File:Labrador, the country and the people (1909) (14779293154).jpg

Identifier: labradorcountryp02gren (find matches)
Title: Labrador, the country and the people
Year: 1909 (1900s)
Authors: Grenfell, Wilfred Thomason, Sir, 1865-1940
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: New York, The Macmillan co.
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
he had a privatemusician hired from Canada for the whole winter to per-form at his continuous feastings. I was called on awhileago to help to supply clothing to cover the nakedness of thismans grandchildren. Yet another mode of welcome the poor harp gets fromsoutherners, when it leaves its northern home to visit us.That is given with buck-shot and musket, ball and rifle.The process is called swatching, and is carried on by twomen in a light rodney, or punt, which is sometimes providedwith runners. The seals are bound to rise in the ponds,or fissures, between the great pans of the Arctic floe, to takebreath. The plan is to ^get by a likely lead of water,build a ^gaze, or shelter, out of ice blocks, and bide yourtime. You must be absolutely alert to get any seals. Ihave myself chosen a small lead and watched, lying downwith rifle ready loaded, cocked, and pointed, and yet manytimes a great harp has noiselessly put up his head andshoulders and gone down, leaving only a ripple on the sur-
Text Appearing After Image:
THE OCEAN MAMMALS 369 face, before I could draw a bead on him. Then for a shorttime he floats at this time of the year, and you must rush offyour boat, or throw your many-hooked jigger over him, andhaul him quickly up on to the ice, if you are strong enoughto do so. If the seals are basking on the ice as the boat approaches,the men shout and wave, and even fire under the seal, whichseems to so frighten him that he remains staring into space,till they land and club him with the rifle. As the slainanimal does not move, the others think there can be nodanger, and will at times allow a man to land and shootor club them every one. Our next most important seal is the bay seal. He is asmaH seal, weighing only about one hundred pounds andlooking rather dingy in a drab coat with faded black mark-ings. Nor are they very numerous, never being seen inherds. Yet they will probably outlast all the others, beingthe most adaptable to their varied environment. They arefound in the Pacific and Atlantic

Note About Images