2o8 
FROM EDINBURGH TO THE ANTARCTIC 
Again I was struck by the exquisite beauty of our white 
Yankee whale-boat. With its black, spidery oars lifting 
it over the grey seas, it seemed the very embodiment of 
strength, grace, and speed. After pulling about in the 
mist for a few minutes the crew came upon the seal, 
rowed alongside, and climbed on board, whilst we on deck 
hauled the boat up to the davits. 
Then the seal was laid on deck, and we all examined it 
with much interest, for it was very different from those of 
the north. It measured seven feet from its nose to the 
end of its hind flipper. Its colour was nearly black, with 
a tinge of brown and a silvery-grey sheen ; beneath it was 
of a yellow umber colour, spotted with the dark colour of 
its back ; its head, with its large teeth and narrow, shark- 
like eyes, somewhat resembled that of a Danish hound. 
Its circumference was small for its length, and the blubber 
very thin, so we concluded it had either come through the 
breeding season or travelled far. 
