222 NATURAL HISTORY. 



grounds, the great mass of the younger members of the community are not thoroughly excluded from 

 the domains of the "rookery." By common consent, here and there long narrow lanes of neutral 

 ground are left open from the beach upwards, and along these continually pass to and fro the non- 

 breeding animals. These go to the rear, where they pack themselves in a kind of general medley, 

 their gregarious nature leading them there to swarm. 



The young animals in the beginning of August begin to take to the water, with which they soon 

 become familiar, frolicking about, and returning like lazy Dogs to sleep after their exertions. They 

 grow fast, and gathering in squads swarm over the whole "rookery." The colony now begins to break 

 up from the family-parties first instituted. Some besport themselves, or possibly feed in the neigh- 

 bourhood ; others range on the sandy and grassy uplands, in groups of hundreds to thousands, 

 and seem to play and enjoy themselves in a rollicking, lively manner. Their gambolling is very 

 good-natured, then seldom quarrelling. They appear to delight in dashing through the breakers, 

 and " hauling up " on the surf-beaten shore. In dull, foggy weather, they crowd close together 

 in myriads, and a bright, warm day sends them off quickly to the water, seemingly to avoid heat. 



What they live on during all this period it is difficult to state, for the fish round the island appear 

 to be driven off on the arrival of the Sea Lions. They, nevertheless, subsist and thrive. In the 

 stomachs of most of the older animals several pounds' weight of pebbles are usually found. 



At one time 100,000 young males were killed annually, the females not being interfered 

 with. This will show how enormous the number of Seals on these islands was. But the 

 slaughter has not always been wisely regulated. When the Russian American Company first 

 hunted, up till 1837, they ran great danger of exterminating all, killing every animal regardless 

 of sex; and complications have occasionally arisen between the United States and Great Britain 

 about the right of fishery, the former Government being desirous of preventing the extinction of 

 the Seals, and on that account claiming a wide jurisdiction in the Behring Sea. Mr. Elliott, by 

 roughly numbering the animals in a family group, and estimating the given area of the " rookeries " 

 when the greatest mass are on shore, calculated the total numbers at between four and five millions. 

 The killing of these Seals is quite a peculiar occupation of the islanders. After the breeding 

 season, the hunters take advantage of the dull and foggy weather, and creep down between the 

 herd and the water. Then suddenly rising and shouting together they drive landwards the 

 affrighted animals, though many of course escape. Closing on them, they allow the females and the 

 very old males by degrees to pass, and then drive the remainder at a slow rate towards the 

 killing-ground, some distance off. Watchers remain over night with them, and in the morning, 

 when the Seals have rested and cooled down, the work of slaughter begins. Squads of forty or 

 fifty are separated, and the islanders then surround these in a body, the animals meantime hud- 

 dling together and treading over each other's flippers, cannot well attack or defend themselves, and 

 they are then clubbed by blows on the head. While this bloody process is going on, a number 

 of the men dexterously skin the animals, and others look after the blubber, and such parts as 

 are useful for food and other purposes. 



STELLEE'S SEA LION,* OR THE HAIR SEAL OF THE PRIBYLOFFS, is an animal in some respects 

 not unlike the Fur Seal originally described by the aforesaid Russian naturalist. But it is 

 a much more powerful animal, and though in contiguity to its congener originally named by this 

 author Sea Bear, it differs in habits as well as in other particulars, besides the broad fact of 

 its possessing such sparse, and, when old, such absence of under-wool that it comes to be classed 

 as a true Hair Seal. The male and female animal are of unequal size ; the former attains a bodily 

 length of eleven or twelve feet, and a weight of l,0001bs. and more, while the latter is barely more 

 than half the dimensions and weight of her partner. The male has quite a leonine appearance and 

 bearing, and often exhibits great ferocity of expression. His colour is of a golden rufous tint, darker 

 behind, or occasionally with brownish patches, the limbs more nearly approaching black. Some variation 

 occurs with regard to the brindling and hue generally, the female being slightly paler than the male. 



Their movements on land, though in many respects similar to, are not so free as those of the Fur 

 Seal, and never are they found far from the water. Some of them herd along with the Fur Seals, 

 their powerful organisation enabling them to hold and retain the shore locations. They, however, 

 * Otaria Stelleri. the genus Eumetopias of Gray and others. 



