AMPHIBIAN MILLIONS. 275 



along down the spine, which blends into an almost snow-white over 

 the chest and on the abdomen. But, this beautiful coloring in turn 

 is again altered by exposure to the same weather ; for, after a few 

 days it will gradually change, so that by the lapse of two or three 

 weeks it is a dull, rufous-ochre below, and a cinereous brown and 

 gray mixed above. This color they retain throughout the breeding 

 season, up to the time of shedding their coats in August. 



The head and eye of the female are exceedingly beautiful ; the 

 expression is really attractive, gentle, and intelligent ; the large, lus- 

 trous, blue-black eyes are humid and soft with the tenderest expres- 

 sion, while the small, well-formed head is poised as gracefully on 

 her neck as can be well imagined ; she is the very picture of benig- 

 nity and satisfaction, when she is perched up on some convenient 

 rock, and has an opportunity to quietly fan herself, the eyes half- 

 closed and the head thrown back on her gently-swelling shoulders. 



The females land on these islands, not from the slightest desire 

 to see their uncouth lords and masters, but from an accurate and 

 instinctive appreciation of the time in which their period of ges- 

 tation ends. They are in fact driven up to the rookeries by this 

 cause alone ; the young cannot be brought forth in the water, and, in 

 all cases marked by myself, the pups were born soon after landing, 

 some in a few hours, but, most usually, a day or so elapses before 

 delivery. They are noticed and received by the males at the 

 water-line stations with attention ; they are alternately coaxed and 

 urged up on to the rocks, as far as these beach-masters can do 

 so, by chuckling, whistling, and roaring, and then they are imme- 

 diately under the most jealous supervision ; but, owing to the 

 covetous and ambitious nature of those bulls which occupy these 

 stations to the rear of the water-line and away back, the little cows 

 have a rough-and-tumble time of it, when they begin to arrive in 

 small numbers at first ; for no sooner is the pretty animal fairly 

 established on the station of male number one, who has welcomed 

 her there, than he, perhaps, sees another one of her style in the 

 water from whence she has come, and, in obedience to his polyg- 

 amous feeling, devotes himself anew to coaxing the later arrival, 

 by that same winning manner so successful in the first case ; then 

 when bull number two, just back, observes bull number one off 

 guard, he reaches out with his long strong neck and picks up the 

 unhappy but passive cow by the scruff of hers, just as a cat does 

 a kitten, and deposits her upon his seraglio ground ; then bulls 



