THE GREAT GREY SEAL 39 



his lips closed on it, his nostrils opened and shut in 

 quick succession, and he had emptied the bottle. I 

 gave him a quart of milk before leaving him and getting 

 my own belated meal. He slept comfortably, but at 

 four in the morning his cries rent the air, and threatened 

 to wake every one in the hotel, I had to get up, descend 

 to the kitchen, warm some more milk for him, and 

 satisfy his hunger. He became fond of the bottle, and 

 also of the friend who held it for him. I arranged to 

 take him to the Zoological Gardens when, after three 

 days, I left Boscastle. He travelled to London in the 

 guard's van in a specially constructed cage, and was as 

 beautiful and happy as ever when I handed him over to 

 the superintendent at Regent's Park. 



In those days (as it happened) there was little under- 

 standing or care at " the Gardens " as to the feeding of 

 an exceptional young animal like my little seal. It is 

 possible to treat cow's milk so as to render it suitable to 

 a young carnivore, much as it is " humanized " for the 

 feeding of human babies, and I was willing to pay for a 

 canine foster-mother were such procurable. I had then 

 to leave London in order to preside over one of the 

 sections of the British Association's meeting at South- 

 port, and intended to take complete charge of my baby 

 seal upon my return. But in less than a week the 

 neglectful guardians at Regent's Park had killed him 

 with stale cow's milk. I believe such a foundling would 

 have a better chance there to-day, but the rearing of 

 young mammals away from their mother is, of course, a 

 difficult and uncertain job. 



I do not regret having taken the baby seal from 

 Pentargon Cove, for I undoubtedly saved him from a 

 violent death, whilst his mother would soon recover from 



