96 THE FUR SEALS OF THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



course understood that it does not necessarily follow that the disease among the seals 

 is caused by the same germ which produces the trouble among domesticated animals, 

 and even among the latter it is suspected that more than one pus-producing germ is at 

 work. 



The blindness of the bachelors has been ascribed to overdriving, although no 

 explanation was offered as to why any amount of driving should cause loss of sight. 

 Five pups totally blind and two blind in one eye each were noted while counting the 

 starved ])ups, as well as one "wall-eyed" cow and one cow and two bulls each with 

 one white eye. 



A feature of considerable interest is the liability of the seals to attacks of what 

 Dr. T. M. Wood considers hystero-epilepsy, the hrst instance of which was noticed by 

 Colonel Murray and Mr. Macoun on East rookery, St. George. The subject was a cow 

 recently in from the sea, and apparently dying. The eyes were rolled upward, the 

 head was bent slightly backward, the body was rigid, and although the animal still 

 breathed, it seemed at the last gasp. The seal was turned over and examined for 

 wounds or other injuries, but none were found, and when, half an hour later, the spot 

 was revisited the animal had disappeared. Several similar attacks, seen when counting 

 dead pups, were apparently brought on by fright,' but in the case just noted there 

 was no ai)parent cause, nor was there in the case of a young male noted by Mr. 

 Barrett- Hamilton. This bachelor was, to all intents and ])urposes, dead, and was 

 turned over ami pulled about for some time, although when someone started to pull 

 out the long bristles from the mousta(;he the seal, to tiie astonishment of all, roused 

 up and went away. The attacks noted lasted but a lew minutes, although while they 

 endured the animals were in a perfec^tly comatose condition. 



While, like other wild animals, the fur seal is ordinarily free from blemishes, one 

 bachelor was killed which bore a fatty tumor, 2 inches in diameter, on the side, and 

 an adult female was obtained by Mr. Townsend in which a fibrous tumor was develop- 

 ing on the left ovary, the one functional for the season in which the animal was killed. 



A few more or less complete albinos were seen among the pups, aiul two instances 

 of malformation. One of these was a pup with the nose surrounded by a series of 

 lleshy protuberances, suggesting that of a star-nosed mole, and the other was a pup 

 in whi('h eyes were totally lacking.- 



From the above observations on the mortality and diseases of seals it is apparent 

 that, while they are subject to a variety of complaints, tiiere is no evidence that any 

 great nuird)er of deaths is caused by specific disease, much less that there is, or has 

 been, any epidemic among them aside from that caused by Uncinaria. Of course it is 

 possible that such a thing might occur, as the cormorants of the Commander Islands 

 have twice been decimated by some disease, but it would be from causes which can 

 not be foreseen; although, as Dr. Stiles points out elsewhere, wc have in the numbers 

 and habits of the fur seal conditions favorable to an epidemic. 



The following tables summarize the results of the work of 189G and 1897, and 

 show the number and causes ol' deaths so far as is known. 



' See Vol I, Pt. II, pp. l'J7, 506, 584. 



-I liiivcno details concern iiijftlii.s si)(^(;iuien, which was procurod by Mr. Uarrctt-llauiilton, except 

 his Btatemeut that there were uo eyes in the sockets. 



