THE COMMON SEAL. 3 



lour is lighter, not so distinctly spotted, but more frequently 

 patched, and grows paler with age. The size of the head 

 of the female is somewhat less than that of the male. 



The female admits the male in September, and brings 

 forth in June. She never produces more than one at a birth, 

 which she seems to suckle for about two months. It is sin- 

 gular that, for a long period, the error should have existed 

 of supposing this animal to bring forth more than one young 

 in a season. No fact regarding this species and the Great 

 Seal is better known to those practically conversant with 

 their habits than this, that neither produces more than one 

 at a birth ; and the mistake now alluded to should lead us 

 not to trust too hastily to mere authority on other points less 

 accessible to observation, in the history of these animals. 

 The young of both sexes are nearly of the same colour as the 

 adult male ; they are brought forth on low flat rocks near the 

 sea, hardly ever in caves, and follow the mother immediately 

 to the water, swimming and diving with as great apparent 

 ease as herself. The fcetal covering of hair is of a silvery- 

 white and of a silken fineness ; this is cast in the uterus 

 some time before birth, and thrown off" with the secundines — 

 a singular fact, directly contrasted with what occurs in the 

 young of the Great Seal. The mother is much attached to 

 her offspring, but will not attempt to defend it when sur- 

 prised and attacked, but leaves it to its fate. About the 

 period of bringing forth, the females collect in herds on 

 the flat shores and rocks, while the males and young of both 

 sexes, with little exception*, frequent similar situations, but 

 apart from the others. After parturition, the females se- 

 parate, and each female, attended by its young one, becomes 

 more solitary ; as the season advances, the herds again pro- 

 miscuously associate. They appear to be polygamous, and 

 during the breeding season fierce contests for the females oc- 



