SEALS IN CO. MAYO. 135 



enemy can approach unseen. Here they assemble as soon as 

 the tide begins to leave the sand, and remain (if undisturbed) 

 until floated off by the rising flood. Boats scarcely ever use 

 this channel, so the Seals are seldom disturbed ; yet, notwith- 

 standing this quiet seclusion, they are excessively wary, and so 

 keen of sight, that not even a shooting-punt is permitted to 

 approach within range, and ordinary fishing-boats not within 

 two hundred and fifty or three hundred yards. They are equally 

 sharp in their sense of scent, so there is no use in attempting to 

 stalk them " down wind," and before I ascertained this fact 

 many a weary crawl I had on hands and knees to where the 

 Seals were resting, and on rising up, gun in hand, to find 

 that all had vanished, and the only trace left of their presence 

 being the deep impressions of their huge bodies in the soft 

 sand. 



The numbers seen vary from time to time, but twelve to 

 twenty may be seen any day, while a herd of thirty-four has 

 been counted. 



About the end of August and in September we used occa- 

 sionally to see the females accompanied by their young ones, 

 which, though very small, were able to swim alongside their 

 mothers, and we often thought when seen swimming on the 

 surface that the young occasionally rested on the mother's 

 back between her shoulders, for the position of the cub's head 

 at the back of the mother's gave one that idea. I do not 

 think the females calve on the sand-banks, but suspect they 

 bring forth their young in the many large caves that per- 

 forate the great cliffs of the North Mayo coast from Kill- 

 cummin Head to Benwee Head, where they remain until 

 strong enough to accompany their mothers to the sand-banks 

 of the estuary. 



I have only once come across a very weak young Seal. I was 

 walking one evening on the Bartragh side of the Moyne channel, 

 and, observing a Seal resting on the bank opposite, I went 

 towards it for a closer view. However, on my approach the 

 Seal got into the water, leaving a young one behind her, about ten 

 yards from the water ; the little calf was scarcely able to crawl, 

 but attempted to follow its mother, feebly crawling a couple of 

 yards, then resting, and bawling like a young calf (the voice 



