SEA- LION OF STELLER. 235 



it, at great peril to themselves, for many successive 

 days, by sea and land, without any other compass 

 than the stary heaven. 



Though these animals are naturally savage and 

 brutal, yet in the long-run they become familiar 

 with man. Thus Steller tells us that he lived for 

 six days in a hovel in the very midst of them, and 

 they soon became intimate. They observed what 

 he was doing with great calmness, laid themselves 

 down close beside him, and would suffer him to seize 

 their cubs. He had thus an excellent opportunity of 

 studying their habits, and once saw one which had 

 been robbed of its mate fight with the whole herd for 

 three days, and escape at last with more than a hun- 

 dred wounds. They allowed the whelps of other Seals 

 to sport near them without offering them the least in- 

 jury. The old showed but little affection for their 

 young ones, and sometimes, through mere careless- 

 ness, would tread them to death ; they also suffered 

 them to be killed before their eyes without any concern 

 or resentment. The cubs, too, on land are not sportive 

 like those of some other species, but are almost al- 

 ways asleep. They are taken to sea when some- 

 what advanced: when wearied they mount on their 

 mother's back, whence the male often pushes them 

 to accustom them to the exercise. The males treat 

 the females with great respect, and often caress 

 them. They are polygamous, but usually satisfy 

 themselves with from two to four females a piece. 

 The older ones bellow like bulls, the younger bleat 

 like sheep. 



