BRITISH MAMMALS 



mercilessly waged upon it, its numbers exceed those of 

 all other Seals put together, and as examples of their 

 immense herds in days gone by, it may be mentioned 

 that in 1866 one steamer killed no less than 22,000 in a 

 little more than a week, whilst in Newfoundland the 

 number obtained every year used to exceed 500,000 

 individuals. It must be an exciting experience to see 

 enormous ice-floes thickly populated with these gregarious 

 animals, and to listen to the barkings of the assembled 

 companies. The voice travels a great distance over the 

 face of the desolate ice and water, and can be heard 

 several miles away. The young are born during early 

 Spring, and they are at first attired in a furry coat o 

 white, or yellowish- white, but this is exchanged for one 

 of hair after several weeks have passed. 



This species is also accused of feeding largely upon 

 Salmon, and of sometimes ascending our English rivers 

 with this end in view, but our knowledge of its whole 

 life-history is incomplete, and will probably never be 

 written. 



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