6 THE PUE SEALS OP THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



size usually seen in mammals. ^ Young pups measured between August 8 and August 

 20 were from 25 to 28 inches long, the males being as a rule the larger. It will be 

 noticed that some of the measurements, as well as the weight of the gray pup, exceed 

 those of the yearling, and it has already been pointed out by Elliott that the young 

 gain little or nothing in weight between the time they leave in the fall- and return in 

 the following summer. 



Except in length the 4-year-old female may be considered as a good average 

 example of a full-sized cow; the majority of females obtained from the sealers were 

 slightly under 4 feet in length, two or three specimens which seemed to be far above 

 the average i^roving, when measured, to be only 4 feet 1 inch long from tip of nose to 

 root of tail. The very largest female taken was 51 inches long, 33 inches around the 

 shoulders, and weighed 73 pounds, so that 80 pounds may be looked upon as an 

 exceptional weight for a cow. 



The males from 1 to 5 years old are good examples of their respective ages, the 

 measurements of the 3-year-old specimen coinciding with those of a similar animal 

 selected by Mr. Eedpath as a typical specimen for the United States National 

 Museum. 



The 7 or 6 year-old male is a good example of the males just below the grade of 

 , rookery bulls, being full grown, in some particulars, but lacking just a little of the 

 muscular development necessary to enable him to enter the rookery and hold his own 

 against the older animals. It will be noticed that in girth the younger male exceeds 

 the others, but this is due to the fact that the old bulls having passed two months in 

 fasting and fighting had, in consequence, lost much of their fat and some of their 

 flesh. The fore flipper of this young bull was exceptionally short, the flippers of that 

 class measuring ordinarily 20 to 21 inches in length. As a rule, the size of the fore 

 flipper is a fairly good indication of the age of the animal since it increases in length 

 with age in a fairly regular manner, the flippers of the males also exceeding those of 

 the females in size. 



The larger of the two bulls was one selected for the United States National 

 Museum, on account of its size, being the largest of forty killed, and 80 to 82 inches 

 may be held as representing the extreme length attained by the bulls, the average 

 being 72. As these bulls had recently come.off the rookeries, they were lean, and their 

 girth was by no means what it would have been at the time of their arrival in May or 

 June. Their measurements indicate to some extent the variations in size and propor- 

 tions found among seals since the older bull was the shorter of the two, although in 

 other ways nearly as bulky as the younger animal, while the flipper of the shorter 

 specimen was an inch and a half longer than that of the other. It was not possible 

 to weigh the large bulls, but in their lean condition they certainly did not weigh over 

 250 pounds, and it is doubtful if, even at his best, the bull weighs more than 400 

 pounds. 



Dr. Stejneger has spoken of the difdculty of drawing any line between the seals 

 of various ages, stating that no one on the killing grounds of the Commander Islands 

 was able to point out the difterences between them. While this difficulty does exist 

 yet there are, aside from mere size, distinction between the teeth, length of flippers 

 color of mustache bristles, and length of wig of the seals of various ages which are very 

 perceptible to any one who has noted them long and carefully. Personally I am 

 unable to differentiate the seals to any great extent, although the difficulty was less 



