576 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



sea through the kelp like torpedo-boats. Many of those we 

 saw had scars and recently-healed wounds, and when Mr. 

 Jennings and the rest of the party were killing and preparing 

 the skeleton further up the west coast some males were seen in 

 the water fighting desperately, rising straight up in the water, 

 throwing their huge bulk against each other, and tearing great 

 strips of skin with their tusks. Mr. Jennings selected four 

 of the finest specimens, apparently adults, and, after shooting 

 them with a carbine, found that the skins were in too poor 

 a condition to be of any use for specimen purposes. He 

 therefore, with very great labour, and under very great hard- 

 ships from the want of sufficient food and proper shelter at 

 night, stripped the flesh of all four elephants from the bones, 

 and carefully prepared the bones for transportation across the 

 island to a place called South-east Harbour. "With the assist- 

 ance of one of the men on the island he succeeded in carrying 

 across the four miles of most difficult country the heads of 

 the four specimens and the complete skeleton of the smallest 

 of the four, together with some of the most important of the 

 small bones of the remainder. It was found impossible to 

 bring over the remainder at that time. Mr. Jennings carefully 

 examined the intestines and stomach, but could find nothing 

 but a brown slime — possibly the remains of kelp. The ground 

 in the neighbourhood of the bodies was saturated with blood, 

 and the skuas and nellies gorged themselves to repletion. 

 Although the specimens selected for slaughter appeared fully 

 adult, it was found, when the skulls were finally cleaned, that 

 very few sutures had closed, and that they must remain open 

 for a longtime after the animals are apparently full-grown, all 

 of the four killed measuring over 20ft. in length. I also noticed 

 that in the huge heap of bones at the north end all the 

 bones appeared to be of immature individuals. It is to be 

 regretted that, owing to a series of misfortunes, only one of 

 the skeletons should up to the present have reached Dunedin 

 — and that one slightly imperfect — as the work of preparing 

 the skeletons was performed under the most trying circum- 

 stances, and involved a great amount of work. 



I was unable to accompany the party who went for the 

 sea-elephants, as I had to remain at Lusitania. Along the 

 coast-line I collected several skeletons, more or less perfect, 

 of very young sea-elephants, about 8ft. long. I had one adven- 

 ture with a female sea-elephant, the only one seen during our 

 visit. I came on it one morning on the upper part of the 

 beach, but was unable to kill it, as it escaped to the sea badly 

 wounded. It was about 9ft. long, and had a beautiful light- 

 brown coat, much more attractive than the mangy-looking coats 

 of the males. Professor Scott records that they calve after 

 October. Judging by the remains of skeletons on the various 



