450 



THE POLAR WORLD. 



SEAL-HOLE AND IGLOO. 



skill and perseverance. She, for some- 

 how the male seal seems now not to be 

 noticed, has a breathing-hole throxigh 

 the ice, to which she must come now 

 and then for air. Upon the surface of 

 the solid ice, which is covered with 

 snow, the prospective mother constructs 

 an igloo for her progeny. She scrapes 

 ofE the snow until she has formed a 

 dome, carrying away the snow down 

 through the hole in the ice. Upon the 

 shelf of ice surrounding the hole the 

 young one is born, and there it is regu- 

 larly visited by the mothei'. None but 

 very keen-scented animals, such as the 

 bear, fox, and dog, can discover such 

 an igloo. The dog sometimes captures 

 a seal. Hall describes such an event: 

 " Ebierbing had one day been out with 

 dogs and sledge where the ice was still 

 firm, when suddenly a seal was noticed 



ahead. In an instant the dogs were off towards the prey, drawing the sledge 

 after them at a marvellous rate. The seal for a moment acted as if frightened, 

 and kept on the ice a second or two too long, for just as he plunged. Smile, 

 tho Iv-f conl nnd bpnv doer T ever saw, caught him by the tail and flippers. The 



seal struggled violently, and so did 



cr dogs laid hold, and aided in dragging 

 the seal out of his hole, when Smile 

 took it in charge. The prize was se- 

 cured wholly by the dogs." 



Dogs seem to hunt the seal only 

 upon their master's account ; but the 

 fox and the bear capture him for them- 

 selves. How the fox contrives to get 

 into a seal igloo we are not told ; but 

 ;is they manage to break open the best 

 packed provision-cases, we may assume 

 that they know how to commit bur- 

 glary upon the igloo of a poor seal. If 

 tlie Innuits are to be believed, the way 

 the bear goes to work is this: When 

 lie has scented out the precise position 

 of an igloo he goes back a little dis- 

 tance, so as to get a good run ; and 

 then, giving a high leap, comes down 



WAITING FOR A BLOW. 



