F 



384 CALLORHINUS UESINUS NORTHERN FUR SEAL. 



"As before stated, the Seals select and occui)y for their breed- 

 / ing-statioris the rocky slopes of the i)rojeetiiig' head-lauds. [*] 

 I On their arrival at the island the full-growu Seals separate from 

 ; the jounger, the former hauling up on the shore siugly or in 

 groups of two or three, separated by quite wide intervals. The 

 young gather in a single body where tJie shore is smooth and 

 spend their time in play, pushing and tumbling over each other, 

 or gathering in groups of from three to ten around some rock 

 near the shore, x)assing hours in apparently trying to crowd 

 each other off the rock, of which each seems to be striving to- 

 gain possession, to the exclusion of the others. Later, as the 

 number of Seals on the beaches increases, the young ones are 

 crowded back to the upland, and find access to the water by 

 passing along the sandy belts which extend down to the sea. 

 As the shore line becomes completely occupied those which are- 

 old and strong enough fight their way to a place on the breed- 

 ing-grounds, while the younger and weaker seek the sandy 

 openings and crawl uj) to join their own class. Here they 

 sj^end the time alternately in playing and sleeping, usually 

 going into the water for an hour or two every day. It is only 

 the ' beachmasters,' or breeding bulls, on the rookery that 

 remain continuously in their places, for if they were to leave- 

 them they would be immediately occupied by some other beach- 

 master, and they could regain possession only by a victory over 

 the trespasser. The struggle among the old bulls goes on until 

 the breeding-grounds are fully occuj^ied, averaging one old male 

 to each square rod of space, while the younger, meantime, find 

 their waj^to the upland. During the latter j)ortion of the land- 

 ing time there is a large excess of old males that cannot find 

 room on the breeding places ; these pass up with the younger 

 Seals and congregate along the upper edge of the rookery, and 

 watch foi- a chance to charge down and fill any vacancies that 

 may occur. These, to distinguish them from the beachmasters, 

 are called the ' reserves,' while those younger than five years 

 are denominated by the natives ' hoUuschucke,' a term denot- 

 ing bachelors or unmarried Seals. It is from these latter that 

 the Seals are selected to kill for their skins. 



"By the middle of June all the males, except the great body 

 of the yearlings, have arrived 5 the rookery is filled with the 



[* This statement, as well as the following account of the habits of the 

 Fur Seal, relates to the state of the rookeries as observed in 1869, as is- 

 stated later (posha, p. :te8) in the present report.] 



