144 MARINE MAMMALS OF THE NORTH-WESTERN COAST. 
however, two teats each side of the belly, nearly on a line with the corners of the 
mouth and the posterior limbs. While taking measurements of some "clapmatches" 
at the summer village of Kiddy Kubbit, situated near the mouth and on the south 
side of the strait, where the animals lay in one of the large lodges, the women 
were engaged in skinning them and trying out the oil from the blubber. The 
question arose, whether a Fur Seal ever had more than one pup at a birth. A bevy 
of squaws discussed the subject with great spirit, raising such a din about our ears 
that nothing else could be heard ; at last, a herculean kloochman clutched a knife, 
and slashing into the seals, brought forth one pup only from each individual, and, 
with a knowing look as well as a multitude of words, gave us to understand that 
this examination, together with past experience in the matter, was proof positive 
that the offspring of this species of mammalia did not come in pairs. 
The time of gestation has been supposed to be about nine months, but later 
observations at the seal islands of Behring Sea prove it to be at least ten months, 
or more. The pups, when first born, are about one -third the length of the mother. 
They are covered with a thick mat of coarse fur, which changes to a finer texture 
and lighter shade as the animals mature. The time of bringing forth the young 
("pupping season"), on the coast of California, is from May to August, including 
a part of both months ; on the coast of Patagonia, and the latitudes near Cape 
Horn, from October to March. 
The flippers of the Fur Seal are destitute of hair, being covered with tough, 
black skin, similar to shagreen, which is very flexible about the terminations of 
their extremities ; the side limbs are shaped much like the fins of the smaller 
Cetaceans ; the posterior ones have each five distinct toes, or digits, and three nails, 
or claws, project from their upper sides, four inches or more from their tips, accord- 
ing to the size and age of the animal. The tail is extremely short, and pointed. 
The ears are quite pointed also, slanting backward, and are covered with short, fine 
hair. The head, in proportion, is longer and sharper than that of the Leopard Seal. 
The number of whiskers on each side of the face may average twenty ; they are 
of different shades, from blackish brown to white, and frequently attain the length 
of seven inches. The eyes are invariably dark and glistening, and have a human- 
like expression. 
The intrinsic value -of the animal does not depend upon the price of its skin 
alone ; for the layer of fat adhering to it yields the oil of commerce, and supplies 
light and heat to the natives in their dismal winter quarters. The flesh, likewise, 
affords them a staple article of food. Fanning, as well as other early voyagers, 
speaks of the flesh of the Fur Seal pups, when six weeks old or more, as being 
