Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-11-05
SEALS.
How They Begin Life.

OIIAAOs
How They Begin Life.
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, anc
back from south to north each spring
The annual southwark journey of thu
restless narp seal furnishes a vivid pict
urc OF these great migrations which are
SO prominent feature of polar history.
Keeping just ahead of the making Of
the ice, or final freezing up of the tiordf
and bays, ut the approach of winter they
leave Greenland and begin their passage
southwark along the coast of Labrador,
freely entering all the CULTS and bays.
Ti.ey appear first in small detachments
OF half Il dozen to score or more Of
individuals; these are soon followed by
larger companies, until in few days
they form one continuous procession
Filing the sea as far as the eye can
reach. Floating with the Arctic current,
their progress is extremely rapid, and in
but one short week the whole multitude
has passed. Arriving at the Straits of
Belieisie, some enter the gulf, but the
greater body move onward along the
eastern portion of Newfoundland, and
thence outward to the Grand Banks.
where they arrive about Christmas.
Here they rest for month, and then
they turn northward, slowly struggling
i.S.s.::st the strong current that aided
them so much in tleir southwss11aa jour-
ney, until they reach the great ice fields
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 ba sure, but with plenty of
playfellows close by-all in soft woolly
dress, white, or white with a beautiful
golden luster. The NewfoundIanders
call them "white-coats. In a few
weeks, however, they lose this soft coz.
erlng, and 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 off in search of
food. coming back frequently to look
after the little ones and although there
are thousands Of the small, white, squeal-
ing creatures, which to you and me
would seem to be precisely alike, and all
are moving about more Or less, the
mother never makes rais take 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 laboriol,sly travel by foundering
leaps to the edge of the field; and they
show m astonishing sagacity in discern
ing the proper direction. It is supposed
they can smell the water at a long dis
lance.
Sometimes great storms come, break
ing the ice-foes in pieces and jamming
the fragments against one another, or
upon rocky headlands, with tremendous
force. Beside the ull-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 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
destruction caused by such gales is far
less when they happen after the young
sters have learned to swim.
Does it surprise you that seals, which
are constantly in the water, have to learn
to swim? Well, it might stagger the
seals to be told that men have to be
taught to walk. The fact is, baby seal
is afraid of the water; and if some acct
dent, or his mothers shoulder, pushes
him into the surf when he is ten or a
dozen days old he screams with fright
and scrambles out as fast as he can. The
next day he tries it again, but finds him.
self very awkward and soon tired; the
third day he does better, and before
long he can dive and leap, turn somer-
sets (if he is bearded sealD, and vanish
under the ice, literally like blue
streak" the instant danger threatens.
But he had to learn how to begin with