The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-06-16
Migration of Seals.


Of the different sorts of North Allan
tic seals all but two are migratory-that
is to say, the whole body of them move
from north to south each autumn, and
back from south to north each spring.
Upon this important fact the great fleets
of fishermen, of which I shall give an
account presently, depend for their sue
cess. The annual southwark Journey of
the restless harp seal furnishes a vivid
picture of these great migrations, which
are SO prominent feature of polar his
tory. Keeping just ahead of the "mak-
ing of the ice, or final freezing up of
the fiords and bays, at the approach of
winter they leave Greenland, and begin
their passage southwark along the coast
of Labrador, keely entering all the
CULTS and bays. They appear firstin small
detachments of half a dozen TO score or
more of individuals !; these are soon
followed by larger companies, until in
few days they form one continuous pro-
ccssion, filling the sea as far as the eye
can reach. Floating with the Arctic
current, their progress is extremely
rapid, and in but cue short week the
whole multitude has passed. Arriving
at the Straits of Belleisle, some enter the
gulf, but the great body move onward
along the eastern coast of Newfoundland,
and thence outward to the Grand Banks,
where they arrive about Christmas.
Here they rest for month, and then
they turn ncrthward, slowly struggling
against the strong current that aided
them SO much in their southwark jour
ney, until they reach the great ice-felds
stretching from the Labrador shore far
eastward broad continent of ice.
During the first half of March. on
these great floating fields of ice, are
born thousands of baby seals-only one
in each family, to be sure, but with
plenty of play-fellows close by-all in
soft woolly dress, white, or white with
beautiful golden luster. The Newfound-
landers call them "white-coats. In
few weeks, however, they lose this soft
covering. and a gray, coarse fur takes its
place. In this uniform they bear the
name of ragged Jackets" and it is not
until two or three years later that the
full colors of the adult are gained, with
the black crescentic or harp-like marks
on the back which give them the name
of "harps."
The squealing and barking at one OF
these immense nurseries can be heard
for very long distance. When the
babies are very young, the mothers
leave them on the ice and go offin search
of food, coming back frequently to look
after the little ones and although there
are thousands of the small, white,
sdnealing creatures, which to You and
me would seem to be precisely alike, and
all are moving about more or less, the
mother never makes mistake nor feeds
any bleating baby until she has found
her own. If ice happens to pack around
them SO that they can not open holes
nor get into the water, the whole army
will laboriously travel by houndering
leaps to the edge of the field; and they
show an astonishing sagacity in discern
ing the proper direction. 1t is supposed
that they can smell the water at a long
distance.
Sometimes great storms come, break
ing the ice foes In pieces and Trimming
the fragments against one another, or
upon rocky headlands, with tremendous
force Beside the full grown seals that
perish in such gales, thousands of the
weak babies are crushed to death or
drowned, notwithstanding the dauntless
courage of their mothers in trying to get
their young out of danger and upon the
firm ice. And it is touching to watch a
mother seal struggling to get her baby
to a safe place, "either by trying to
swim with it between her fore fippers,
or by driving it before her and tossing
it forward with her nose" The destruc-
ton caused by such gales is far less
when they happen after the youngsters
have learned to swim.