Aquatic Mammals 249 



conflicts, victor and vanquished alike 

 emerging from the fray covered with 

 blood and with their hides torn to ribbons. 

 The females when pregnant withdraw to 

 secluded spots and there bring forth 

 their young in peace. It is chiefly year- 

 ling sea-lions or two-year-olds that the 

 fur hunters covet, and these are segrgeated 

 from the main herd and driven slowly to 

 a feeding pen a few miles distant. It 

 was a tragic day for the seal when man 

 first decided that his own skin and hair 

 were insufficient covering. A case in 

 point is that of the elephant seal, the 

 largest seal known and distinguished as 

 regards the male sex by a short trunk 

 like that of a tapir. At one time this 

 animal had a wide distribution, but 

 to-day its range is very limited and it is 

 restricted to such widely separated locali- 

 ties as the Antarctic seas, certain small 

 islands off the Californian coast, and the 

 island of Guadaloupe, off the coast of 



