SEA-LION OF FORSTER. 241 



killed, the rest took flight with great precipitation, 

 some females taking off a cub in their mouths, whilst 

 many were so terrified that they left them behind. 

 When left to themselves, they were often seen 

 caressing each other in the most tender manner, 

 and their snouts often met together as if they were 

 kissing. They come on shore on these uninhabited 

 spots to breed, and do not feed during their stay on 

 land, which sometimes lasts several weeks ; they 

 then grow lean, and swallow a considerable quan- 

 tity of stones to keep their stomach distended. 

 We were surprised to find the stomachs of many 

 of them entirely empty, and those of others filled 

 with ten or twelve round heavy stones, each the 

 size of two fists." 



Each of the great herds of these amphibia is 

 composed of an adult male, and a number of 

 females and their young. The number of females 

 would appear to vary. Cook, in his own account, 

 says " The male is surrounded by from twenty to 

 tnirty females, and he is very attentive to keep them 

 all to himself, beating off every male who attempts 

 to come into his flock. Others, again, had a less 

 number, some no more than one or two ; and here 

 and there we have seen one lying growling in a re- 

 tired place alone, and suffering neither males nor 

 females to approach him. We judged that these 

 were old and superannuated."* Forster reckons the 

 number of females at ten or twelve, and from fifteen 



Cook's Second Voyage, P. iii. B. ii. Ch iv. 



Q 



