156 WILD BEASTS OF THE WORLD 



Fur-Seals do not provide much of this nowadays, having been severely 

 thinned down by reckless and wasteful destruction, and most of our 

 sealskin comes from the Fur-Seal of the North Pacific (Otaria ursina) 

 which breeds on the Pribyloff Islands, where it is carefully watched 

 over and utilised with discretion. Only the "bachelor" Seals are killed 

 for furs ; these are the young males which are not old enough to fight 

 for a home and family, for the males of these animals do not come 

 to their full size and strength for several years, and meanwhile have 

 to herd by themselves. These can therefore easily be driven off and 

 knocked on the head, and, though this sounds a barbarous and cold- 

 blooded proceeding, it is kindness compared to what an unhappy 

 bachelor would have to endure if he trespassed upon the "married 

 quarters " ; for he would be assailed by each and every paterfamilias 

 he encountered, and, as the Fur-Seal's idea of fighting is to bite and 

 hold on till his teeth tear through, the victim's death would be slow 

 and painful even for such an enduring animal as one of this hardy 

 tribe. 



