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Show 1868.] MR. R. BROWN ON THE SEALS OF GREENLAND. 409 pass by far the greater part in basking in the sunshine and sleeping on the ice *. It has been remarked that the Seal sleeps and wakes alternately about every 180 seconds. Seals are, however, often killed in considerable numbers when asleep on the ice; and this happens most commonly on a day of warm sunshine. W e had a Seal on board about a month old, which I watched attentively for some time, and it certainly seemed to wake and sleep alternately with the interval mentioned (Wallace): when disturbed it made attempts to defend itself; and if left alone for a few seconds, it drew its flippers close to its sides, and gradually its head began to look drowsy, then closed its eyes, and from the long deep breathing it was evidently asleep, for a minute or two (for the time varied) ; and then, without being disturbed in any way, it would suddenly open its large black glassy eyes, stretch out its head, and look about, and, as if satisfied that all was right, would again relapse to sleep, and so on. When asleep, they always leave several sentinels on the watch, which, strange to say, are, for the most part, female Seals. These sentinels, however, conduct themselves in the same manner as I have described the individual Seal we had on shipboard. I have been assured by old seal-hunters that Seals can sleep on their back while floating in the sea ; and this statement corroborates that of Fabricius and other naturalists. In 1861, in Davis's Straits, the steamer on which I was ran against a Seal sleeping in this manner. The blow-holes, or escape-holes, of the Seals are evidently formed by them when the ice is making, the animal always rising to breath again at the same place, thus preventing the coagulation of the ice, or breaking it as soon as formed. It has been supposed that the Seal could make such an opening by force or by keeping its warm nose (though, unfortunately for the theory, that organ is always cold!) for a time at one place for the purpose of melting the ice ; but these conjectures are not founded on truth, the following reasons being m y grounds for that statement: - It could not break the ice by force, and, moreover, it could not even dare to run its nose against such an obstacle; for the nose of the Seal is a tender point; this was known even to the ancients, and is referred to by Oppian in a well-known passagef. This is taken advantage of by the sealers, who secure as many as possible when they are hastening to the water from the ice, by striking them on the nose, and then killing them at their leisure when the others have escaped. Even suppose the muzzle capable of melting the ice (which it certainly is not), where could the animal rise to breath during the process 1 The preceding explanation of the formation of the breathing- or blow-holes was derived from independent observation of the habits of the Seal, but is identical with that given me by the natives of the Arctic regions. It is at such holes that the Eskimo and the Bear watch patiently for their prey. * " Sternunt se somno diversae in littore Phocae " (Virgil, Georgics, lib. 4). f " N o n hami penetrant phocas, saevique tridentes In caput incutiunt, et circum tempora pulsant. N a m subita pereunt capitis per vulnera moitc." |
