THE OCEAN MAMMALS 369 



face, before I could draw a bead on him. Then for a short 

 time he floats at this time of the year, and you must rush off 

 your boat, or throw your many-hooked jigger over him, and 

 haul him quickly up on to the ice, if you are strong enough 

 to do so. 



If the seals are basking on the ice as the boat approaches, 

 the men shout and wave, and even fire under the seal, which 

 seems to so frighten him that he remains staring into space, 

 till they land and club him with the rifle. As the slain 

 animal does not move, the others think there can be no 

 danger, and will at times allow a man to land and shoot 

 or club them every one. 



Our next most important seal is the bay seal. He is a 

 small seal, weighing only about one hundred pounds and 

 looking rather dingy in a drab coat with faded black mark- 

 ings. Nor are they very numerous, never being seen in 

 herds. Yet they will probably outlast all the others, being 

 the most adaptable to their varied environment. They are 

 found in the Pacific and Atlantic, in Europe, Asia, and 

 America, and in the south seas. They can bear heat or 

 cold. I have shot them when driving my komatik over 

 a frozen arm of the sea, tolling them into range by lying 

 flat down and waving my feet to represent a seal ; I have 

 also secured them in the hot summer when the mosquitoes 

 and the heat have made the period of waiting almost un- 

 bearable. Bay seals are equally at home in salt water or 

 fresh. Some of our rivers are almost ruined for ordinary 

 fishing by the number of bay seals that infest their pools. 

 This " robber of the river/' to use the name of the 

 salmon fisherman, is there shown no mercy by the fisher- 

 men, and cannot possibly escape. The seals will watch 



2B 



