11 



his favourites together. If any young gallant ventures by stealth to 

 approach any senior chief's bevy of beauty, he generally atones for his 

 imprudence with his life, being torn to pieces by the old fellow, — and 

 such of the fair ones as may have given the intruders any encouragement 

 are pretty sure to catch it in the shape of some secondary punish- 

 ment." " At last the whole herd departs, no one knows whither." 



" The mode of capture is this : — At the proper time, the whole are 

 driven like a flock of sheep to the establishment, which is about a mile 

 distant from the sea ; and there the males of four years, with the ex- 

 ception of a few that are left to keep up the breed, are separated from 

 the rest and killed. In the days of promiscuous massacre, such of the 

 mothers as have lost their pups would ever and anon return to the 

 establishment, absolutely harrowing up the sympathies of the wives and 

 daughters of the hunters, accustomed as they were to the scene, with 

 their doleful lamentations." — Sir George Simpson} 



" The male Fur-Seal does not attain mature size until about the sixth 

 year. He then measures in total length from seven to eight feet, and 

 six and seven in girth. His colour is then dark brown, with grey 

 overhair on the neck and shoulders. When in full flesh his weight 

 varies from five to seven hundred pounds. These and no others occupy 

 the rookeries (or breeding grounds) with the females. 



" A full-grown female measures four feet in length and two and a 

 half around the body. She usually weighs from eighty to a hundred 

 pounds. Her colour, when she first leaves the water, is a dark steel- 

 mixed on the back, the sides and breast being white ; but she gradually 

 changes somewhat, and in eight or ten days after landing becomes dark 

 brown on the back, and bright orange on the breast, sides, and throat.^ 

 Hence, it is easy to distinguish those that have just arrived from those 

 that have been several days on shore. The female breeds the third 

 year, and is full-grovra. at four years. 



" The breeding rookeries,^ which are frequented exclusively by the old 

 males and females with their pups, occupy the belt of loose rocks 

 along the shores between the high-water line and the base of the clilfs 

 or uplands, and varies in width from five to forty rods. The sand 

 beaches are used only as temporary restiag-places, and for playgrounds 

 by the younger seals ; these beaches being neutral ground, where the 

 old and infirm or the wounded may lie undisturbed. 



" The old male appears to return eacl^ year to the same rock, so long 

 as he is able to maintain his position. The native chiefs afiirm that one 

 seal, known by his having lost one of his flippers, came seventeen suc- 

 cessive years to the same rock. 



" Those under six years are never allowed by the old ones on these 

 places. They usually swim in the water along shore all day, and at 

 night go on the upland above the rookeries and spread themselves out, 

 like flocks of sheep, to rest. 



1 " NarratiTe of a Journey round the World in 1841 and 1842." 

 * See description of fgmaie of the Southern Fur-Seal by Musgrave and Morris, 

 page 15. 



3 Pribvloff nouD of Islands. 



