286 THE BIRD WATCHER 
say, instead of being igyisible was most conspicuously 
apparent—can only, I think, have been gained through 
sexual selection, and its being confined to the belly 
and sides may bear some relation to the habits of the 
animal. Suppose that this one is the male, then does 
his leopardess look up at him as he rolls in blubberly 
grace and barrel-like symmetry above her, or, since he 
swims with equal ease upon his back or belly, has the 
fair, portly expanse of the latter made it the principal 
area of decoration? Does he offer it as a carpet to 
her when she goes abroad, saying “Swim upon me,” 
or display it over her as a banner, crying “ Be these 
thy colours!” or, in swift circumvolution, does he 
enmesh and entwine her with it, playing about her 
like a stout coruscation, as the two swim together 
through grots, and caves, and pebbled halls, and cool 
groves of golden-brown seaweed? All this is the 
secret of the deep ; but there is the belly, and it fires 
the imagination. 
I am now sure that it was this great and glorious 
sea-leopard, and not the other large seal, that | first 
saw lying on the seaweed, and I had hoped it might 
have done so again as the tide went out. But 
I was again disappointed. As before, little of this 
deep-growing seaweed was exposed by the tide, nor 
did either of the two lie on the rock itself, or on any 
other one. Neither did the common seal come this 
time, whereas, in the adjoining cove, there was the 
accustomed complement. This one seems the haunt 
par excellence of these two superior creatures, but, 
