THE SOUTHERN SEA LION 301 



accompanied by writhing movements of the head and neck, the only free parts , while 

 she often seizes the neck of the male firmly in her teeth. It may be opportune to remark 

 that the female does not "lie on her back to receive the caresses of the male" 

 (Gray, 1844). The female definitely refuses to take the male unless she is in suitable 

 condition. 



After service the cows are permitted by the bull to resort to the sea, whence they 

 return at intervals to suckle the pups. There is some means by which the bull can 

 distinguish between impregnated and unimpregnated cows, probably by the sense of 

 smell; at any rate they retain the unimpregnated in the harems and the others are 

 allowed to come and go as they please. 



When all the available cows have been covered the disintegration of the harems 

 begins; wandering immature seal begin to mix with the cows, while the bulls spend 

 most of their time in sleep. They have lost much of their ferocity, although they still 

 adhere to their chosen stations on the beach and act as a sort of guard for the pups : 

 it may well be that they are completely indifferent to the pups and protest against 

 invasion of their sections of the rookery from habit only. During the breeding season 

 the harem bulls have no chance of eating and very little of sleeping ; they cover as many 

 cows as possible and live in a state of almost continual warfare. As the result they 

 are exhausted by February and often so emaciated that the vertebral spines, shoulder- 

 blades and larynx are all easily seen, the animals presenting a striking contrast to their 

 fat and glossy appearance two or three months previously. 



In the absence of the cows for feeding the pups wander about a good deal, as soon 

 as they are strong enough, and play with and mouth each other and all sorts of 

 miscellaneous objects which they find on the beach. The cows suckle the pups for a 

 period of variable length, sometimes until the next pup is born ; but I have even seen 

 young animals which appeared to be two years old sucking from cows in the breeding 

 season. When the suckling of a pup has been carried over a breeding season it seems 

 probable that the cow has not been impregnated, has miscarried, or has had a still- 

 born pup. A possible cause of some of these troubles may be found in the great excess 

 of breeding males in present conditions. Young sea lions of the previous season may 

 sometimes be seen lying about among the cows with their newly born pups. But more 

 usually the pups become separated from their mothers before a year is out, and in any 

 case they have mostly begun to eat solid food by the time they are six months old 

 (see p. 296). 



When a cow returns to the rookery to suckle her pup she comes slowly out of the 

 water, bellowing loudly until she hears the voice of her own pup among the numerous 

 responses, and when she does so she rushes across the intervening animals without 

 regard to the bites she receives and almost at once begins to suckle the pup. Attempts 

 to secure milk by any strange pup are repelled with vigour. It is possible that pressure 

 of milk rather than maternal affection is the cause of the cow's behaviour ; I have seen 

 a female seated on a rock, and beside her a restless pup which she pushed and lifted 

 towards the teats over and over again in spite of the little creature's efforts to go away, 



