FIGHTING OF THE BEACH MASTERS. 61 
MANNER OF FIGHTING. 
Much of the so-called fighting, especially among the harem bulls, is a species of 
“bluffing” accompanied by a good deal of roaring and blowing, but ending without 
injury. The signal for such a performance is a challenging roar on the part of some 
bull and an answering roar from the challenged bull. The two animals approach 
each other, and when at a certain distance apart, both strike out with that long 
serpent-like stroke characteristic of the seal. In making the stroke the bulls let 
themselves down with their breasts on the ground, and, after puffing out their musky 
breath, which forms a cloud in the cool, muvist air, they right themselves and, standing 
for a minute with averted heads, return to their places. 
REAL FIGHTING. 
These are merely exchanges of friendly greetings between the harem masters. 
Between the harem masters and the idle bulls, or between individuals of the latter 
class, the matter is more serious. The same preliminaries are gone through with, 
but the stroke does not fall short and end in fiasco. The aim is taken for the 
foreflipper at the angle of the body, and if it is true, a deep red gash is the result. 
But the animals are expert in averting the attack by throwing the flipper under the 
body. Failing in reaching the coveted point of attack, a compromise is made, each 
animal seizing the other by the skin of the shoulder.or breast, wherever the hold can 
be obtained. They then clinch and tug and strain in their efforts each to overturn 
the other or to push him from his place. The strength of the powerful jaws is such 
that not infrequently a great gaping rent in the tough hide is the result. If, however, 
the hold is firm, and one animal is strong enough to push the other, this ends the 
fight, the one yielding giving it up. If the animals are more evenly matched, after 
each clinch they return to renew the struggle in a species of rounds, gauged by the 
endurance of the bulls. They are soon fatigued on land, as they have difficulty in 
getting breath, and any exertion must be of short duration. 
That some of these fights are continued until one or the other of the animals dies 
of exhaustion, is abundantly proved by the bodies of dead bulls found on the rookeries 
and especially in that territory occupied by the idle bulls. On Zapadni rookery no 
less than ten of these animals, freshly dead, were seen about the middle of July. The 
bodies were torn and gashed, but none of the wounds were capable of causing death, 
which probably resulted directly from exhaustion. 
THE TREATMENT OF THE COWS. 
The fights between the harem masters and the idle bulls are at bottom due to the 
attempts of the latter class to steal the cows. When aun idle bull steals a cow, he 
is usually attacked by her master. Sometimes he drops the cow, which returns 
to the harem while the bulls settle the account. It sometimes happens, however, 
-that the master or perhaps a third bull seizes the cow and she is pulled about until 
one or the other hold loosens. Doubtless a certain number of cows are literally 
torn to pieces in this way. One was seen on Kitovi rookery to lie limp and insensible 
for five minutes after being thus treated. She afterwards crawled away, evidently 
seriously hurt. That the number of cows killed by the bulls in their struggles or by 
the rough treatment of the harem masters is considerable is shown by the fact that 
