128 A necdotal Natural History. 



formed in a very singular manner. The sharp 

 canines are long and powerful, and the molars are 

 covered with sharp projections of various sizes, so that 

 even the most slippery fish, when once fairly seized, 

 has very little chance of escape. The tongue, for 

 some unexplained reason, is slightly cleft at the tip. 



The young of the seal are very few in number, 

 seldom being more than two, and generally only one 

 at a birth. When newly born they are almost white, 

 the colour gradually deepening as they advance in 

 age. 



For the first few weeks of their lives the young seals 

 are brought up upon dry land, the mother carefully 

 tending them until they are sufficiently strong to take 

 to an aquatic life. 



All the seals are inhabitants of the colder seas, and 

 are especially numerous on the borders of the Polar 

 Circle. The severity of the climate matters but little 

 to them, for they are rendered secure from cold by 

 their three-fold protection, and can always obtain prey 

 beneath the ice, no matter what may be the season of 

 the year. 



In order to prevent the surface of the water from 

 being completely frozen over, and separating them 

 from the outside air, a number of seals are accustomed 

 to congregate together into a single spot, thus keeping 

 open a passage by the warmth of their bodies. 



These passages are often utilized by the mother 

 for the reception of her young, in the following 

 manner : 



Ascending to the surface of the ice, the seal scrapes 

 away the snow above the entrance to the passage, until 

 she has excavated a small dome-like chamber, much 

 wider than the passage itself. It will be seen that a 

 ledge or shelf of ice must necessarily be left surround- 

 ing the aperture. Upon this shelf the baby seal is 



