THE MARINE CARNIVORA 201 



Thoca grcenlandica. The Harp Seal 



The Harp Seal is readily distinguished from any others by its 

 remarkable coloration. The young is born with the usual woolly 

 ■coat, which it retains for a fortnight or three weeks instead of the 

 few hours mentioned in the case of the common seal. Its hairy 

 covering following on the discarded wool is dark and speckled 

 blackish on yellow-white. The next stage in colour is an increase 

 of dark on the back (which assumes a blackish tint) and of 

 silvery-white on the belly. From the third to the fifth year in 

 the creature's age it assumes the adult coloration, which is very 

 handsome. In the adult male the ground colour of the body is 



The Harp Seal {Pkoca grcenlandica). 



yellowish-gray to pale yellow-white, almost with a lemon tinge. 

 The face and muzzle from the region of the ears and brows to 

 the upper lip and nose is blackish-brown. On the back there 

 is a huge irregular mark of blackish-brown, which can be 

 best realised by a reference to the accompanying illustration. 

 This is sufficiently like a harp in shape to warrant the name 

 of harp seal. The hind limbs are streaked and spotted with 

 blackish-brown. The adult female, on the other hand, is pale 

 yellow ranging from straw colour' to amber, and deepening into 

 tawny-brown on the back, with or without spots and blotches. 

 The harp seal, when adult, may be as much as 6 ft. long, but 

 males of ordinary size and females range from 4 ft. to 5 ft. in 

 length. The back and top of the skull differ very much in 



