144 



The Living Animals of the World 



young soon after their arrival. Tiie new-born young ones are almost blaciv, unlike the adults, 

 which are of a light slate-hrown. They are suckled by the female for some time, and then 

 left to themselves, lying on the lieach, where they seem to grow fat without further feeding. 

 They are always allowed liy the sealers to lie like this, ' in order to make more oil.' This 

 account was corroborated by all the sealers I met, but I do not understand it. Probably 

 the cows yisit their offspring unobserved from time to time. Peron says that both parent 

 elephant-seals stay with tlie young without taking any food at all till the latter are about 

 six or seven weeks' old, and that the old ones conduct the young to the water and carefully 

 keej) them company. The rapid increase in weight is in accordance with Peron's account. 

 Goodridge gives a somewliat different story — namely, that after the females leave the 

 young the old males and the pups proceed inland, as far as two miles sometimes, and 

 stop without food for more than a month, during which time they lose fat. The male 

 sea-elephants come ashore for the purpose of breeding about the middle of August, the 

 females a little later." 



Formerly the elephant-seals were found as far north as the (Jalifornian coast, wdiere their 

 capture was the main business of the sealing-traders. This species also formed the mainstay 

 of the tar southern sealers. As the elephant-seals were killed off, so the business became less 

 and less profitable. It is to be hoped that the voyages of exploration to the Antarctic ice-fringe 

 will not lead to the discovery of fresh sealing-grounds, for if this is the case there is little 

 chance that any of the southern seals will escape entire destruction. Some form of close 

 time has already been enforced in tlie pursuit of the hair-seals of A^orthern Europe; but it 

 is very desirable that the species still found on our own coasts should also receive protection. 

 Except when they ]iaid visits to the fixed salmon-nets, they neser did any harm; and fixed 

 nets are now illegal. Wlien a seal learned the use of the stake-nets, which these animals 

 were very quick to understand, it would wait quietly till it saw a fish caucrht, and then swim 

 up and carry it off before the fishermen could take it. 



Two species — namely, the Common Seal and Grey Seal — still regularly visit our shores. 

 The common seal breeds on our south-western coasts, and the grey seal off the Hebrides. If 

 the common seal were accorded a close time, its numbers would probably increase; and the 

 spectacle of such interesting creatures visible on our coast could not fail to be of o-reat 

 interest. All the old legends of mermaids and wild men of the sea are based on the capture 

 of seals. Perhaps the most ancient is one which records such a capture in the ri\er near 

 Orford Castle, in Suffolk, in the reign of Henry II. The ignorant soldiers were persuaded 

 that it was a man, and tortured it to make it speak. They then took it to the church, 



and showed it the sacred emblems. 

 As it '• showed no reverence," 

 they took it back to the castle, 

 and fed it on fish. It was allowed 

 to go into the river, luit returned 

 to its captors of its own accord. 

 Later it swam away to the sea. 

 The monk who recorded the story 

 stated his conviction that this 

 seal was an evil spirit which had 

 got into the body of a drowned 

 sailor. A grey seal was taken 

 not many years ago in the creek 

 leading up to the little town of 

 Wells, in Norfolk. It was so tame 

 that tlie fishermen caught it by 

 throwing coats over it as it lay on 

 the mud. 



I of II,.. II, 



U',,11, r IOjlh.vl,,l,l] 



HAKP-SEAL. 

 The liarp-seal colues from GreQDland. 



