GILPIN ON THE SEALS OF NOVA SCOTIA. 381 



throwing the round arched up back of his neck towards you. This 

 is your mark, if you put your charge of seal shot well in here, a 

 large circle of blood and oil instantaneously spreads itself on the 

 water. In the centre, bobs up and down the tip of its nose, shot 

 dead but slowly settling to the bottom. A young seal of this 

 species, taken in Halifax Harbor in May, and probably three or 

 four days old, was about two feet long and dark blue on back, 

 slaty blue sides and belly with a dozen or more black spots beneath. 

 It easily turned itself round by its fore flippers, but used its 

 stomach muscles in going ahead, the hind flippers were trailed 

 behind as if useless. The nose was blunt with a deep sulcus 

 between linear nostrils, cheeks turned and ornamented by bristles. 



Pagophilas Groenlandicus, 



The Harp. 



I insert this seal on the Nova Scotia list not upon my own 

 personal knowledge, but very common in Newfoundland and Labra- 

 dor. The arctic current dividing north of the Straits of Bellisle, 

 sweeps down the ice by the western shore of Newfoundland, and 

 thus packs the northern shores of Cape Breton. In the Spring of 

 1874, this ice was filled with seals, seen and taken readily from the 

 shore, which I presume to have been both Harps and Hoods. The 

 Harps of Newfoundland are identical with those of Greenland, the 

 North Sea and Shetland Isles. The whelps are often brought to 

 Halifax by the sealers, but usually all die. In studying one 

 belonging to Mr. Downs, I observed that he constantly swam when 

 under water upon his back, coming thus to the surface and turning 

 over to dive again. 



Halich(Erus grypus. 



Grey Seal. 



When on Sable Island I noticed a large seal that frequented the 

 bars in herds of twenty or thirty. They kept by themselves, were 

 very vigilant, came in December, whelped in February or March, 

 and stayed about the Island till August. There were none killed, 



