432 THE FUK SEALS OF THE PBIBILOF ISLANDS. 



but was finally induced to leave by throwing pebbles at her while hidden behind a 

 stone. Throwing things at her while in view produced only the effect of adding to 

 her rage. When out of sight she soon became frightened at the falling stones, the 

 cause of which she could not see. The half-digested flesh was washed out of a quantity 

 of the spewings and the bones, worms, etc., preserved in formalin for future study. 

 On a rock at a short distance more spewings were found. 



AMPHITHEATBB OF KTTOVI. 



Mr. Lucas, Mr. Macoun, and myself Adsited the Amphitheater at Kitovi. We went 

 down the slope to the cliff overhanging the water and watched the pups and holostiaki 

 swimming in the water. Some confusion was occasioned on our first approach, but 

 after we were seated no attention was paid to us. 



Out of six bulls watched with a glass 3 did not show any trace of testes; and 

 yet one of the bulls whose testes did not show was particularly attentive to his cows. 

 One very large bull showed no trace of testes in the scrotum. Mr. Lucas raises the 

 question whether these testes are not drawn up as in some squirrels after the breeding 

 season is over. Certainly the testes are not as a general thing so prominent as they 

 were in July.^ 



Pups were apparently swimming for sport around the isolated rock in the bight. 

 On the rock was a cow nursing her pup. There may have been a harem here in the 

 breeding season. There are now a number of young females in charge of 2 young bulls, 

 who are very active and attentive. 



One little yearling, very distinctly marked, is playing in the water with the pups. 

 She has a light ring about each eye and a light patch of peculiar shape on her throat 

 which contrasts strikingly with her brown fur. She is evidently treated by the others 

 as a pup. A holostiak catches her by the back as she attempts to climb on the rock 

 and pulls her down into the water. A pebble dropped over the seal while swimming 

 along under the water causes it to dart away instantly, like a fish. It then comes to 

 the surface almost immediately, standing up in the water and looking curiously at the 

 spot where the stone fell. It is evident that the seal's sense of hearing in the water 

 is acute. 



Many of the pups are diving for seaweed and playing with it. Ifone are seen 

 to eat. Mr. Macoun says that he does not now think that the pups eat seaweed, 

 but he thinks that they eat the small crustaceans and tunicates which abound on 

 the rocks. He noticed in the water close to the sporting pups 3 small blennoids ( ?) 

 and numerous amphipods. A number of pups will be killed to settle this question of 

 feeding. 



The grace and dexterity displayed by the pups while swimming does not harmonize 

 with statements of certain writers that they are the "pudgy," " clumsy," and " helpless" 

 portion of the seal herd on the migrations, a prey of the enemies in the sea. With 

 the practice which two months of swimming will give, the pups will be able to 

 care for themselves. If they lack in any respect it will only be in endurance. They 

 go through all the motions of the older seals and spend most of the time in the water. 

 They are evidently in training for the coming long swim. 



' See observations in the latter part of September, showing that whether the testes show or not 

 depends upon the position in which the animal lies, the organs being under its control. 



