THE OTTER AND SEAL 87 



their dog. This was the wild beast of Bona, and 

 our description of it at Stornoway caused con- 

 siderable amusement. It had been on the 

 island for two years, and certainly was wild, and 

 up to that time had evaded all attempts to 

 capture or shoot it. 



Owing to our prolonged stay on the island 

 our provisions ran short, but there were plenty of 

 fresh gulls' eggs and we borrowed a lamb. The 

 only trouble was the water; this was brackish, 

 and the gulls bathed in the hole where it 

 welled up ! 



To return to the seals. Both common and 

 grey seals landed on a large rock near by. Un- 

 fortunately the boat in which we landed was 

 broken up during the storm, and so we had to 

 content ourselves with watching these animals 

 through our glasses. 



The seal is an animal capable of withstanding 

 great privation, and its powers of endurance are 

 extraordinary. During the .winter it has to 

 maintain itself in the tempestuous ocean for long 

 periods without landing, which must entail con- 

 stant exertion on the part of this air-breathing 

 animal. At night these beasts barked and 

 howled below us, but during the day they either 



