io6 
MAMMALIA. 
This species, like most of the Seal kind, feeds chiefly upon fish, 
squids, shrimps, and the like. They sometimes prove a great nui- 
sance to the fisherman, by robbing his nets of the salmon and other 
fish that they happen to contain. They have also been observed to 
catch sea birds while swimming by seizing them from below. 
The Harbor Seal, when taken young, is easily domesticated, and 
soon becomes very tame and fond of its master. It is a very intelli- 
gent animal, and may be taught many things. It is said to be par- 
ticularly fond of music. 
Mr. Allen quotes the following from the pen of Dr. Edmonston : 
“The young ones are easily domesticated, and display a great deal 
of sagacity. One in particular became'so tame that it lay along the 
fire among the dogs, bathed in the sea, and returned to the house, 
but having found the way to the byres, used to steal there unob- 
served and suck the cows.”* 
These Seals make a variety of noises. Their most characteristic 
cry is a sad, plaintive moan, or a prolonged, dismal howl. When a 
number unite, as is commonly the case, in a doleful chorus the ef- 
fect is most depressing. Last summer (in July, 1882), when befogged 
off the Mingan Islands, I on several occasions observed this per- 
formance. It seemed like the lament of a doomed race, bewailing 
an inevitable fate, and bemoaning, in solemn requiem, the loss of 
former comrades. 
This mournful cadence is usually executed in the night-time, and 
the darkness certainly does not detract from the general melancholy 
of the effect. The cold, bleak shores, too, lend an additional element 
of cheerlessness to the scene. However, it must be remembered 
that the deep-drawn sighs, the woe-begone moans, and the chorus 
that suggests a dirge, may all, for aught we know, be expressions of 
joy and contentment; for it is the impression produced upon us that 
is melancholy and sad. So little do we comprehend the language of 
our inferiors. 
* Monograph of North American Pinnipeds, 1880, p. 594. 
