52 
ORDERS OF MAMMALS— SEALS AND SEA-LIONS 
enactment and enforcement of a humane measure 
of protection Hvhich really will protect. 
THE SEAL FAMILY. 
Phocidae. 
The Little Ringed Seal 1 is the Seal of the 
Farthest North, and the friend of the northern 
Eskimo all round the pole. It is the smallest 
North American species, and looks very much 
bear, with two small cubs, was closely following 
up the seals as they worked north through 
the ice pack. 
The Common Harbor Seal , 1 of both our ocean 
coasts, is a good representative of the Seal Fam- 
ily, chiefly because it is the species most frequent- 
ly seen. It ascends rivers far above tidal influ- 
ence, and has been taken in Lake Champlain. 
In the Columbia River a closely related species 
THE RIBBON SEAL. 
like the common harbor seal. It goes as far 
north as it can find breathing-holes. Nansen 
found it on May 31, at 82° 21', or within 460 miles 
of the pole, living in the narrow lanes of water 
that were then forming in the great polar ice 
pack. It was a Bearded Seal , 2 however, which, 
on June 22, afforded the brave explorers a good 
supply of food when men and dogs were almost 
starved. And, true to its nature, an old polar 
1 Pho'ca foe'ti-da. 2 Er-i-gnath'us bar-ba'tus. 
has been taken above The Dalles, 200 miles from 
the sea. 
The Harp Seal 2 is not only one of the hand- 
somest of all Seals, but it is also the species 
most valuable to man. It is found on both sides 
of North America, but always in cold waters. 
In the year 1900, five sealing steamers of New- 
foundland took nearly 100,000 seals, mostly 
Harps, on the coast of Labrador and northward 
1 Pho'ca vit-u-li'na. 5 Pho'ca green-land' ic-a. 
