SURFACE-SWIMMING FAUNA (VERTEBRATES). 133 



commercial point of view, is the Fur-seal from 

 the Northern Pacific. In the month of May 

 these animals approach the Prybilov islands in 

 the East, or the Commander islands in the 

 West of the Behring Sea. The first to arrive on 

 the land are the old males. These choose for 

 themselves certain areas or c homes ' on the 

 shore and fight desperately for their possession 

 with all who dare to come within their reach. 

 When matters are at length somewhat settled 

 the time arrives for the females to approach the 

 shore. The fighting then begins again with 

 renewed vigour, and desperate encounters take 

 place for the possession of a goodly stock of 

 wives for the season. 



There seems to be little in the way of courtship 

 in the domestic economy of the Fur-seals, the 

 wives being simply " captured " by the scruff of 

 their necks when they come within reach of a 

 would-be husband, and retained in his harem 

 just so long as he can prevent any one of his 

 neighbours from stealing her. The Fur-seal, 

 like all 'his relations, is polygamous, but the 

 number of wives that each male appropriates to 

 himself seems to vary very considerably. Mr 

 Elliott mentions a case in which there were as 

 many as forty-five females in one home, but, as 

 a general rule, the number is much less. As 

 there is only one male to every twelve or 

 thirteen females, there are numerous males 

 over, which cannot found a home for themselves. 

 These bachelors, together with a number of the 

 young females, resort to a separate piece of 

 ground, where they spend their time in playing 



