THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 21 



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from tlie United States, in pursuit of various species 

 of Seals, and of the Sperm Whale. To obtain the 

 former, they resort to any of the small islands which 

 are scattered over the southern part of the Atlantic 

 and Pacific, but particularly those which lie around 

 Cape Hora These animals yield two valuable pro- 

 ducts, oil and fur ; but not indiscriminately, the oil 

 being afforded by the Elephant Seal {Macrorhinus 

 proboscideus), a singular animal, of large size ; being 

 often seen thirty feet long, and eighteen round at the 

 thickest part. A very remarkable formation of the 

 snout has given the distinctive name to this species. 

 At a certain season of the year, in the adult males, 

 the skin of the tip of the nose, which covers a 

 number of cells ordinarily empty, becomes enlarged 

 and lengthened by the blood that the animal has the 

 power of forcing into the cells. This projection is 

 now a foot in length ; but it appears to be nothing 

 more than a mere appendage, somewhat resembling, 

 in more respects than one, the fleshy wattle on the 

 head of the turkey, which can be similarly inflated. 

 In the spring, tliat is, in these latitudes, the months 

 of August and September, the Elephant Seals betake 

 themselves to the rocky shores in large herds ; at this 

 time they are exceedingly fat, and a single male will 

 sometimes yield a butt of oil. They remain on shore 

 until the middle of summer, when the young, which 

 have been born in the meantime, are fit to take the 

 water and provide for themselves. As the old ones 

 have taken no food during the whole of this period, 

 they are become very lean and weak, but soon re- 

 cruit their powers. Thoutrh furnished with large and 



