SEALS GREAT AND SMALL 73 



and the dog was swimming out for the fifth, when the keeper, 

 who had turned away for a moment, heard James sing out, " Did 

 you ever see the like of that ? The seal has taken the duck ! " 

 He turned round, and sure enough the widgeon had disappeared, 

 and although the water was like glass, was never again seen. 

 James from his vantage ground above had seen the seal come up 

 and swallow the bird. This evidence may not be conclusive ; but 

 for my own part I am inclined to accept it as accurate. James 

 was positive as to what he had sseen, and my informant dwelt 

 strongly upon the absolute calmness of the sea which rendered it 

 almost impossible for even so elusive a bird as a wounded widgeon 

 to escape unseen. 



Alfred above describes the gryphus or grey seal as 

 " square snouted." This is an apt enough description 

 of the short fleshy lips, but the head, as contrasted 

 with the bullet-shaped cranium of Phoca vitulina, seems 

 to me long and pointer shaped. I have watched them 

 pretty often, but only in one place. I believe that I 

 once saw a specimen near the mouth of Loch Craignish, 

 but I should not like to speak positively to the fact, 

 but it was certainly much larger than any other seal 

 I had ever seen off the mainland. As a rule they 

 frequent only the most remote and inaccessible rocks 

 in the Hebrides. 



I well remember one beautiful late autumn day 

 when I visited their haunts with Sir John M'Neill 

 and his friend Colonel Pearson, who was anxious 

 if possible to obtain photographs of them, and had 

 brought his camera for that purpose. After a long 

 progress in the whale-boat we had reached the 

 distant reef which they were known to frequent at 

 that time of year. We landed and scrambled over 

 the sharp and slippery rocks, but for some time saw 

 none of the animals we were looking for, although we 



