52 



ORDERS OF MAMMALS— SEALS AND SEA-LIONS 



enactment and enforcement of a humane measure 

 of protection which really will protect. 



THE SEAL FAMILY. 



Phocidac. 



The Little Ringed Seal 1 is the Seal of the 



Farthest North, and the friend of the northern 



Eskimo all round the pole. It is the smallest 



North American species, and looks very much 



bear, with two small cubs, was closely following 

 up the seals as they worked north through 

 the ice pack. 



The Common Harbor Seal, 1 of both our ocean 

 coasts, is a good representative of the Seal Fam- 

 ily, chiefly because it is the species most frequent- 

 ly seen. It ascends rivers far above tidal influ- 

 ence, and has been taken in Lake Champlain. 

 In the Columbia River a closely related species 



THE RIBBON SEAL. 



like the common harbor seal. It goes as far 

 north as it can find breathing-holes. Nansen 

 found it on May 31, at 82° 21', or within 460 miles 

 of the pole, living in the narrow lanes of water 

 that were then forming in the great polar ice 

 pack. It was a Bearded Seal,' however, which, 

 on June 22, afforded the brave explorers a good 

 supply of food when men and dogs were almost 

 starved. And, true to its nature, an old polar 



1 Pho'ca joe'li-da. 2 Er-i-gnath' us bar-ba'tus. 



has been taken above The Dalles, 200 miles from 

 the sea. 



The Harp Seal 2 is not only one of the hand- 

 somest of all Seals, but it is also the species 

 most valuable to man. It is found on both sides 

 of North America, but always in cold waters. 

 In the year 1900, five sealing steamers of New- 

 foundland took nearly 100,000 seals, mostly 

 Harps, on the coast of Labrador and northward 



1 Pho'ca vil-u-li'na. '* Pho'ca green-land' ic-a. 



