The Virginia star., 1882-12-09
Hows Seals Begin Life.

Hows Seals Begin Life.
Of the different sorts of North At
lantic 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. The annual southwark journey
of the restless harp-seal furnishes vi
vid picture of these great migrations
which are go prominent feature of
polar history. Keeping just ahead of
the ''making" of the ice. or final freez-
ing up of the fiords and bays, at the
approach of Winter they leaye Green
land, and begin their nassage southwark
falong the coast of Labradore, freely
entering all the gulfs and bays. Floating
in 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 Bellisle, some
enter the gulf, but the great 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 struggled against the strong cur
ing rent that aided them 80 much in their
southwark journey, until they reach the
great ice-felds stretching from the Lab
rador shore far eastward-a broad con-
tinent of ice. During the first half of
March, on these great floating fields of
ice, are born thousands of baby seals
j all in soft woolly dress, white. or white
with beautiful golden lustre. The
Observation-Disclosures call them "white-
coats" In few weeks, however, they
lose this oftcoyering, and q 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 crescentlc OF
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 tor q
very long distance. When the babies
are very young, the mothers leave them
} on theice and go off in search of food,
81 coming back frequently to look after
y 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 mistake nor feeds
any bleating baby until she has found
her own Ii ice happens to pack arounc
them, SO that they cannot open holes
nor get into the water. the whole army
will laboriousIY travel by founderine
leaps to the edge of the field and they
show an astonishing fagacity in discern
ing the proper direction. 1t is supposed
that they can smell the water at Ions
distance. Sometimes great storms come
breaking the ice-foes in pieces ant
jamm1ng the fragments against one
another, or upon rocky headlands, will
. tremendous force. And it is touching
to watch mother seal struggling te
get her baby to safe place. "either by
, trying to swim with it between her fore
iippers, or by driving it before her ani
tossing it forward with her nose" The
destruction caused by such gales is fal
,, less when they happen after the young
sters have learned to swim. A baby sea
is afraid of the water and if some ac-
cident, or his mothers shoulder, pushes
! him into the water when he is ten or
dozen days old, he screams with fright
and scrambles out as fast as he can
The next day he tries it again, but finds
himself very awkward and soon tired
the third day he does better, and be-
fore long he can dive and leap, turn
somerset Gf he Is bearded seal), and
vanish under the ice literally ''Iike blue
streak. the instant danger threatens.
l