EXPERIMENTS IN BRANDING. 455 



BRANDING OF PUPS. 



The apparatus consisted of three branding irons, a portable forge, and a pail of 

 salve. The brand consisted of an iron rod about 3 feet in length, to the end of which 

 was attached a flat piece of iron about 6 inches long by an inch thick and wide. This 

 crosspiece was applied red-hot to the*back of the animal. A salve made of a mixture 

 of lard, honey, beeswax, resin, and turpentine was provided for application to the 

 burn. 



The pups were driven up in pods of 50 to 100 and the females sorted from the 

 males, the latter being allowed to return to the water. The pups as they were branded 

 were held flat on the ground by two rneii, one holding the hind flippers and the other 

 the head. The pups proved very awkward animals to handle at first, though with 

 experience the natives were able to manage them singly by holding one hand on the 

 head and the other on the hind flippers. 



The pups seemed not to mind the branding or to suffer any pain as a result of it, 

 uttering no sound and in most cases making no effort to escape. The work of driving 

 and culling proved harder than the branding itself. 



The iron was applied in four places, one just forward of the shoulders, a second 

 in the middle of the back, a crossbar lengthwise of the back across these two, and 

 a fourth bar on the back over the loins. The fur was first burned off the width of the 

 iron and the final burning, intended to produce the scar, was made with the corner of 

 the iron. 



The crossbar was put on the St. Paul pups to distinguish them from those 

 branded on St. George, which received only the 3 straight bars. 



After branding, the pups were all allowed to make their way down to the water or 

 back to the i*ookery. They usually lay down on the grass for some minutes unless 

 urged, showing evidence of exhaustion from the handling and confinement. None 

 were seen to try to inspect the burns or lick them, but some on reaching the beach, 

 before going into the water, sat scratching their backs with the flipper, the irritation 

 being caused probably by the salve. Attempts to hurry the pups off were unavailing, 

 as they would fight stubbornly and charge at the person disturbing them instead of 

 running away. 



When the pups got into the water, they swam off much as usual, except that they 

 evidently made a straight line for somewhere, probably back to their places on the 

 rookery, the branding being done at some distance away to avoid disturbance. 

 Occasionally a pup would remain swimming about with the others in the bay. 



Two little pups spent ten minutes in getting down through the grass to the beach. 

 They reached the beach at the same time, playing together. 



Unfortunately 2 pups which were in the first stages of starvation were branded. 

 All other pups weak or undersized were released. It is difficult in handling pups 

 stretched out as they are to distinguish the starving ones. 



THE TIME FOR BRANDING. 



It, of course, must be remembered that some of these pups are likely to die yet 

 of starvation. If the mother of a pup branded to-day should within a week be killed 

 at sea, her pup would undoubtedly die before October 1. It is therefore important 

 that if branding is to be practiced extensively the date should be placed as late as 



