SEAL EATING A SALMON. 291 



there would have been no question of my splitting 

 her skull at the short distance I was from them 

 both ; but the thoughts of the childless mother and 

 the motherless child, and the lessons I had learnt 

 about doing no murder, forbad my pulling the 

 trigger. 



I was in perfect agony from having watched them 

 so long in one position, motionless, and without even 

 blinking an eye. So at last, raising myself a little, 

 I accosted the old lady with " Halloa, missus ! do 

 you know what a scrape you might have been in ? " 

 Their confusion at such an effusion was perfect, and 

 with one bound, or something between a bound and a 

 roll, off they both went headlong into the water, and, 

 as far as I know, never came up again, for I never 

 saw any more of them. Altogether my sojourn on 

 the rock, which was higher by some feet than that 

 upon which the seals lay, was most interesting, and I 

 suspect that very few have ever been for so long 

 a time in such proximity to two seals, for at times 

 I could actually hear the old one breathe, and the 

 noises the little seal made were very curious, as 

 it rubbed its little nose against and fondled its 

 mother. 



The aroon family having departed, and having 



