286 THE BRITISH NATURALIST. [December 



small packs seals, narwhals, and the true whales ; no inhabitant of 

 the sea is safe from them ; their voracity is such that they sometimes 

 choke themselves, and in their eagerness to pursue fish or seals they 

 often get stranded and die. 



Passing to the consideration of the order Carnivora, of which one 

 ptoup, the Pinnipedia, are essentially marine forms, we find that most 

 of the species in this group live in large flocks : though the seals are 

 intelligent animals, they are rather gregarious than social ; suitability 

 of locality may lead to the aggregation of immense numbers, but,, 

 though the females love and protect their young, social instincts 

 scarcely exist except amongst the walruses, which not only live in herds, 

 but loyally unite to resist attack. The cry of a harpooned walrus 

 is promptly answered by his comrades, which will surround and attack 

 the boat, whose occupants are placed in great jeopardy ; and, if Esqui- 

 maux statements may so far be trusted, walruses sometimes unite to 

 attack the polar bear. 



Amongst terrestrial carnivores, though there is often a high degree 

 of intelligence combined with acute senses, the predominant tendencies 

 are individualistic rather than social, and many species lead solitary 

 lives except for a very brief period at the pairing season. Amongst 

 the cats this is especially the case, though the lion seems some- 

 times to live in permanent union with his mate — or even mates, 

 for he is occasionally a polygamist — and it is said that two or 

 three lions will join in attacking large animals, such as the 

 Cape buffalo. Whether lions are really so far social as to 

 hunt in packs is doubtful, but a competent observer, Francis 

 Galton, has recorded the presence of three males and five 

 females in a patch of brushwood less than 200 yards across. 

 The lynxes, which are closely allied to the cats, certainly some- 

 times hunt in small bands, following the trail of their leader in 

 Indian file. 



Amongst the smaller members of the Bear group the South 

 American coatis are decidedly social animals, whilst among Old World 

 forms the stoats may be mentioned as sometimes combining to attack 

 animals much larger than themselves. The hyaenas, which with their 

 immensely powerful jaws and teeth would be but for their cowardice 

 amongst the most formidable carnivores, hunt at night in. bands, and 

 this aggressive sociality reaches its highest development in the re- 

 maining family of the carnivores, to which the dogs and foxes belong. 

 The Canidse are often divided into the wolves with round, and the foxes 

 with vertical slit -like pupils, though there are intermediate species, as 

 the black-backed jackal of South Africa with broadly oval pupils. It 

 is, however, noteworthy that the foxes are solitary animals, living in 

 pairs, and never hunting in packs, though an approximation to sociality 



