THE HARBOR SEAL 



and speckled like a macrell. Their names that 

 saw her were Thomas Hilles and Robert Ray- 

 ner." 



In those days it was a matter of common 

 belief that mermaids existed, and it is not 

 to be wondered at that Thomas and Robert 

 saw one. I have sometimes reclined on a 

 sand-spit on a warm summer's day, half in 

 and half out of the water and found myself the 

 center of interest of several pairs of seals' 

 eyes, whose owners stretched up their heads, 

 " looking earnestly on " me in a vain en- 

 deavor to determine what kind of a water- 

 animal I might be. In the dark swirl of the 

 waters back of their heads I could easily im- 

 agine I saw " long haire hanging downe be- 

 hinde," and as they went under water they 

 frequently displayed their flanks and occa- 

 sionally their tails and flippers " speckled like 

 a macrell." 



When in a hurry, or in the ordinary course 

 of business, a seal pushes his head forward 

 under water as he goes down, often following 

 it by an upward roll of the back, but fre- 

 quently, when in a leisurely mood, he delib- 

 erately points his nose to the zenith, and 

 slowly draws it straight down under water. 



183 



