Sea ^ Shore Birds 149 



It is an island that rises in the centre to a fair 

 height, the whole of its sides being built up with 

 , rock, on which the boulders lie in picturesque con- 

 fusion from almost the summit down into the sea 

 itself, beneath which many are plunged, some showing 

 themselves at low tide and affording resting-places 

 for huge fawn-coloured seals. 



All around, the water is so beautifully clear that 

 when a seal is in sight, if you climb on to some 

 rock whose sides cut down sheer into the sea, you 

 can watch its movements as it dives below. 



The way in which its long heavy body cuts 

 through the water is splendid ; giving one an insight 

 into the strength of these animals and the swiftness 

 of their gliding movements : so different to what they 

 are on land, when all that velocity is changed into 

 laboured floppings and waddlings, reminding one of a 

 man attempting to move along when his arms and 

 legs are tied, and he flat on his face. 



At a little distance a floating seal with only his 

 bullet head above water, has an uncanny resemblance 

 to a man bathing. 



Talking of seals reminds me of an amusing prac- 

 tical joke which, when staying in the islands already 

 mentioned, I played upon one of my unfortunate 

 guests. 



Being a true Englishman — and they say an Eng- 

 lishman is never happy unless he is killing some- 

 thing — he was very anxious to add to his many other 

 trophies in the way of stags' and chamois' heads, &c., 

 one of a seal. 



