FIGHTING OF THE BEACH MASTERS. 61 



MANNER OF FIGHTING. 



Much of the so-called fighting, especially among the harem bulls, is a species of 

 "bluffing" accompanied by a good deal of roaring and blowing, but ending without 

 injury. The signal for such a performance is a challenging roar on the part of some 

 bull and an answering roar from the challenged bull. The two animals approach 

 each other, and when at a certain distance apart, both strike out with that long 

 .serpent-like stroke characteristic of the seal. In making the stroke the bulls let 

 themselves down with their breasts on the ground, and, after puffing out their musky 

 breath, which forms a cloud in the cool, moist air, they right themselves and, standing 

 for a minute with averted heads, return to their places. 



REAL FIGHTING. 



These are merely exchanges of friendly greetings between the harem masters. 

 Between the harem masters and the idle bulls, or between individuals of the latter 

 class, the matter is more serious. The same preliminaries are gone through .with, 

 but the stroke does not fall short and end in fiasco. The aim is taken for the 

 foreflipper at the angle of the body, and if it is true, a deep red gash is the result. 

 But the animals are expert in averting the attack by throwing the flipper under the 

 body. Failing in reaching the coveted point of attack, a compromise is made, each 

 animal seizing the other by the skin of the shoulder or breast, wherever the hold can 

 be obtained. They then clinch and tug and strain in their efforts each to overturn 

 the other or to push him from his place. The strength of the powerful jaws is such 

 that not infrequently a great gaping rent in the tough hide is the result. If, however, 

 the hold is firm, and one animal is strong enough to push the other, this ends the 

 fight, the one yielding giving it up. If the animals are more evenly matched, after 

 each clinch they return to renew the struggle in a species of rounds, gauged by the 

 endurance of the bulls. They are soon fatigued on land, as they have difficulty in 

 getting breath, and any exertion must be of short duration. 



That some of these fights are continued until one or the other of the animals dies 

 of exhaustion, is abundantly proved by the bodies of dead bulls found on the rookeries 

 and especially in that territory occupied by the idle bulls. On Zapadni rookery no 

 less than ten of these animals, freshly dead, were seen about the middle of July. The 

 bodies were torn and gashed, but none of the wounds were capable of causing death, 

 which probably resulted directly from exhaustion. 



THE TREATMENT OF THE COWS. 



The fights between the harem masters and the idle bulls are at bottom due to the 

 attempts of the latter class to steal the cows. When an idle bull steals a cow, he 

 is usually attacked by her master. Sometimes he drops the cow, which returns 

 to the harem while the bulls settle the account. It sometimes happens, however, 

 that the master or perhaps a third bull seizes the cow and she is pulled about until 

 one or the other hold loosens. Doubtless a certain number of cows are literally 

 torn to pieces in this way. One was seen on Kifcovi rookery to lie limp and insensible 

 for five minutes after being thus treated. She afterwards crawled away, evidently 

 seriously hurt. That the number of cows killed by the bulls in their struggles or by 

 the rough treatment of the harem masters is considerable is shown by the fact that 



