HABITS, PRODUCTS, AND THE CHASE. 62 T 



and that they never leave it more than a few lengths. Their 

 alertness is probably due to their vigilant enemy, the bear. 

 .... The first act of a seal, after emerging, is a careful 

 survey of his limited horizon. For this purpose he rises on his 

 fore nippers, and stretches his neck in a manner almost dog- 

 like. This maneuver, even during apparently complete silence, 

 is repeated every few minutes. He next commences with his 

 hind or horizontal nippers and tail a most singular movement, 

 allied to sweeping, brushing nervously as if either to rub some- 

 thing from himself or from beneath him. Then comes a com- 

 plete series of attitudes, stretching, collapsing, curling, wag- 

 ging $ then a luxurious, basking rest, with his face toward the 

 sun and his tail to his hole. Presently he waddles off about 

 two of his own awkward lengths from his retreat, and begins 

 to roll over and over, pawing in the most ludicrous manner into 

 the empty air, stretching and rubbing his glossy hide like a 

 horse. He then recommences his vigil, basking in the sun 

 with uneasy alertness for hours. At the slightest advance up 

 goes the prying head. One searching glance, and, wheeling on 

 his tail as on a pivot, he is at his hole, and descends head fore- 

 most." * 



Dr. Eichardson describes this species as being less cautious 

 and less active than the Harbor Seal, observing that it is 

 " easily surprised either on land or water, and is moreover a sol- 

 itary and lazy animal, being wont to lie basking in the sun in 

 place of hunting after its prey, and thus being often found lean 

 from want of nourishment." t They appear, however, to behave 

 quite differently under different circumstances; at least the ac- 

 counts of authors on these points are more or less at variance. 

 Thus Captain J. C. Ross states : " In the month of May, the 

 Eough Seal, with its young, lie basking in the sun close to 

 holes in the ice, and are at that time very difficult to approach ; 

 but the natives imitate both their cry and action so exactly as 

 to deceive the animals until they get sufficiently near to strike 

 them with their spear. Fabricius says it is the most heed- 

 less of all the Seals, as well on the ice as in the water. From 

 our experience we would certainly give them a very different 

 character, for none of our sportsmen were ever able to get suf- 

 ficiently near to shoot them. The natives of Boothia say they 



* Grinnell Exp., 1854, pp. 375, 376. 

 t Parry's Second Voyage, App., p. 333. 



