164 Zoological N. Y. Zoological Society. [I; 8 



brown, the younger animals being grayish brown. The largest 

 male elephant seal obtained by Harris in 1907 was sixteen feet, 

 eight inches in length and had a girth of eleven feet, eight inches. 

 The proboscis was eighteen inches long, measured from its tip 

 to the eye. The largest female obtained was eleven feet, five 

 inches long, with a girth of six feet, five inches. 



The skin of the adult male is exceedingly heavy, being nearly 

 an inch thick about the fore part of the neck. Our knives dulled 

 so rapidly in skinning that it was found necessary to have a 

 grindstone sent ashore and keep two men busy at the task of 

 sharpening. The carcasses were so heavy that it required all 

 the strength of half a dozen men to turn them over with the aid 

 of a rope and hand-holes cut in the skins. We found the blubber 

 to be about four inches thick in some places. 



Behavior of Males. 



Unless actually teased by members of our party, the old ani- 

 mals did not attempt to leave the beach, and many of them did 

 not raise their heads from the sand until closely approached, al- 

 though wide awake. When driven from a comfortable resting- 

 place they would soon settle down, and after throwing sand on 

 their backs with the front flippers become quiet again. Both 

 young and old have the habit of covering themselves with sand 

 when settling down to rest. The females, although but little 

 molested, appeared to be even more passive than the males. 



Some of the large males after being driven into the sea, soon 

 returned. While in the water they remained near the surf, dis- 

 regarding the boats which passed near them, the head being usu- 

 ally held well above water with the proboscis partially retracted. 

 When making a landing the large male does so very slowly with 

 frequent pauses, from time to time raising and spreading the 

 hind flippers to get the benefit of each low wave that helps him 

 through the shallows. When finally clear of the water and de- 

 pendent upon his own efforts in getting his ponderous bulk to a 

 dry place well up the sloping beach, progress becomes very slow, 

 but the elephant seal is able to crawl long distances. While at 

 San Cristobal Bay in 1884, the sealers showed me places three 

 or four hundred yards up the ravines where they had formerly 

 killed them. 



