THE ELEPHANT SEAL. 155 



alarmed, it coDtrives to get over the ground at a pace that, although 

 not very rapid, is yet wonderfully so when the size of the animal is 

 taken into account. The movement is a mixture of jerks and leaps, 

 and the Walrus is further aided in its progress by the tusks. Should 

 it be attacked, and its retreat cut off, the Walrus advances fiercely 

 upon its enemy, striking from side to side with its long tusks, and 

 endeavoring to force a passage into the sea. If it should be suc- 

 cessful in its attempt, it hurries to the water's edge, lowers its head, 

 and rolls unceremoniously into the sea, where it is in comparative 

 safety. 



This animal attains to a very great size — so great, indeed, that its 

 dimensions can hardly be appreciated except by ocular demonstration. 

 A full-grown male Walrus is generally from twelve to fifteen feet in 

 length, while there are many specimens that have been known to attain 

 a still greater size. The skin is black and smooth, and is sparingly cov- 

 ered with brown hairs, which become more numerous on the feet. 



Another powerful and grotesque Seal now engages our attention. 

 This is the Elephant Seal, or Sea Elephant, so called not only 

 on account of the strange prolongation of the nose, which bears some 

 analogy to the proboscis of the 

 elephant, but also on account of 

 the animal's elephantine size. 

 Large specimens of this mon- 

 strous Seal measure as much as 

 thirty feet in length, and fifteen 

 or eighteen feet in circumference 

 at the largest part of their bodies. 



The color of the Sea Elephant is 

 rather variable, even in individuals 

 of the same sex and age, but is gen- 

 erally as follows: The fur of the 

 male is usually of a bluish gray, 

 which sometimes deepens into dark The Sea Elephant [Morunga probos- 

 brown, while that of the female is 



darker, and variegated with sundry dapplings of a yellow hue. This 

 animal is an inhabitant of the southern hemisphere, and is spread 

 through a considerable range of country. It is extensively hunted 

 for the sake of its skin and its oil, both of which are of very excellent 

 quality, and, from the enormous size of the animal, can be procured in 

 large quantities. It is not exclusively confined to the sea, but is also 

 fond of haunting fresh-water lakes or swampy ground. 



It is an emigrating animal, moving southward as the summer comes 

 on, and northward when the cold weather of the winter months would 

 make its more southern retreats unendurable. Its first emigration 



