32 



MR. ALEXANDER'S OHSERVATIOXS. 



Coucerning the food fonud in the stomachs of seals on the feeding grounds of 

 Bering Sea, Mr. A. B. Alexander ohserves : 



"The material which has been found in the stomachs of seals taken in dilTerent 

 parts of licring .Sea indicates that only a small percentage is composed offish which 

 inhabit deep water. It is only reasonable to supjiose, however, tliat wlien seals are 

 in shallow water they feed on both bottom hsli and on those near the surface. A 

 not uncommon component of tlieir food is the red rocklish, which occurs in both 

 deep and shallow water, and possibly also near the surface at times, wliich would 

 account for its being found in the stonuiclis of seals captured wliere the water is 100 

 fathoms or more deep. 



" Surface Hshes, and especially S(iuid. seem to be the natural food of the seal. In 

 the stomachs that have been examined a variety of nu\t<rial was found, such as 

 pieces of Alaskan pollock, salmon, and other lishes, but it has also l)e('n observed 

 that in localities where scjuid are jilentiful very little other food may bo looked fur. 

 I am informed by hunters that on the coast of .Japan and off the Commanih'r Islands 

 squid occur in great abundance, and that it is not an nncommon sight to see a half 

 dozen or more seals together feeding on the tentacles of an octopus floating on the 

 surface. Sealers find s(iuid plentiful ott' the island of Kadiak, and in that locality 

 they have often been found in large ([uantities in the stomachs of seals." 



Outside of ISering Sra the food changes souu'wliat. The ])ollock grows rare to the 

 southward, while salmon, herring, and rocklish become abuudant. Doubtless these 

 and other avalhible Hshes are eaten in numbers. We have no reason to suppose that 

 the seal prefers the ilesh of any one species to another. 



AMOUNT OF FOOD CONSIMED. 



Calculations as to the amount of food consumed by the fur seals have little value. 

 Nor is it likely that l.iek of food is an important element in checking their increase. 



It may be noted in this connection that the pollock, which makes the chief food 

 of the fur seal, has never been sought as a food lish. In 15ering Sea nu)re valuable 

 fishes, as the cod, halibut, and Atka-lish, are very abundant, rendering the utilization 

 by man of the pollock unnecessary. In no case is it likely that the great cod and 

 salmon lishcrics of Alaska will be affected in any way for good or ill by the fur seal. 

 Its destruction of salmon amounts to but little. It neither eats sharks nor is it 

 eaten by them. The dogfish is not recorded from Bering Sea. 



XIII. FOOD OF THE PUPS. 



SEALS NURSE TIIEIi: OWN PUPS ONLY. 



The nursing fur seal never knowingly feeds any pup other than her own. She 

 knows her own pup as surely as the mare knows her own foal. As the pup grows 

 older he learns to know his mother's voice unerringly. While the mother shows 

 little affection for her pup and generally treats it with indifference after she has 

 recognized it and given it an oppoi"tunity to nurse, there is no difficulty in determin- 

 ing when mother and pup meet and recognize each other. And if this matter were 

 in doubt, no one would be able to mistake the savage way in which the female fur 

 seal treats a pup which is not her own. The starving pups were closely observed 

 with a view of determining whether any of them succeeded in nursing other cows. 

 Occasionally a pup would be seen to try to nurse some sleeping cow, but the cow 

 always awoke instantly and savagely repulsed the starveling. Such a pup dare not 

 approach a cow that was awake. There can be no doubt whatever that if a pup 

 loses its mother before it is weaned in November it can not find another cow to 

 give it nourishment and must starve. 



The following is a typical record of attempts of starving pups to secure milk : 

 "Reef, September 1 : I see a little starving pup below me. He is moving about 

 calling out and nosing about the 1>reasts of 8leei)iug cows. He has tried three and 

 been driven off" with a growl and snap from the waking cow. He wanders some dis- 

 tance. Comes up to a sleeping cow whose pup is either nursing or asleep with his nose 

 at the nipple. The starveling takes hold and evidently nurses for some seconds. But 

 the cow, as before, wakes and snaps at him with unwonted vigor. Her own pup has 

 been asleep. Evidently she had been misled by the fact of his having recently been 

 sucking. The starveling gives up and lies down." (G. A. C.) 



