SEALS 179 



and crushing each other, presented a spectacle 

 magnificent and terrible, wild and savage. A 

 mighty force, which no human power could 

 resist, was moving the world about us. 



Notwithstanding this, fifty yards away was 

 a clear lake guarded by fallen hummocks. 

 Even when the pressure was at its greatest, 

 and we on the bridge were watching the moving 

 bergs most anxiously, I saw a large seal appear 

 several times on the surface of this lake, to 

 breathe leisurely and inspect curiously the 

 surrounding death-dealing chaos. 



The incident reveals to what degree these 

 animals are accustomed to deafening noises and 

 the convulsions of the ice. But, regardless of 

 danger as it is, the large seal generally prefers 

 a more peaceful hunting-ground and rarely 

 appears near the coast ice, where the large waves 

 dashing in from the sea smash the ice to 

 splinters and throw high into the air water- 

 spouts and foam. They therefore seek the 

 interior, where the ice floats in calm water 

 beyond the power of the waves. 



Certain species of seals live isolated. Among 

 these is the barbata seal. Others, such as the 

 Greenland seal, are gregarious. 



The barbata seal, of which I saw a splendid 

 specimen during my voyage north of Spitsbergen 



N 2 



