1868.] MR. R. BROWN ON THE SKALS OF GREENLAND. 409 



pass by far the greater part in basking in the sunshine and sleeping 

 on the ice *. It has been remarked that the Seal sleeps and wakes 

 alternately about every 180 seconds. Seals are, however, often killed 

 in considerable numbers when asleep on the ice ; and this happens 

 most commonly on a day of warm sunshine. We had a Seal on board 

 about a month old, which I watched attentively for some time, and 

 it certainly seemed to wake and sleep alternately with the interval 

 mentioned (JVaUace): when disturbed it made attempts to defend 

 itself; and if left alone for a few seconds, it drew its flippers close to 

 its sides, and gradually its head began to look drowsy, then closed 

 its eyes, and from the long deep breathing it was evidently asleep, 

 for a minute or two (for t!ie time varied) ; and then, without being 

 disturbed in any way, it would suddenly open its large black glassy 

 eyes, stretch out its head, and look about, and, as if satisfied that all 

 was rigb.t, would again relapse to sleep, and so on. When asleep, 

 they always leave several sentinels on the watch, which, strange to 

 say', are, for the most part, female Seals. These sentinels, however, 

 conduct themselves in the same manner as I have described the in- 

 dividual Seal we had on shipboard. I have been assured by old 

 seal-hunters that Seals can sleep on their back while floating in the 

 sea ; and this statement corroborates that of Fabricius and other na- 

 turalists. In 1861, in Davis's Straits, the steamer on which I was 

 ran against a Seal sleeping in this manner. The blow-holes, or 

 escape- holes, of the Seals are evidently formed by them when the 

 ice is making, the animal always rising to breath again at the same 

 place, thus preventing the coagulation of the ice, or breaking it as 

 soon as formed. It has been supposed that the Seal could make such 

 an opening by force or by keeping its warm nose (though, unfortu- 

 nately for the theory, that organ is always cold \) for a time at one 

 place for the purpose of melting the ice ; but these conjectures 

 are not founded on truth, the following reasons being my grounds 

 for that statement :— It could not break the ice by force, and, more- 

 over, it could not even dare to run its nose against such an obstacle ; 

 for the nose of the Seal is a tender point ; this was known even to 

 the ancients, and is referred to by Oppian in a well-known passagef. 

 This is taken advantage of by the sealers, who secure as many as 

 possible when they are hastening to the water from the ice, by 

 striking them on the nose, and then kilhng them at their leisure 

 when the others have escaped. Even suppose the muzzle capable of 

 melting the ice (which it certainly is not), where could the animal 

 rise to breath during the process ? The preceding explanation of the 

 formation of the breathing- or blow-\io\&s was derived from inde- 

 pendent observation of the habits of the Seal, but is identical with 

 that given me by the natives of the Arctic regions. It is at sucli 

 holes that the Eskimo and the Bear watch patiently for their prey. 



* " Sternunt se sorano diverse in littore Phocae " (Virgil, Georgics, lib. 4), 

 t " Non hami penetrant phocas, saevique tridentes 



In capnt incutiunt, et circum tempora pulsant. 



Nam subita pereunt capitis per vuluera niortc." 



