144 31 A BINE MAMMALS OF THE NORTH-WESTERN COAST. 



however, two teats each side of the belly, nearly on a line with the corners of the 

 mouth and the posterior limbs. While taking measurements of some "clapmatches" 

 at the summer village of Kiddy Kubbit, situated near the mouth and on the south 

 side of the strait, where the animals lay in one of the large lodges, the women 

 were engaged in skinning them and trying out the oil from the blubber. The 

 question arose, whether a Fur Seal ever had more than one pup at a birth. A bevy 

 of squaws discussed the subject with great spirit, raising such a din about our ears 

 that nothing else could be heard ; at last, a herculean Hoochman clutched a knife, 

 and slashing into the seals, brought forth one pup only from each individual, and, 

 with a knowing look as well as a multitude of words, gave us to understand that 

 this examination, together with past experience in the matter, was proof positive 

 that the offspring of this species of mammalia did not come in pairs. 



The time of gestation has been supposed to be about nine months, but later 

 observations at the seal islands of Behring Sea prove it to be at least ten months, 

 or more. The pups, when first born, are about one -third the length of the mother. 

 They are covered with a thick mat of coarse fur, which changes to a finer texture 

 and lighter shade as the animals mature. The time of bringing forth the young 

 ("pupping season"), on the coast of California, is from May to August, including 

 a part of both months ; on the coast of Patagonia, and the latitudes near Cape 

 Horn, from October to March. 



The flippers of the Fur Seal are destitute of hair, iDeing covered with tough, 

 black skin, similar to shagreen, which is very flexible about the terminations of 

 their extremities ; the side limbs are shaped much like the fins of the smaller 

 Cetaceans ; the posterior ones have each five distinct toes, or digits, and three nails, 

 or claws, project from their upper sides, four inches or more from their tips, accord- 

 ing to the size and age of the animal. The tail is extremely short, and pointed. 

 The ears are c^uite pointed also, slanting backward, and are covered with short, fine 

 hair. The head, in proportion, is longer and sharper than that of the Leopard Seal. 

 The number of whiskers on each side of the face may average twenty ; they are 

 of different shades, from blackish brown to white, and frequently attain the length 

 of seven inches. The eyes are invariably dark and glistening, and have a human- 

 like expression. 



The intrinsic value -of the animal does not depend upon the price of its skin 

 alone ; for the layer of fat adhering to it yields the oil of commerce, and supplies 

 light and heat to the natives in their dismal winter quarters. The flesh, likewise, 

 aff'ords them a staple article of food. Fanning, as well as other early voyagers, 

 speaks of the flesh of the Fur Seal pups, when six weeks old or more, as being 



