THE WHITE WORLD 



to within a few feet of them before they will actively resent 

 a closer approach. 



Thus guarding his family, the patriarch is an impressive 

 beast. He is awkward in his progress, which is a sort 

 of compound motion made up of hitching and crawling, 

 the head erect and attention alert. The eyes are large, 

 dark blue, and peculiarly expressive; now glistening with 

 ferocity, as he warns you not to come too close to his 

 harem. You retreat a few steps, and the next moment 

 the same eyes beam on you with a mild serenity, so genial 

 in expression that you slowly and cautiously again advance, 

 perhaps camera in hand, to get a closer snapshot. While 

 adjusting your focus, suddenly comes the warning voice, 

 and he advances a foot or two ; the eyes glitter again, their 

 expression heightened by the wide open mouth and gleam- 

 ing teeth; then you retreat again and peace is declared, 

 but the snapshot has been lost. 



The charm of the scene is indescribable. Happening at 

 a specially favorable place for observation, I stayed there 

 by the hour, although there were not more than a thousand 

 or two seals near me. Half a mile farther on they were 

 very much more numerous, tempting me to proceed and 

 see them in still greater numbers, but I spent most of my 

 time while on shore watching the community at this one 

 spot, with shorter visits to some still more limited groups. 



The scene where the families are crowded closer together 

 is always an animated one. Some are playing, some sleep- 

 ing, the males on guard alert; every few minutes turning 

 to some near neighbor who may be watching his own 

 harem, growling and barking defiance with much opening 

 of the mouth. But most of this seems after all to be 

 merely " bluff; " the actual fighting has been accomplished, 

 rights are already established, and the camp has settled 

 down to family life. These manifestations are perhaps 

 only intended to mean, " Now, keep away," or " I've my 

 eye on you!" 



The voice is very unlike that of the common seal, or 

 hair seal, but not nearly so impressive as that of the sea 

 lion, which is the nearest relative of the fur seal. The 

 sea lion's voice has the lowest pitch in tone of any animal 

 sound with which I am acquainted. Years ago I was 



