no 



MAMMALIA. 



of the Baltic brave every year the greatest clangers in pursuit of 

 the Seal. When the ice is breaking up, five, six, or sometimes 

 fewer, embark in a canoe, with a supply of provisions and weapons. 

 They run the risk of seeing their boat crushed between the masses 

 of ice, or of being carried away on an iceberg, on which they 

 will probably die of cold and hunger. A good many Norwegians 

 perish each year on these dangerous expeditions. 



The peojole^who live on the north coast of Scotland hunt the 

 Seals in a strange manner, which is not without its dangers. They 



Fig. 29. — Esquimaux watching for a Seal. 



know that these Amphibia retire into vast caverns, the entrance to 

 which is generally very narrow, to give birth to and to suckle their 

 young. In October or November, the hardy fishermen, towards the 

 middle of the night, penetrate into these sombre grottoes, to the 

 end of which they advance, in light skiffs. Then they light torches 

 and shout loudly. At this sudden illumination, and these strange 

 noises, the Seals, howling loudly, leave their retreat in the greatest 

 disorder. Their numbers are so great that their pursuers woidd 



