A Diary and Journal from the Second Grinnell Expedition

[margin] Thursday [margin] June 8. 2 Hans brings in two seal - all as yet are of the ringed or feted species P. hispida. The flesh of the seal is eaten universally by the Danes on the coast of Greenland it forms the summers and to a great extent the yearly food of the Esquimaux - For the past three weeks it has been our exclusive diet.

The flesh is dark and uninviting, un= cookedit has a flabby grumous look more like coagulated blood than muscular fibre. Cooked it is of a dark soot colour - close grained but soft and tender. A marked flavor of lamp oil pervades it - although the blubber which at this season invests it is when fresh sweet and delicious - This raw oily half fishy flavor we get used to. I dignify it by the name of “game taste” and very haut gout and detestible it is until you get used to it.

[margin] See Notes on “Seal”

The seal are shot lying by their Attuk or breathing holes - here they bask in the sun bringing forth and minding their young. (See Notes) As the season approaches midsummer they are more approachable - their eyes being congested ^ with blood by the glare of the sun ^ and less active. Sometimes they are nearly blind. Strange to say a few hours exposure of a recently killed ^ animal ^ to the sun blisters and destroys the hide - in fact - cooks it - we have thus lost several skins. Each seal yields a liberal supply of oil the average yield thus far being 5 galls each - The mean length of the females proves to be 4 [ft]. 5 in. I describe them minutely in my notes.

[margin] Friday [margin] June 9

Today for the first time I was able to walk not upon the floe. My first destination was the observatory where