214 CARNIVORA PINNIPEDIA. 



ascends the tidal rivers to a considerable distance from 

 the mouth, and has been known to pass up the St. Law- 

 rence River into the Great Lakes. Apart from the Grey 

 Seal, this is the only species ordinarily met with on the 

 coasts of the British Islands. 



The skins used in commerce come principally from 

 northern waters, and are manufactured into leather, or 

 used with the hair on for making saddle housings, trunk 

 covers, tobacco pouches, toy knapsacks and a variety of 

 similar articles. 



The Greenland Seal, which is essentially a northern 

 species, is the most important member commercially of 

 the True Seal family. It is about the same size as the 

 Common Seal, and at some periods of its existence sim- 

 ilarly marked; but when full grown it can easily be dis- 

 tinguished by the characteristic coloration of the back, 

 because of which it is often called the Harp or Saddle- 

 Back Seal. The general color of the adult Greenland Seal 

 is a yellowish white with black markings on the back, 

 fore part of the head and limbs the markings being less 

 distinct on the females than on the males. In neither sex, 

 however, is the full coloration obtained before the fifth 

 year, and so different is the .appearance of the animal at 

 various stages of its growth that it is called by different 

 names at different ages. For the first few months it is 

 classed as a "White-coat"; when the woolly hair begins 

 to fall off, and dark spots to appear in the new coat, it 

 is designated a "Small Spot." At two years old it is 

 known as a "Middling Spot" or "Bedlamite"; and later 

 it is called a "Spot," until such time as it develops by 

 reason of full coloration into a "Harp." 



The migratory habits of the Greenland Seal have al- 

 ready been referred to ; and a study of its itinerary shows, 

 that while it is found to a limited extent in the far north, 

 and is at rare intervals a visitor to the British islands, 

 and parts of the West Coast of Northern Europe, its 

 habitat is on the west side of the North Atlantic from 

 Newfoundland to the Arctic regions. 



During their migrations these animals keep close to the 

 coast, and frequently enter the bays and estuaries, but 

 when settled at their breeding resorts, they prefer ex- 





