speculations, and is of extreme importance. 
The general mode of securing these creatures is to land quietly, and to cut off the 
return of the terrified animals, which are quickly despatched by smart blows from a 
bludgeon across their nose. When driven to desperation, they fight savagely, and a single 
Seal is no mean antagonist for a man, provided that he is not a practical Seal-hunter. 
The creature has an awkward way of lying on its side, shuffling rapidly along, and 
