ALASKA. 145 



tins case, repair to the hcaclies unocoiipied l)ctwoen the rook- 

 eries, and there extend tlieniselves out all the way back from 

 the water as far, in some cases, as a quarter of a mile, and even 

 farther. I have had under njy eye, in one strai^^ht forward 

 sweep, from Zapad-nie to Tolstoi, (three miles,) a million and a 

 half of seals, at least, (ahout the middle of July.) Of these I 

 estimated fully one-half were pui)s, yearlin«»s, and "holluschu- 

 kie.'' The great majority of the two latter classes were hauled 

 out and packed thickly over the two miles of sand-beach and 

 Hat which lay between the rookeries 5 many large herds were 

 back as far from the water as a quarter of a mile. 



A small flock of the younger ones, from one to three years 

 old, will frequently stray away back from the hauling-ground 

 lines, out and up onto the fresh moss and grass, and there 

 sport and plaj-, one with another, just as puppy-dogs do; and 

 when weary of this gamboling, a general disposition to sleep is 

 suddenly manifested, and they stretch themselves out and curl 

 np iu all the positions and all the postures that their flexible 

 spines and ball-and-socket joints will permit. One will lie 

 upon his back, holding up his hind flippers, lazily waving them 

 in the air, while he scratches or rather rubs his ribs with the 

 fore hands alternately, the eyes being tightly closed; and the 

 breath, indicated by the heaving of his flanks, drawn quickly 

 but regularly, as though in heavy sleep ; another will be flat 

 upon his stomach, his hind flippers drawn under and concealed, 

 ^vhile he tightly folds his fore feet back against his sides, just 

 as a fish will sometimes hold its i)ectoral fins ; and so on, with- 

 out end of variety, according to the ground and disposition of 

 the animals. 



While the young seals undoubtedly have the power of going 

 without food, they certainly do not sustain any long fasting 

 periods on land, for their coming and going is frequent and 

 irregular; for instance, three or four thick, foggy days will 

 sometimes call them out by hundreds of thousands, a million or 

 two, on the difterent hauling-grounds, where, in some cases, 

 they lie so closely together that scarcely a foot of ground, over 

 acres in extent, is bare ; then a clearer and warmer day will 

 ensue, and the ground, before so thickly packed with animal- 

 life, will be almost deserted, comparatively, to be filled again 

 immediately on the recurrence of favorable weather. They are 

 in just as good condition of flesh at the end of the season as at 

 the first of it. 

 10 AL 



