OBSERVATIONS ON THE GREY SEAL. 
EDMUND SELOUS, 
(Continued from page 257). 
OCTOBER 15TH.—Re-embarked for the island alone, I 
had hoped to get away by 3 p.m., but the nominally more 
important things of life supervening and demanding the writing 
of various letters, etc., it must have been nearer six I think, 
when I was put ashore—for always I have no watch. I did 
not go near the shed, determining to confine my observations 
to the pair of Grey Seals and their young one last watched by 
me in the nearer bay. After nightfall it came on very dark, 
with no moon, and after having gazed into this darkness for 
sometime without any phosphorescent form ofa Seal appearing, 
I desisted, made my bed, and went to sleep. 
OcTOBER 16TH.—Before it was full light, I left the tent and 
climbed up to a rocky pinnacle overlooking the whole bay. 
The young Seal lay on its back on the rocks apparently asleep. 
The tide was then well out, but rising, and it was not until it 
had come a good deal farther in that one of the old Seals—I 
think the female—appeared. I, however, only saw it for a 
moment or two. I think it had just swum through the bay, 
giving a general glance round. Ina little while I again saw it 
close in amongst the rocks, but once more it dived and dis- 
appeared. Then a considerable interval passed, after which 
it came again, but went away, almost as soon, after much the 
same procedure as previously noted. In a subsequent visit 
however, it stayed longer. 
It having seemed to me before that these Seals closed their 
eyes when sinking, but not having been sufficiently certain to 
make the statement, I now paid particular attention, with the 
result that I certainly saw it close them several times when its 
head was just above water, and now again nine times just as 
it has sunk it, so that this seems fairly made out. The nostrils 
are also closed. This last may be invariable, but I should 
hardly think it was with the eyes. They must be re-opened, I 
suppose, when once the whole head is under water, but it seemed 
to me that the animal disliked getting any dash of the wave 
into them. 
At this point the yacht arrived. Asa result, the old Seal, 
which had been just about to feed her young one, went off, and 
the young one, as I believe, some little while afterwards, also 
took to the sea. That it is now quite capable of doing so is un- 
doubted, since I saw it come out of the water on to the rocks, 
one or two mornings ago, though I may have forgotten to enter 
it. Also, in the later afternoon to-day it came into the shore 
1915 Sept. 1. 
