AFTER THE SEAL 



and so its motions are carried on mainly by the muscles of 

 the body, with the result that its " walking " is merely a 

 series of awkward, shuffling hops ; and practically the 

 only use its limbs are to it when not in the water, is as a 

 means of climbing rocks, ice, or a sloping beach. Once in 

 the water, however, few fish could be more swift and un- 

 tiring than they. 



Over their little ones learning to swim, many curious 

 stories some of doubtful truth have been told. Close 

 observers say that the young are never driven into the water 

 by their parents ; they maintain that these have little or 

 nothing to do with the swimming lessons, for the little 

 ones teach themselves. Those that lie nearest the water's 

 edge set the example to the rest by wriggling into the sea 

 and splashing about in an astonished, half-frightened 

 manner ; when their heads go under they struggle up- 

 wards again, crawl on to the beach, and go to sleep. On 

 waking, they return to their task ; the same thing happens 

 over and over again ; dip, ducking, nap always the nap 

 until the neophyte has become a proficient swimmer. 



Among the seals we shall not see that touching affection 

 of the mothers for the young that we witnessed with the 

 cetaceans. The fathers, or bull-seals, do indeed protect 

 the babies as long as they remain under their eye, but 

 if a little one choose to wander away from its home, no 

 effort will be made on the part of either parent to protect 

 it or bring it back. 



Seals are by no means confined to the northern regions, 

 though they are perhaps more at home there than else- 

 where. Both the seal and the whale are often erroneously 



298 



