280 cruise OF THE NEPTUNE 
rare in Hudson bay, especially during the summer season, and 
are only occasionally seen at other times. 
The flesh and blubber are used by the natives for food and 
fuel. The skins are used mostly for tentings and boot-legs, and 
where the skin of the Ground seal is not available for boot- 
bottoms. 
phoco barbata, fab.-the Bearded seal, Big seal, Ground 
seal, Square-flipper, (Oujuk, Eskimo,) is common on all the 
coasts, and is the most abundant seal at Cape Haven, and Cape 
Chidley on the eastern coast. 
It brings forth its young, which are born near an opening in 
the shore-ice, about a month later than the Ringed seal. This 
seal is next in size to the walrus, and its capture always brings 
gladness to the Eskimos, providing, as it does, a large amount of 
meat and blubber, while from its hide is cut an exceedingly 
strong line used for dog-traces and other purposes. The dressed 
skin is used for the soles of boots, for covering kyaks and 
women's boats, for tentings, and many other purposes. The flesh 
is coarser in texture, but less fishy in flavour, than that of the 
smaller seals. The liver is said to be somewhat poisonous, and 
is not often eaten. 
cystophera cristata, erxl.-the Hooded seal, or Bladder- 
nose, (Nietshivok, Eskimo,) is a large and ferocious seal, 
second in size only to the Big seal. It produces its young about 
two weeks later than the Harps, and usually on ice farther off 
the coast. These seals make up the remainder of the catch of 
the Newfoundland sealers. In the summer they are common at 
Ponds inlet, and become rarer along the coasts to the southward. 
The Hooded seal is unknown to the natives of Hudson bay, and 
is an exceedingly rare visitor in Hudson strait. 
Trichechus rosmarus, linn.-the walrus, (Aivik, Eskimo,) 
is found in all the northern waters, where it appears to prefer 
the presence of floating ice, and rarely or never comes out on  
