34 DIVERSIONS OF A NATURALIST 



within twenty-four hours of birth, exposing the short 

 hair, forming a smooth, silky coat, as in the adult, and 

 the young at once takes to the water and swims. On 

 the other hand, the long yellowish-white coat of hair 

 persists in the young of the Great Grey Seal for six or 

 seven weeks, during which time it remains on shore, and 

 refuses to enter the water. It is visited at sundown by 

 the mother for the purpose of suckling it. According 

 to Mr. Lyell, this renders the young of the Great Grey 

 Seal peculiarly liable to attack by reckless destructive 

 humanity, and he accordingly proposes legislation to 

 render it a penal offence to destroy the young seals or 

 the mothers during the nursing season. It is estimated 

 that the total number of Great Grey Seals in Scottish 

 waters has been reduced to less than 500, and that in 

 English and Irish waters the total is even less. 



It has often been desired by naturalists that a check 

 should be put by the Legislature upon the wanton 

 destruction of the common seal, as well as of the 

 grey seal. It is certainly a regrettable result of the 

 increased visitation of our remote rocky shores by 

 holiday-makers, so-called " sportsmen " and thoughtless 

 ruffians of all kinds, that the large, and perfectly 

 harmless, grey seal is likely to be exterminated. In 

 former times in these islands, as to-day in more 

 northern regions, there was a regular " seal fishery," 

 and vast numbers of seals were annually slaughtered 

 for the sake of their skins and fat. The fur of both 

 our native species, though differing vastly from the 

 soft under-fur of the fur-seals, or Otariae, of the North 

 Pacific — which belong to a different section of the seal 

 group, having small external " ears," and hind feet 

 which can be moved forward and used in walking — is 

 yet largely used for making gloves and thick overcoats. 



