Selous: Observations on the Grey Seal. 255 
asa whole. After the usual time occupied in this function the 
mother Seal slipped into the sea again—now almost or quite 
at high tide—and swam off, leaving her young one on the 
rocks. Thus this one calf, born on the morning of yesterday, 
has been fed four times as a minimum (but, in all probability, 
more often), between about 5 p.m. of the same date and noon 
to-day. How the tide was when the first suckling took place 
I cannot quite recall, but, I think, fairly high. Each time 
afterwards it was higher than the time before, and the last time 
almost high tide. I believe, however, that between the first 
and the second suckling, as witnessed by me, it must have come 
in full, gone back, and returned to a little beyond where it 
then was. The intervels between the three last times seemed 
to me to be about one and a half or two hours, which frequency 
may have to do with the recent birth of this young Seal. From 
the last time, however, when, I think, it was about mid-day, 
till I left the shed, for a little, there was no further suckling, 
and this represented a considerable space of time, during 
most of the latter part of which no old Seal appeared off the 
rocks. Now, however, at perhaps 3 or 4, one—I think 
the one—swims in to them, and it is to me interesting—for 
no sound that I could hear was uttered or made by it—that 
the calf, nevertheless, which has been lying quite quietly in 
one place, ever since my return, in such a situation that, to see 
anything in the sea, or the sea at all, seems an impossibility 
for it, owing to rocks, which rise higher than it can possibly 
raise its head, entirely interposing, yet begins almost from the 
very moment of the re-appearance, to get restless, and with a 
low and weak moaning, moves a little towards the tide-line, as 
though divining the presence of its mother. Here I may say 
that though the young Seals call upon their dams in the way 
I have described, no cry audible to me (recognising now the 
mistake I was previously under, as I suppose it to have been), 
has been uttered by any of the grown Seals, male or female.* 
The expected suckling now takes place. It was in full view, 
as also wonderfully close, and made the prettiest sight of all. 
The cub left off once, went on again, and then, again desisting, 
began to crawl towards the fore-part of its mother’s body, 
which she tried to prevent by repeated quick flickings with 
her paw or flipper, but finding her child persisted, not under- 
standing, she turned herself round on about the middle of 
her side, asupon a pivot, f flopped, and then slid into the water, 
again, and was off. As for the other and more ancient-of- 
* See, however, post. 
Dr. Heatherley has described one of the young seals turning itself in 
this way. In both cases the rest of the body on each side, was off the 
rock. 
1915 Aug. 1. 
° 
