WHALING AND BEAR-HUNTING 269 



To-day, 31st of July, in the early morning, we got to within 

 a few miles of Shannon Island, North-East Greenland, and 

 could see the snowy lomonds behind it. Though the land is 

 almost entirely snow-clad, it looks comforting after a month 

 at sea. But the pack ice is too jammed to the west to allow us 

 to land, so we steer slowly south, winding in and out amongst 

 the ice- islands, sometimes shoving a small one aside. We 

 picked up a big seal this morning, a bearded seal, P. Barbata ; 

 it is the biggest seal of the Arctic. Still steering southerly, 

 Greenland faint to the westward, with glasses we see fiords 

 and glaciers. Sky and sea silky and still, the only sound 

 the faint pulsation of our little engine. It is hot in the sun ! 

 I can hardly believe it, and yet huge icicles are forming round 

 the edges of the ice-tables. The endless floes grow weari- 



some. There is too little life. There are only a few seals, 

 only a few sea-birds and not a sign of a whale. The pensive 

 sunlit stillness of the day and the mirror-like surface of the 

 ocean were scarcely disturbed this afternoon by the slaughter 

 of two great blue seals. The largest showed that a bear 

 had lately paid it attention, by the cuts on its enormous 

 body. It weighed on the steelyard three hundred kilos, 

 equal to six hundred and sixty- seven pounds ; about the 

 weight of four policemen. A big bear with one paw can lift 

 such a seal out of the water and throw it several yards on to 

 the floe. The blue seal is rather like the Barbata or bearded 

 seal, excepting the colour of its coat, which is more brown 

 than the blue seal's. Each has a very small head in pro- 

 portion to the bulk of the body, both have only rudimentary 

 teeth, they eat crabs and seaweed. Whether the teeth are 

 provided for the purpose or whether the seal is restricted to 

 such small fry because it has such poor teeth, is perhaps a 



