Page:The white czar; a story of a polar bear (IA whiteczarstoryof00hawk).pdf/83

 Eskimo Land. In fact it is the presence of these two animals that makes Eskimo Land inhabitable.

There are several species of seals. The common harbor seal which is seen in many of the Atlantic harbors is a type of all the rest. He has a cousin called the harp seal, with stripes upon his coat resembling the strings of the harp. The ribbon seal has a beautiful and even ribbon around his neck and another along his sides and shoulders which meet underside. The strangest of all the seals is the hooded seal. The male of this species has a grotesque skin hood upon the top of his head which he can puff out at will.

Both the walrus and the seal breed and feed upon the icefloe.

But they are not the only inhabitants of that strange movable world; for the white Czar, the great polar bear, also follows the floe, that he may prey upon the young seals and the walrus calves. A dead whale is also to his liking. Some of the foxes, too, frequent the floe in certain times of the year.

The day following the return of the hunt-