ALLEGED PROMISCUOUS NURSING OP PUPS. 53 



2. The alleged promiscuous nursing of pups by 

 female seals. 



The United States deny that the statements Promiscuous 



nursing denied. 



made in the Report, in support of the assertion 

 that a cow will nurse pops other than her own, 

 are based on evidence sufficient to establish the 

 facts alleg-ed. 



The two most prominent authorities relied on Elliott and Bry- 



L ant as authorities 



in the Report are Mr. Henry W. Elliott and iu the Re i Jort - 

 Capt. Charles Bryant, the former being quoted 

 over fifty times in the first one hundred and forty- 

 five pages, and the latter forty times in the same 

 space. Yet the opinions of these two observers 

 are to the contrary on this point; and, while 

 their opinions are taken without reservation on all 

 points favorable to the conclusions of the Com- 

 missioners, they are, in respect to this question, 

 characterized as a "theory" (Sees. 320, 322, 323) 

 and "not proven" (Sec. 321). 1 



The Report attempts to disparage Mr. Elliott's Cow's affection 



for her young. 



opinion by quoting him to the effect that the 

 female seems to possess no natural affection for 

 her offspring (Sec. 322), but fails to state that 

 Sir F. McCoy, F. R. S., also quoted in this con- 

 nection (Sec. 324), publishes, in his article 

 referred to in the Report, a letter from an in- 



1 See also N. A. Grehnitzki, post p. 366; Dampier's statement, 

 Report, Sec. 848. 



