KUNGL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAR. BAND 40. N:0 5. 13 



upright resting on the pelvic region, like the accompanying sketch, fig. 1 (made by Sör- 

 ling) indicates. He is, however, so heavy and clumsy that he does not find time to 

 strike before one has jumped to the side and the attack is always made straight 

 forward. The only quick movement, he is able of, is to tum round. If, for instance, 

 somebody steps on his hind flippers, he lifts them, and the anterior part of the 

 body straight up in the air, often so high that the före flippers do not reach the 

 ground, and wheels round on the belly and then it does not last many seconds before 

 he has turned round and faces the spöt where he before rested his hind-limbs. » 



Sörling observed only one somewhat more than middle-sized Elephant-seal 

 that attacked without having been provoked in any way, but »that fellow went for 

 me at once,* Sörling says, »as soon as he saw me, so that I had to go to the side 

 for him every time I happened to meet him.» Other specimens even big bulls could 

 be driven into the sea although unwillingly, but this one was too ferocious for that. 



In the spring and till the end of Dec. the Elephant-seals »emit a peculiar 

 sound similar to the barking of a dog or, sometimes a long-drawn howl ; but it was 

 only the young »Elephants» (Pl. III fig. 7) that contributed to the concert. » The 

 old ones were silent except when fighting or offended in some way or the other. 



When the Elephant-seals lie resting on the beach they have the habit of 

 throwing sand on their backs with the fore-legs. Sörling is uncertain to what pur- 

 pose this is done. »Perhaps it is only mischief, » he says, »perhaps it is to get dry 

 more quickly, or it might also help as a relief against the itching feelings when the 

 hair is shed but they do it also at other opportunities. As a protection against the 

 sun it is hardly needed even warm days.» This throwing of the sand is done in 

 such a way that the fore-flipper is pushed forward and gets a load of sand on its 

 back and that is then thrown up on the body by a oblique movement backward 

 upward. The same habit has also been noted by Scammon and others. 



The Elephant-seals are mostly on the move during the night, then they are 

 heard howling and so on. Towards the summer they became quieter and more silent 

 with every night that went. The old Elephant-seals went into the sea towards the 

 middle of Dec. so that about the 15 — 17th Dec. there was not a single old Elephant 

 ashore in Cumberland Bay. The young ones remained on land but went back and 

 forth from land to water. Sörling found a young one that appeared står ved to 

 death as it was very emaciated and nearly dead because the mother had left it 

 too soon. 



In the middle of February the old male Elephant-seals returned to Cumberland 

 Bay. The female sex was also represented then but only by three specimens. They 

 were then all of them shedding the hair and looked very ugly (Pl. III fig. 6), Sör- 

 ling says. 



When the Elephant-seals move on land from one place to the other they use 

 only the fore-legs and supporting themselves on them they throw themselves forward 

 with undulating movements of the body and meanwhile the hind-flippers are dragged 

 behind quite släck as if lame. In fact, they never use the hindlegs when moving on 

 land. In spite of this awkwardness the Elephant-seals crawl pretty far up on land. 



