HABITS. 589 



and partly on the writings of preceding authors ; * and much 

 more recently extended accounts of it have been given by 

 Xilsson and Lilljeborg, but unfortunately for English readers 

 the first of these histories is written in Danish and the other 

 in Swedish. It has, however, been noticed quite fully by Bell, 

 Macgillivray, and other British authors, while lesser and more 

 fragmentary accounts of it are abundant. On the J^ew Eng- 

 land coast, as elsewhere, it is chiefly observed about rocky 

 islands and shores, at the mouths of rivers and in sheltered 

 bays, where it is always an object of interest. Although rang- 

 ing far into the Arctic regions, it is everywhere said to be a 

 sedentary or non-migratory species, being resident throughout 

 the year at all points of its extended habitat. Unlike most of 

 the other species, it is strictly confined to the shores, never re- 

 sorting to the ice-floes, and is consequently never met with far 

 out at sea, nor does it habitually associate with other species. 

 On the coast of Newfoundland, where it is more abundant and 

 better known than at more southerly points, it is said to bring- 

 forth its young during the last two weeks of May and the early 

 part of June, resorting for this purpose to the rocky points and 

 outlying ledges along the shore. It is said to be very common 

 along the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and of Newfound- 

 land in summer, or daring the period when the shores are free 

 from ice, but in winter leaves the ice-bound coast for the re- 

 moter islands in the open sea. It is at all times watchful, and 

 takes great care to keep out of reach of guns. Still, many are 

 surprised while basking on the rocks, and fall victims to the 

 seal-hunters, while considerable numbers of the young are cap- 

 tured in the seal-nets. They are described as very sagacious, 

 and as possessing great i)arental affection. Mr. Carroll states 

 that when an old one is found on the rocks with its young it 

 will seize the latter and convey it in its mouth so quickly to the 

 water that there is not time to shoot it ; or, if the young one 

 be too large to be thus removed, it will entice it upon its back 

 and plunge with it into the sea. The same writer informs us 

 that this species is a great annoyance to the salmon-fishers, 

 boldly taking the salmon from one end of the net while the 

 fisherman is working at the other end. It is also troublesome 

 in other ways, since whenever the old ones get entangled in 



* Fabricius appears to have exhaustively presented its literary history, 

 his references to previous authors, in his table of synonymy, occupying 

 nearly four pages. 



