Selous: Observations on the Grey Seal. 257 
(and it was rough all the time) were as nothing to these Seals. 
As a great green wall of water burst upon and over them, one 
would catch sight of their bodies in its midst, as it reared itself, 
(like moving flies in amber) to be lost next moment, and re- 
appear, again, far in its rear as the mass rolled on; or, with the 
same insouciance, they would go forward upon the seething 
cataract of foam. They were like a shaped part of the water 
itself, with all its immunities from dangers of rocks. 
I have spoken of the two sporting together, and there was a 
period during which something more defined and of greater 
import seemed to be proceeding out of this. I cannot speak 
with assurance, as probability may be against such an inter- 
pretation, but certainly their actions, during a lengthened 
period, gave the idea that copulation was proceeding. In this 
the male clasped the female round the neck or shoulders, 
lying all along her back, and in this position they floated or 
swam together, and once, at the least, rolled round like logs in 
the water. These embraces took place once or twice, as though 
the male had made more than one attempt before succeeding 
in his object, after which it appeared that they had reached 
their conclusion, since they were not resumed subsequently 
whilst I watched. They thus appeared to form a special act 
arising out of play more or less amatory, and not a mere part 
of this, which, indeed, if it had been, would have made it a 
very peculiar and specialised form of play. 
Finally after I had watched them for, as I should think, 
well over an hour, the mother Seal landed and suckled her calf. 
She lay this time half on her side and half on her back, taking 
great pains to present her teats to the young one, who came 
down to meet her, and sucked, lying on one rock, with its head 
over the narrow chasm which separated it from that which 
its mother had chosen. Afterwards the mother moved a 
_ little farther off and reposed herself, whilst the young one 
retreated towards where he had.come from, and did the same. 
When I returned some time later, the tide was more in and I 
could see neither the one nor the other, so assumed that both 
had entered the sea, as the young one had done so before. 
The yacht came a little after this, and I returned in it, after 
some time, with my friends. 
(To be continued). 
7O:% 
Mr. S. Hastings has some well illustrated notes on ‘the Biology of 
the larger British Fungi’ in Knowledge for June. 
The Lancashive and Cheshive Naturalist for June contains the first 
Annual Report of the Lancashire and Cheshire Fauna Committee. 
The Insh Naturalist for June includes an article on ‘ The Long-Finned 
Bream (Brama longipinnis Lowe) ; an addition to the Britannic Fauna,’ 
by Rk. F. Scharff, 
1915 Aug 1, 
