110 
MAMMALIA. 
of the Baltic brave every year the greatest dangers in pursuit of 
the Seal. When the ice is breaking up, five, six, or sometimes 
fewer, embark in a canoe, with a supply of provisions and weapons. 
They run the risk of seeing their boat crushed between the masses 
of ice, or of being carried away on an iceberg, on which they 
will probably die of cold and hunger. A good many Norwegians 
perish each year on these dangerous expeditions. 
The people who live on the north coast of Scotland hunt the 
Seals in a strange manner, which is not without its dangers. They 
Fig. 29. — Esquimaux watching for a Seal. 
know that these Amphibia retire into vast caverns, the entrance to 
which is generally very narrow, to give birth to and to suckle their 
young. In October or November, the hardy fishermen, towards the 
middle of the night, penetrate into these sombre grottoes, to the 
end of which they advance, in light skiffs. Then they light torches 
and shout loudly. At this sudden illumination, and these strange 
noises, the Seals, howling loudly, leave their retreat in the greatest 
disorder. Their numbers are so great that their pursuers would 
