SEAL-SHOOTING. 231 



near the end of the fishing season, taking with ine both 

 rifle and rod, that, in case the one failed to afford 

 amusement, I might try my luck with the other. As I 

 had almost anticipated there was no sport to be had on 

 the river: so after watching for a few minutes the 

 salmon which lazily plunged about a large pool, I 

 ordered my pony to be re-yoked, and started for home 

 by a road which runs for a considerable distance within 

 a few yards of the shore of a small arm of the sea. I 

 had not gone very far, when at the end of a low point 

 of land which juts out a good distance into the loch, 

 my eye detected the presence of something unusual. 

 Having left my trap, ordering the boy to drive home 

 if I did not shortly rejoin him, I crept down to get a 

 nearer view, and soon discovered two seals, lying on the 

 beach near the water's edge. By the help of sundry 

 fragments of rock, and the natural irregularities in the 

 ground, I succeeded in still further shortening the 

 distance, and at length found myself within a hundred 

 and fifty yards, where I could distinctly make out a cub 

 seal, engrossed in the act of sucking his mother, the 

 latter being apparently of an unusually large size. My 

 reader may think it very barbarous of me to have dis- 

 turbed such a scene of blissful innocence and repose, 

 but opportunities like these are not of so frequent occur- 

 rence as to admit of such scruples' in " the savage 

 breast" of one who is a thorough "protectionist" in 

 the cause of the Salmonida3. Accordingly, with a fisher- 

 man's sympathy, and regarding them as mine enemies 

 who were the salmon's enemies, I took a steady aim at 

 the mother, and fired. She immediately floundered 

 into the water, the ball, as I afterwards discovered, 

 having passed through the upper part of her shoulder. 

 The youngster was so completely taken by surprise, 



