HOMES OP THE ESKIMO. 171 



open through the winter, every fresh crust of ice being 

 immediately removed, so that, no matter how thickly 

 the surface is frozen, the door always remains open. 



Having widened the opening with the aid of the 

 sharp claws on her flippers, the same tools are brought 

 to bear on the under surface of the snow, which 

 thickly covers, to the depth perhaps of many feet, the 

 frozen sea ; and a dome-shaped chamber, exactly like 

 the interior of the hut of a native, is scooped out be- 

 fore Madame Seal considers her work completed. The 

 snow taken away in forming her chamber is conveyed 

 by her under the ice, to be carried away by the 

 water. 



The baby seal, when it is born, occupies this hid- 

 den home, which is only revealed by the melting snows 

 of summer, when its occupants have left it empty. 



It is very remarkable how the seal, having once 

 left its hole to search for food, and chased through 

 many and devious courses the fish upon which it feeds, 

 can ever find its way back, in utter darkness and the 

 complete absence of all landmarks, to its breathing- 

 place, which it never fails to do, bringing with it the 

 game upon which its little one feeds. 



On rare occasions the two enemies against which 

 all its precautions are useless when its location is dis- 

 covered, invade the igloo and kill its defenseless in- 

 mates. These two enemies are man and the white 

 bear ; and their plan of capturing and killing the seals 

 is exactly alike, except that man has to look to his dogs, 

 while Bruin depends upon his own nose to inform 

 him of the whereabouts of his prey. A slight, invisi- 



