ELEPHANT-SEALS OF KEilGUELEN LAND. 439 



coming- to a sudden stop amidst the harems. Fierce fights 

 between the bulls lying outside. the herd were taking place, and 

 occasionally an immense bull was seen making his way through 

 the seals. Waning daylight, and the necessity for finisliing a 

 rough survey of Thunder Harbour, and taking soundings, pre- 

 vented a visit to the plains, but next day, in Christmas Harbour, 

 the riddle was solved. 



The S.S. 'Jeanne d'Arc' had called here on the 24th of 

 December, 1908, in order to take a. couple of Sea-Elephants to the 

 Durban Zoological Gardens, and two pups were most unexpectedly 

 secured, a small bull being too tough a customer to tackle. As 

 the migration of beach masters, with their pups, had been noticed 

 to happen on the 10th of December, it became evident that the 

 season's youngsters did not abandon the beaches simultaneously 

 with their sires, but that the latter left for the most part when 

 it suited them, to a certain extent, together with their pups. 



In Captain Cook's Christmas Harbour, two fine bulls with 

 their harems occupied the beach, separated by a space of about 

 500 feet. The same commotion, but on a much smaller scale than 

 what dimly was observed in Thunder Hai'bour, and which up to 

 the clay before had never been s€en anywhere since the arrival 

 of the S.S. ' Jeanne d'Arc ' at Kerguelen Land, was also raging 

 among the seals lying on the beach in this anchorage, and, on 

 getting ashore, the reason was discovered — the cows were " in 

 heat." Fierce, sanguinary battles were fought between the 

 bachelor bulls lying in the shallows, the water shining crimson- 

 red in some places, while rolling bellowings mixing with the 

 savage hootings of the obsessed beasts resounded between the 

 hillsides. On the beach, the two Sultans wei-e standing alert and 

 threatening, ready to repulse an aggressor ; both mutually 

 concurring not to poach on each other's preserves, and watching 

 the approach of the boats with evident concern. Suddenly one 

 of them was seen to face about, pivoting his body in a magnificent 

 sweep on his fore-flippers, and gallop madly into his harem, Avhere 

 he disappeared from sight, and on gaining the beach and coming 

 through the crowd of pups and dams we found the bull serving 

 one of the latter. 



The commotion among the " water-bulls "' became pande- 

 monium. The frenzied creatures went blindly for each other, 

 digging their sharp incisor teeth into each other, and careering 

 about ; the sound of their roars and bellowings filling the whole 

 harbour. One, more venturesome than the others, ascended the 

 beach and made for the nearest cow, Avhich he tried to ravish ; 

 the unwilling harem beauty, with loud cries of distress, making 

 her lord aware of the situation, and appealing to him for 

 assistance. Having satisfied the call of the other dam, the harem 

 master came bounding along, running the oflFender down, and 

 crushing him with his weight so that the underlying bull 

 screeched with terror or agony, whilst making frantic eflbrts to 



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