DISSECTION OF TWO-YEAR-OLD COWS. 355 



The old bull seen yesterday on Gorbatcli ciuder slope with his fore flipper "in 

 a sling" was found this morning out on Zoltoi Sands. He was ordered shot. The 

 shoulder was out of joint and the whole nipper badly inflamed and sensitive. 



REEF ROOKERY. 



The two single harems noted on the Reef rookery last night were readily found 

 this afternoon. One cow was in charge of a splendid old black bull, full of fight, 

 the other in charge of a fine-looking young gray bull of probably C years. The first 

 bull mentioned had a number of cows yesterday afternoon. They seemed to be in 

 greater part virgins. Some were old cows, however. None had pups. On approach 

 they all stampeded into a neighboring harem except one. This remaining cow was 

 the one found to-day. This was the same harem from which on Thursday afternoon 

 Dr. Jordan observed 6 young looking cows decamp in a body, returning half an 

 hour later. 



THE VIRGIN COWS. 



It was decided to shoot the little cows. Jacob Kochuten said that the one in 

 charge of the big black bull was a holostiak. She was standing close to the bull, who 

 was watching the man with the rifle. The instant the shot was fired the bull dropped 

 his nose to the cow's head as though he was conscious of some injury to her, though 

 she made no sound. He fondled over her, paying no further attention to us, until we 

 undertook to get the body. It took fully half an hour for the four of us to get the cow 

 away. The bull was fight all over. No blow on the body produced any effect except 

 to enrage him more and more, nor could he be enticed far enough away from the dead 

 body to permit anyone to reach it. Finally a well directed blow in the mouth with a 

 stone knocked his lower canines loose and stunned him sufficiently to make him yield 

 for a moment, and the cow was secured. He returned to the spot as soon as he 

 recovered himself, but appeared to realize that there was nothing more to fight for. 



The other cow was shot in the same way, but her bull, probably never as yet 

 master of a harem, deserted her immediately when pressed. Both animals shot were 

 found to be females which had not yet given birth to pups. They were carried to the 

 level of the parade ground above, skinned and dissected by Dr. Otto Voss, resident 

 physician of the North American Commercial Company. 



RECORD OF DISSECTION. 



The cows proved to be virgin females, coming in heat. This probably accounted 

 for the eagerness with which they were held by the bulls and for the absence of effort 

 on their part to escape. One of the cows was of the usual light color, silvery under- 

 neath. The other was dark brownish, like an old cow, with only a lighter shade of 

 brown under the throat. This should settle the question as to whether the difference 

 in coloration is due to length of time out of water. It also shows that age is not the 

 sole determining factor. The difference must be due to individual variation. 



The little brown cow belonged to the young gray bull. Her mammary glands 

 were small and undistended, containing no trace of milk. Her weight was about 60 

 pounds. She was about to come in heat. The Graattau follicle was just rupturing. 

 The cow had evidently never bred. The left ovary was apparently the one prepared 

 to breed first. The two horns of the uterus were alike, neither yet fertilized. It is 



