THE FUR SEAL 
47 
fight fiercely, and with their big canine teeth 
inflict upon each other many severe skin wounds. 
I have seen specimens whose necks bore scores of 
large scars.' In the presence of man, however, 
they are timid, and easily frightened. 
This giant among Sea-Lions is found on the 
coast of California, in small numbers only, at 
Point Ano Neuvo, near Santa Cruz, at Puris- 
sima, the Farallone Islands, Point Reyes, and 
Point Arena. On the coast of Oregon it is found 
about the mouth of the Columbia and Tillamook 
Head. The agents of the United States Fish 
Commission, reporting observations made in 
1901, stated that “ probably half of the Sea-Lions 
of California (of both species) are found at the 
Farallone Islands, and it seems doubtful whether 
the total number on the coast amounts to five 
thousand.’' A large colony of Steller’s Sea- 
Lions inhabits Bogoslof Island, Alaska, living 
almost in the shadow of that celebrated volcano. 
In October, 1903, the New York Zoological 
Society’s agents succeeded, after many fruitless 
efforts, in capturing six young specimens in the 
sea off San Miguel Island, California, and safely 
transporting them to New York, where the ex- 
periment of keeping this species in captivity is 
now being tried in the Zoological Park. 
The Fur Seal , 1 which yields the beautiful 
and costly fur so highly prized for ladies’ gar- 
ments, is not a true seal, but a sea-bear or sea- 
lion, quite similar in form, size and general hab- 
its to the California species already described. 
It is found on the Pribilof or Seal Islands, in 
Bering Sea, where during the Russian occupa- 
tion it was twice nearly exterminated for its fur; 
on Copper and Robben Islands, off the coast 
of Siberia; and in the open sea from the Pribilof 
Islands southeastward to the thirty-fifth parallel, 
thence northward along the coast, back to the 
Seal Islands. 
The size of the Fur Seal has been carefully ob- 
served by Mr. Henry W. Elliott, and recorded 
as follows: 
Males | 
[ At birth (June 20) 
Length 12 to 14 
and - 
1 At six months, 
tt 
24 
Females. 
l At one year, 
tt 
38 
1 
At two years, 
tt 
45 
Males ] 
1 At three years, 
it 
52 
ONLY. 1 
i At six years, 
tt 
72 
1 
^ At 8 to 20 years, 
tt 
75 to 80 
1 Cal-lo-ta'ri-a 
The Fur Seal has two kinds of hair. Its outer 
coat is long, stiff, coarse, and gray in color. In 
preparing skins for market, all this is plucked 
out and thrown away, leaving only the fine, soft, 
brown under fur, which before manufacture is 
dyed a rich, blackish-brown color. F ur Seal gar- 
ments vary in price from $200 to $700. 
The Fur Seal has strange and interesting 
habits. It spends about two-thirds of each year 
far at sea, making a circuit of 6,000 miles in the 
open ocean without touching land. For some 
strange reason, the herd in American waters 
has chosen the two Pribilof Islands, St. Paul 
and St. George, as the only spots in our waters 
whereon they are willing to land and rear their 
young. To these favorite breeding-places, on 
these islands known as “hauling-grounds,” the 
Fur Seal millions were wont to repair in the early 
summer of each year, to rear their young. The 
returning herd begins to arrive between May 1 
and 15, the breeding season is over by September 
15, and by the end of November all the Seals 
are gone on their great winter cruise southward 
into warmer waters. By a long series of inqui- 
ries the winter cruise of the herd has been mapped 
out by Dr. D. S. Jordan and his associates, and 
is shown on the next page. 
On the breeding grounds, each large and hard- 
fighting old male gathers round him a harem of 
from six to ten females, fights off all rivals, young 
or old, and elects himself the head of an imposing 
family. The three-year-old male Seals — called 
“ bachelors ” — were killed for their fur, to the 
number of about 100,000 each year. The fe- 
males bear only one “pup” annually, immedi- 
ately after landing in May. 
The mother Seals leave their young, go to sea 
in search of food, remain several days perhaps, 
or even a fortnight, then return and go straight 
to their own respective offspring. It was the 
killing of the mothers at sea that produced an 
enormous 
falling-off in 
the number available 
each year. 
The persistent slaughter of mothers 
l. Girth 10 in. 
Weight 6 to 74 lbs. 
tt 
25 “ 
“ 39 
tt 
25 “ 
“ 39 “ 
tt 
30 “ 
“ 58 
it 
36 “ 
it gy tt 
ft 
64 “ 
“ 280 “ 
tt 
ur-si'na. 
70 to 75 in. 
“ 400 to 500 lbs. 
