ITS SAGACITY. 393 



in the water of my playful companions, and their noise 

 and merriment, seemed to our imagination to excite the 

 Seals, and to make them course round us with greater 

 rapidity and animation. At the same time, the slightest 

 attempt on our part to act on the offensive, by throwing 

 at them a stone or shell, was the signal for their instanta- 

 neous disappearance; each, as it vanished, leaving the 

 surface of the water beautifully figured with a wavy 

 succession of concentric circles." 



Its food consists for the most part of fish, mollusks, 

 and crustaceans ; as also of marine vegetables. Stones, at 

 times of considerable size, are often found in its stomach. 4 

 Their presence has caused some speculation amongst the 

 learned. The general impression seems to be that they are 

 intentionally swallowed by the Seal to allay the pangs of 

 hunger, caused by long fasting. But there are those who 

 imagine they have got accidentally down the animal's 

 gullet when seizing its prey at the bottom. 



Even in the winter time, when the sea is frozen over, 

 the Seal caters equally as well for itself as in the open 

 water during summer. Air being, however, needful to its 

 existence, it must of necessity come at times to the 

 surface to breathe. For this purpose, and independently 

 of larger cavities, named brunnar, or wells, by which it 

 ascends on the ice, either for rest or to suckle its 

 young, it forms within its "beat," so to say, several 

 small apertures in the ice, called Blas-lial, meaning 

 breathing-holes, which enable it to respire at pleasure ; 

 and these it keeps open the whole winter. When the ice 

 is thick, and the aperture in question fully developed, it 

 resembles in form a beehive, and is as even and circular 

 as if turned in a lathe. The upper part of it is only 

 capacious enough to permit the animal to raise its muzzle, 

 or at most its head, above the ice; whilst beneath it is 

 sufficiently large to admit of its whole body. As the 



