JSA This is an exquisite book. The first flip-through reveals scores of spectacular color photos of harp or Greenland seals at various stages on their vast annual migration to and from the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Each picture by internationally acclaimed photographer Fred Bruemmer -- from the breathtaking two-page opener of a drifting iceberg to the final snapshot-size shot of a big-eyed pup -- is a gem. This is much more than a gorgeous coffee table book, though. Brian Davies' text is a delight to read -- clear, informative, sometimes humorous, often quite lyrical -- and is seamlessly interwoven with the photographs. Davies, who founded the international Fund for Animal Welfare during the sixties and helped accomplish the ban on baby seal hunting in Canada over a decade ago, tells the fascinating story of the seal's life cycle while managing to convey between the lines, without proselytizing, the need to safeguard these lovely mammals. Nor does he get smarmy. His description of the mating ritual, for instance, includes details about the deep scratches rival suitors inflict on each other along with a depiction of the sensual 'dance of love.' He tells how quickly a mother will respond to the call of her baby, and how thoroughly she will ignore a starving baby who is not her own. Granted, he anthropomorphizes shamelessly ('Near its mother the pup feels happy and secure ... ' p . 27), but who can look at the accompanying photo and deny that this is the perfect picture of comfort and bliss? Gloria Levine, Freelance Education Writer, Potomac, MD-