56 THE HOME OF A NATURALIST. 



for their sins. The seal has a way of looking right 

 into your eyes, as though asking for sympathy and 

 kind treatment. It makes one feel pitiful towards 

 them, and I wonder exceedingly how the sailors who 

 prosecute " seal-fishing " in the polar regions can have 

 the heart to knock them on the head with a bludgeon. 



Ornithology was our father's favourite branch of 

 Natural History. He made numerous additions to the 

 list of British birds, notably the Snowy owl and the 

 Glaucus, Iceland and Ivory gulls ; and our pride in the 

 name he had in this department made for himself in 

 the scientific world inspired us with the "noble 

 ambition " to seek in birds and bird-life something 

 more than mere pets — to solve some interesting pro- 

 blems in regard to changes of plumage in their pro- 

 gress to maturity, to watch and closely study their 

 habits, to educate their intelligence, and so forth. 



Naturally therefore our principal pets were of the 

 feathered tribe, and I pass on to say something of them. 

 I should have mentioned that we gave names to all our 

 pets, beasts and birds. Our patriotism, and consequent 

 partiality for everything Norsk, led us to prefer those 

 of Scandinavian mythology or history — Odin, Thor, 

 Baldur, Sigmund, Harald, Eolf, Rognvald, Ingeborg, 

 Dagmar, and the like. The great Wizard's charming 

 romance made Pirate and Noma and Minna and Brenda 

 great favourites ; other names were suggested by some 

 peculiarity of appearance or trait of character in our 

 pets, or some circumstance connected with their capture 

 or early life. Thus two ducks that always selected for 



