214 DIVISION I. VERTEBRAL ANIMALS. — CLASS I. MAMMALIA. 



nur.sin'T continues seven or eight weeks, during wliicli no nieniher of tjio 

 f;iniily either eats or goes to sea. Tiie growth of tiic young one is verj' 

 rniiid, dduhlinLr its dimensions in the first ei^lit da\-s, and inereasin;? to 

 ini>re tlian twice its original wciglit ; as a eoMsenuence, tiie mother, wlio 

 takes no focid, pines away ti'om day to day, and sumetinies sinks under it. 

 Tiie first teeth appear at tiio end of a fortnight, and in four niDntiis tiicy are 

 all present. At the end of the tiiird year the young animal arrives at 

 niatiirit\-, wlien the )'emarkahle prohoscis appears, whieli, in this species, 

 seems to be the sign of virility. l*revii)us ti( tiiis period tiie young dwells 

 entirely with the females, hut after tliis it takes its place among tiic males. 



When the young are six or seven weeks old, they are conducted to the 

 sea, to lie instructed in tlie arts tiiat Ijelnng to seal-life. Tiie whole troop 

 moves in concert, swinuning at first gently so as not to fatigue tiie younger 

 memhers, who are as yet unaccustomed to the watery element. A\'hen the 

 young wander away from the herd, they are iuuiiediatcly piu'sued Ijy some 

 of the t)lder ernes, wlio compel tjieni to retiu'u to the flock. 



After a \(iyage of tliree or more weeks, for the pin-puse whicii we have 

 already inilicatcd, and to recruit tlicir exhausted strength, they return to the 

 coasts, wiicn tlu; iieriod of their amotn-s bciiins. Polviramy is an estahlished 

 institution in the society of tlie elephant seals, one male having as many as 

 a dozen or twenty wives, and sometimes even more. This is a curious fact, 

 and h'ads to the inipiiry, Is polygamy, tlien. a law of nature, estahlished in 

 the C(jnstitutions of the several races where it prevails? And do the \arious 

 nations of men among whom [)olygainy has prevailed from time immemorial 

 act in ohediencc to an immutable ordinance cif tlie (rod of Nature, as it 

 must be admitted these seals do? Tliis, houe\er, is not the place for a 

 s[)eciilation of tiiis kind, and we will proceed to say, therefore, that this sea- 

 son of lo\e is often signalized by terrible battles among the males, i'or it not 

 unfrei[uentlv iia[i[)ens tliat if one of tlicui is destitute of a harem, he will 

 attcm[it to rob some brother seal of his wives, which attemjit will, of course, 

 be fiercely contested. Tiien follows a i'rigiitfnl duel. The two rivals waddle 

 heavily along till they meet, when tiiev join snout to snout, as iuunan duel- 

 lists first strike each other's swords ; they then raise the anterior porticju of 

 their body as far as their fore paws, and, opening their immense mouths, 

 whilst their eyes are burning witli rage, dasii furiously against each other 

 with all tlie force tlu"y can command. The conflict now becomes terrible. 

 They timible o\cr eacii other, teetli crash witii teetii and jaws with jaws, 

 inflicting giiastlv wounds, sometimes knocking out each other's eyes and 

 tusks, and soaking the earth with their blooil ; anil tlius tlie battle rages, 

 imtil they are eoin[)letely exhausted. It is seldom that eitiier is left dead on 

 the field, and tlie wounds they inflict, however deep, heal with inconcei^'able 



