406 CALLORH1NUS URSINUS NORTHERN FUR SEAL. 



and going a little off-shore, considerable numbers may be seen? 

 pairing, and readily approached so near as to be fully observed. 

 They are then found in single pairs, swimming in circles, some- 

 times the one sometimes the other leading. They come together 

 in approaching the surface from below, the male shooting onto* 

 the back of the female and firmly clasping her between his fore 

 flippers. The time of contact is shorter than on land, not 

 exceeding five minutes, but the operation is repeated two or 

 three times, at intervals of fifteen or twenty minutes. They 

 then separate, each going in a different direction. 



"POWER OF SUSPENDING BESPIRATION. As these creatures 

 spend so great a portion of their life at sea, it is interesting to 

 know how long they are capable of remaining below the surface. 

 When full-grown males, sleeping on the edge of the beach, are 

 frightened into the water so suddenly that they do not recog- 

 nize the nature of the disturbance, they invariably plunge and 

 swim beneath the surface till obliged to rise to breathe. In such 

 cases they remain from two to two and a half minutes under 

 the surface and come up from one hundred and fifty to two hun- 

 dred yards distant. If a boat passes among them they will 

 follow it at a distance of ten or fifteen yards. On coming to the 

 surface they will stand erect with the whole of the body ante- 

 rior to the fore limbs above the water, and in this position 

 remain perfectly still for several seconds, then with a summer- 

 sault and a splash, disappear for a minute or so to reappear 

 again in some other direction, apparently enjoying the fun ; in 

 no case have I timed them when they remained over two and a 

 half minutes under water. I do not think their power of remain- 

 ing below the surface equal to that of an experienced and well- 

 trained pearl-oyster diver. This seems to indicate that they 

 must feed on fishes living near the surface ; at least not on bot- 

 tom-fish in deep waters. 



"NATURAL, ENEMIES. From the birth of the young Seals 

 until they leave the island at four and a half months old, the 

 loss of life from natural causes is very slight, not exceeding 

 one-half of 1 per cent. At the time of their departure they 

 are excessively fat and clumsy, and easily fall a prey to the 

 small Whale known as the Killer, their only positively-known 

 enemy. These grow to a length of fifteen to eighteen feet, and 

 go in schools of from five to a dozen or more, frequently attack- 

 ing and killing full-grown Eight Whales by eating out their 



