seal hollows out a little igloo under the snow, around her
breathing hole, and leaves a tiny hole in the top of it, so her
baby can have plenty of fresh air and be hidden from sight at the
same time.

The mother seal leaves the baby in the snow house, and she
herself dives through the hole and swims away. Every few minutes
she comes back to breathe, and to see that her baby is safe.

It was the tiny hole in the top of the seal's snow house that
Menie and Koko hoped to find.

The days had grown quite long by this time and there was fog in
the air. Once in a while there would be a loud crackling noise.

"The ice is beginning to break," Koko said. "Don't you hear it
pop? My father says he thinks the warm weather will begin early
this year."

They had gone some distance out on the ice, when suddenly Menie
said, "Look! Look there!" He pointed toward the north. There not
far from shore was a flock of sea-birds, resting on the ice.

"Just let me get a shot at them!" cried Koko. "You stay here and
hold on to the dogs! Nip and Tup haven't any sense at all about
game! They'll only scare them."


III.