290 SPORTS AND ANECDOTES. 



was in from having lain so long on my wretched 

 "stomjack." They, seemed quite unaware that I was 

 so near at hand, and they played about in the most 

 interesting and confiding manner. The little seal at 

 times rolling over the old one, and the old one 

 performing all kinds of endearing antics, rolling 

 over and over, and in fact playing like kittens. At 

 last the old grey mother came up on the rock and, 

 with the little one by her side, lay within ten yards 

 of me high and dry. There they lay with their tails 

 cocking up and down in the absurd way that any 

 one acquainted with the habits ot seals must have 

 observed. Then again they would lie as motionless 

 as if they were part of the rock for a long time. 

 And though the old mother occasionally turned her 

 head and kept her weather eye open to see that all 

 was serene, they seemed to be perfectly unconscious 

 that there was any living animal but themselves in 

 existence. What a beautiful soft eye a seal has ! 

 and what a wonder it was that such an eye should 

 not have noticed me and the deadly weapon that 

 lay by my side! 



It was a lucky thing for mother aroon and her 

 baby that I had learnt manners in my youth, for 

 my double Lancaster rifle was a deadly weapon, and 



