FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKXANDS. 355 



but wliile watching, I saw it half-open one eye. I then threw 

 a stone at it, and when struck, it suddenly reared itself up on its 

 flippers to the height I should think, of eight or ten feet, opening 

 its enormous mouth to its widest extent. After this, I kept at a 

 respectful distance, pelting him until he thought he had had 

 enough of it, and he made slowly for the water, making as much 

 fuss as a large steamer. On going hack to the house, I mentioned 

 what I had seen to one of my men (an old inhabitant), who said 

 it must have been an Elephant. He had never seen one, but said 

 he had heard old sealers say they killed them by finding them 

 asleep, giving them a poke in the side, and on their rearing up in 

 the manner described, firing into their mouth. He went out the 

 next morning with his gun, and found the animal in the same 

 place, and despatched him in the manner I have mentioned. I 

 have been living in the Falkland Islands upwards of five years, 

 and during that time never saw or heard of one having been 

 seen. I may safely say one has not been seen in the islands for 

 the last ten or twelve years. They were never, I believe, plenti- 

 ful, and now are extremely rare, as they were much sought after 

 by sealers on account of the quantity of oil they produced, and 

 the value of it, as it brought a much higher price than the oil 

 procured from other seals. The elephant in question measured a 

 little over 21 feet, and must have weighed several tons. ..." In 

 response to further enquiries, Mr. Mansel adds — "I did not 

 notice the proboscis while the animal was asleep, but when roused 

 it was inflated and very distinct, about a foot in length. The 

 colour was the same as that of most Phocidce, a dirty blue-black," 



Captain Abbott, loc. cit. writes as follows: — "It — the 'sea- 

 elephant' — is not at all common in this group of islands, and 

 comparatively few skins are brought in by the sealers, it is, 

 however, frequently seen in one or two of the bays on the north 

 shore of the East Falkland, where it is little disturbed, owing to 

 the sealing-boats being unable to approach the shore. In these 

 bays the Sea-elephants breed in some of the many caverns, the 

 only entrances to which are by water. I have never met with this 

 seal alive " 



The conditions under which the specimen of Elephant-seal 

 I had the opportunity of examining, was found, are as follows : — 

 This quadruped was found stranded on the beach in Stanley 



