THE FOOD OF THE PUPS, 163 



It is iiot necessary to go into greater detail. In the daily journal are recorded the 

 observations of the commission in this matter. It is not a matter of great moment, 

 but from the prominence which this absurd proposition was given it has been necessary 

 to discuss it. 



THE SUPPOSED SELF-FEEDING OF PUPS. 



But not content with proving that the mother did not leave the pup, and that if 

 she did, the pup could easily find a foster mother, the British commissioners insisted 

 that the pup could shift for itself and gain sustenance independent of any mother. 

 This theory has been thus stated by Mr. Macoun : 



From the time the pups first go into the water, they are to be seen with pieces of seaweed in their 

 mouths, and there is no reason for doubting that from this time until they leave the islands a 

 considerable portion of their food is composed of seaweed, picked up along the shore or in the water 

 adjacent to it. 



THE ABSURDITY OF THE THEORY. 



What nourishment an animal, whose natural diet for the time being is milk, and 

 which is destined ultimately to feed on fish, could find in seaweed is not readily 

 apparent. But this objection seemingly offered no difficulty. It may be observed 

 that this theory rests again on a misinterpretation of very simple facts. The pup fur 

 seal, like a young dog, loves to play with anything it finds at hand. It is a common 

 sight, therefore, to see a pup swimming about with a yard or more of kelp streaming 

 from its mouth. If observed closely, other pups will be found tossing dead shells, 

 pieces of sticks, or even pebbles. A pup was observed to play for an hour with a small 

 feather. It is as reasonable to suppose that the pup feeds on the feather or the shell 

 as on the seaweed. They are all objects of play ; nothing more. 



This theory naturally went a step further, and assumed that Crustacea and other 

 animal life in the waters about the rookeries was drawn upon to supplement the 

 seaweed diet of the pups. The leathery tunicates which are found strewn in large 

 quantities upon the sand beaches of St. Paul after a storm have been looked upon as 

 palatable and nutritious food for pups. It is supposed that these are the "tender 

 algoid sprouts" of which Mr. Elliott makes mention as serving as food for pups. 



DETERMINATION OF THE MATTER BY KILLING PUPS. 



There being but one way to settle such a question as this, namely, to kill and 

 examine the stomachs of the pups themselves, this method was adopted and thor- 

 oughly carried out during the months of September, October, and November, in 1896. 1 



'Mr. Macoun, of the British commission, was present while these investigations were made, an>l 

 examined the stomachs of the pups killed. The stomachs in some cases contained milk, in others 

 noue. One stomach well supplied with milk contained two small amphipods ; one had a small tunicate 

 mixed with pebbles; another contained part of a soft-shelled crab; several had shreds of seaweed 

 mixed with milk. All the stomachs contained the characteristic pebbles. This was the sum total of 

 material aside from milk found in the stomachs of twenty pups killed from day to day and under cir- 

 cumstances most favorable for determining whether they were feeding or not. Mr. Macoun on the 

 spot agreed that the examinations were sufficient and that there was nothing found to warrant the 

 supposition that the pups had begun to feed for themselves. Notwithstanding this, in discussing 

 the matter in his 1896 report, he makes the following grossly misleading statement: 



"In addition to milk, it will be seen that the stomachs examined contained (1) seaweed, (2) 

 ascidians, (3) small crustaceans, (4) soft-shell crab. That these were found with one exception only 

 in stomachs which contained no milk, goes to show that the yonug seal when hungry avail themselves 

 of the food that is to be found in abundance in the places most frequented by them." (Macoun, 1896 

 Report, MSS.) 



