56 PHOCA B AREATA. 



watclifiilness on the part of the seals to arise 

 from the greater cause they have to apprehend 

 being " stalked " by the bears, while taking 

 their siesta ; however this may be, recourse 

 must be had to the rifle before the harpoon 

 comes into play, in the case of Plioca harhata, 

 and to make good work with them requires 

 the perfection of rifle-practice, for if a seal be 

 not shot stone dead on the ice, he is almost 

 certain to roll or jerk himself into the water, 

 and sink or escape, and as a seal never lies 

 more than twelve inches from the edge of 

 the ice, the most trifling spark of life is 

 enough. Tlie only part of the huge carcass 

 in which a bullet will cause the requisite 

 amount of " sudden death " is the brain, and 

 this, in the biggest seal, is not larger than an 

 orange. A seal will seldom allow the boat to 

 approach nearer than fifty or sixty yards, and 

 a large proportion take the alarm much 

 sooner. Every rifle volunteer and every gun- 

 maker's apprentice who reads this will pro- 

 bably exclaim, " Oh, there is no diSiculty in 

 that, I can hit an orange every shot at 100 

 yards ! " This may be true, my gallant volun- 

 teer or skilful gunmaker, but you have not 

 yet taken into account that the boat is heaving 



