stelleb's account of the pur seal. 203 



fourth or fifth day after birth the fur under the front legs changes color perceptibly 

 and takes on the color of the hair of Pliny's goat; and after a month the belly and 

 sides become speckled with an intermixture of hairs of the same color. At birth the 

 males are much larger and darker, and in the years that follow they get a blacker 

 coat than the females. These latter become almost wholly ashy gray, but have rusty 

 spots under the forelegs. The females differ so much from the males in size, weight, 

 and strength, that a careless observer might almost take them for a dift'erent species, 

 so timid and so little ferocious are they. 



The parents love their young exceedingly. The females, after parturition, lie in 

 crowds upon the shore with their pups and spend much time in sleeping. The pups, 

 however, directly in the first days play together like children, and imitate their 

 parents in playing at copulation, and practice fighting until one throws the other to the 

 ground. When the father sees this he rises up with a growl and hastens to separate 

 the combatants, kisses the victor, licks him with his tongue, tries with his mouth to 

 throw him upon the ground, and makes vigorous demonstrations of his love for the 

 youngster, who struggles bravely against it. In short, he rejoices that he has a son 

 worthy of himself. But they are less fond of the lazy and ease-loving pups. Hence 

 some of the young are always near the father, others near the mother. The males are 

 polygamous ; one often has eight, fifteen, or even fifty wives. He guards them with 

 anxious jealousy, and goes into a rage if another male comes ever so little too near. 



Although many thousands of them lie upon the shore together, yet it may always 

 be observed that they are separated into families — the one male lies with his wives, 

 his sons, and daughters, as also his yearling sons who are not yet old enough to have 

 a harem. One family often numbers as many as 120. For this reason also they swim 

 in the sea in shoals. 



All the married ones are vigorous, but the aged and those that are too old for the 

 warfare incident to keeping up a harem, or that are driven to it by impotence or the 

 voluntary desertion of their wives, lead a monastic, life, and pass it constaintly in fast- 

 ing and sleep. These married ones are the fattest of all, and without the females 

 they come first to the island, like scouts. All the males have a strong odor, but 

 theirs is the worst. These old animals are very cross and very savage. They live a 

 whole month in one place without food or drink; they sleep all the time, but rage with 

 exceeding fierceness at all who pass by. Indeed, they are so very fierce and jealous 

 that they would a hundred times rather die than give up their place. And so if they 

 see a man they go out to get in his way and prevent his passing; one of the others 

 meanwhile gets his place and is ready to fight with him. When we were obliged to 

 come into conflict with them because of the necessity of continuing our journey, we 

 threw great stones at them. They in turn would rage at the stone thrown at them 

 just as a dog would, and start up in defiance and fill the air with their terrible roaring. 

 What we first attempted was to knock out their eyes and break their teeth with 

 stones; even though wounded and blind they would not give up their place or dare to 

 leave it;, for if one of them went even a pace away, so many enemies would rise up and 

 attack him with their teeth as he fled that he should not leave his place, that even if 

 he escaped our hands he would be torn to pieces by his fellows. Indeed, if one leaves 

 his place, the rest run up to prevent his flight; one attacks the other on suspicion of 

 wishing to flee, and from a single attack so many duels originate that oftentimes for 2 

 or 3 furlongs by the seashore you can see nothing but duels, battles, and a thousand 

 sights absurd but bloody, accompanied by a terrific roaring and growling. While 



