190 SKETCH OF THE HISTORY OF MAMMALIA. 



129.— Elephant-Seals. Males. 



barred from food, and become extremely emaciated: some, 

 it is said, occasionally ])orish. The growth of the young 

 is very rapid. After birth they measure between four 

 and five feet, but in eight days are double their original 

 dimensions, and in the third year are from eighteen to 

 twenty-five feet in length. At this period the proboscis 

 begins to be developed in the male. When the term of 

 imprisonment has ex])ired, the whole troop, young and 

 all, visit the sea, where the females soon recover their 

 strength and condition, and where they sojourn for about 

 a month, when they again visit the shore, which now 

 becomes the arena of most furious conflicts between the 

 adult males, the females remaining passive spectators. 

 When these scenes of bloodshed and excitement have 

 ended, the troop, under the guidance of a leader, leave 

 the shores of the islands in lat. SS*", and migrate south- 

 wards towards the antarctic circle, where they spend 

 the summer months. It is observed, however, that a 

 few remain in the former localities, even during the 

 summer, probably in consequence of being disabled by. 



