THE HARBOR SEAL 



ently had not reached the age at which roan 

 is regarded as a thing abhorrent, and simply 

 nosed about tlie mother. Again in her trep- 

 idation she took to the water, where she 

 splashed violently with her hind-flippers. 

 Several times she clambered up beside her 

 young one and again in terror fled to the 

 water, but at last, by dint of coaxing and 

 pushing, the youngster was got into the sea. 

 Thereupon the old one headed for the open 

 ocean,— from which, however, it was sepa- 

 rated by a line of breakers,— followed eagerly 

 by the young one, who held its head and 

 neck high above the water and splashed awk- 

 wardly with its fore-flippers in its anxiety to 

 follow. At times the head of the young one 

 was so close behind that of its mother, and a 

 little on one side, that it seemed as if the baby 

 seal were partly supported on its mother's 

 back. Every now and then the mother would 

 gracefully turn her head up and around, so 

 that the mouth appeared to touch the out- 

 stretched mouth of the little one. What the 

 object of this movement was, whether to en- 

 courage or to kiss the infant, or to give it 

 nourishment, I was unable to determine, but 

 the simultaneous action on the part of the 



175 



