HUNTING OF SEALS. 45 



in view his valuable qualities in combination. We have 

 the greyhound for speed without scent, and the bloodhound 

 with scent without speed, and so on ; but while all this is 

 useful, why neglect cherishing any variety of this prince of 

 the lower animals which may be found to possess the most 

 of those attributes that fit him for general and useful com- 

 panionship, though any one of them may not have a de- 

 cided predominance. For this variety we must look, I 

 imagine, to the different well-marked races of dogs which 

 are indigenous to different countries, unsophisticated by the 

 experiments of the fancy, or the discipline of the kennel, 

 and we must not be too nice as to whether there is a curl in 

 the tail, or a peak in the ear. In dogs, as well as in other 

 animals, I suspect we shall have soon to appeal to native 

 races to refresh the blood of our domestic animals, or we 

 shall have masses of disease and monstrosities of habit con- 

 tinually to contend with. 



To return to the Seal. If he have sunk, and if the water be 

 deep and the bottom covered with sea-weed, we have a new 

 class of difficulties by no means superficial to contend with, 

 and a new source of excitement commences. Two important 

 auxiliaries, the water-glass and the klam, are now put in 

 requisition. The former is simply a large tub with a pane 

 of glass fitted water-tight in its bottom ; the tub is immer- 

 sed an inch or so in the water, and by means of this instru- 

 ment, we can see tolerably clearly from 6 to 16 fathoms 

 down, seldom more ; for clear water is with us still more 

 rare than a clear atmosphere. Many a time have I wished 

 for those limpid waters of the North Cape, where, as tra- 

 vellers tell us, halibut and herring may be seen 20 fa- 

 thoms deep playing at hide-and-seek amongst the subma- 

 rine jungles. The use of the water-glass seems to arise 

 from its power of preventing the rays of light proceeding 



