222 CARNIVORA. 



GEEY SEAL. 



HaUch<rri(s f/ri/pns. 



The Grey Seal, called also the Square Flipper, is the 

 largest of all the true Seals in the northern hemisphere, 

 but it is by no means numerous. It occasionally visits 

 the English coast, but usually breeds in the northern 

 part of Norway. Its chief habitat is Norway, but it is 

 also found in Hudson's Bay, where the skins are used 

 by the hunters for making shoe-leather. 



Few animals are captured by Norwegian and Green- 

 land sealers. 



The length of the adult male is about 10 to 12 feet. 

 The young or Whitecoat is very large, about 4 to 5 feet 

 in length, and is very thickly furred, but the skin is very 

 rarely met with in commerce. We have once seen a 

 Whitecoat, probably of this species, which measured as 

 much as 5 feet. 



The few skins that are imported are bought by tanners. 

 The Hudson's Bay Company import a few skins ; in 

 1886 the number was 42. 



Mr. Collett, in the " Proceedings of the Zoological 

 Society " (1881, pp. 382-387), says :— 



" After the lapse of three weeks the young one has 

 entirely lost its woolly hair. The Seals probably begin 

 to breed at the age of four years, or at the earliest three 

 years, and give birth to only one young one annually. 

 The food of the Seals on the Fro Islands seems to be 

 principally fish ; halibut appears to be a delicacy to 

 them." 



According to the same author, these Seals breed at 

 the end of September, and are polygamous, a male 

 having from two to five females. 



