30 FIELD-NOTES FOR THE YEAR. CH. XXII. 



its dark, mild -looking eyes, the sleek, shining head 

 disappears again below the surface without making 

 a ripple on the water, just as you have screwed 

 yourself round, and are about to touch the trigger 

 of your rifle, leaving you almost in doubt as to 

 whether it is a seal or a mermaid. The High- 

 landers, however, are by no means prepossessed in 

 favour of the good looks of a seal, or " sealgh," as 

 they pronounce the word. " You are nothing but a 

 sealgh " is a term of reproach which, when given by 

 one fishwoman to another, is considered the direct 

 insult, and a climax to every known term of abuse. 

 It is curious to observe the seals resting on some 

 shallow, with only their heads above the water, and 

 their noses elongated into a proboscis-like shape. 

 They will frequently lie in this manner for hours 

 together, until the return of the tide either floats 

 them off" their resting-place, or some other cause in- 

 duces them to shift their quarters. The greatest 

 drawback in most localities to shooting seals is the 

 difficulty of getting the animal when killed. Te- 

 nacious of life to a surprising degree, a seal, unless 

 shot through the head, escapes to the water, how- 

 ever severely wounded he may be, and, sinking to 

 the bottom, is lost to the sportsman. AVhen shot 

 through the head, he struggles for perhaps a minute 

 on the surface, and then sinks like a stone to the 



