CHAPTER II. WILD ANIMALS AND BIRDS

A detailed account of the wild animals and birds with which I was acquainted in my boyhood would fill a large volume. They were wonderfully interesting. We had no books to help us in studying their habits, but most boys and girls have a large curiosity bump on their heads and they will find out for themselves. That is the best way to study about animals and birds and the wild life about us. It requires patience and perseverance but it will add to the joy of life. I will tell you in this chapter about some of them, and the adventures I had with them. There was a great variety of them in the woods and about the shores near my boyhood home and all over the Island. We had some wild and exciting experiences with them.

Dangerous Seal Hunting

I told you in the previous chapter about how the ice surrounded the Island in winter. In spring great fields, or floes, of ice drifted down from the north into Northumberland Strait. Frequently great herds of seals were carried down on the ice. Some stray ones re- mained about the shores all summer. They are queer looking ani- mals, half dog and half fish, with a head like a dog and the tail like that of a fish. It was laughable to see them get into the water, when we would chase them and pelt stones at them. Their hind feet, or flippers, are short, something like a goose’s foot. They cannot run, they would roll over like a boy rolling down hill. They can swim well and stay under water quite a time. Occasionally we captured one but it was dangerous hunting when we ventured on the ice in pursuit of them. One spring a great field of ice was pushed by the wind against the south shore. On this thousands of seals could be seen and heard bawling. Men from all about the settlements went out and killed

hundreds of them. They took the pelts or skins off. These had a

18