"How these ten days and nights | glimpse of the Unseen (as he called it) have dragged past! Do not ask me and the embittered recollections of beabout her. I cannot write. I cannot think.' hand as if to lift a fold of the bed- reavement, the resentment, the distrust, the spirit of revolt were all swept into oblivion. Even the new bereavement had no sting. There was no anguish of loss; there were no words of desolation. The man simply stood at gaze, stunned with amazement. From The Nineteenth Century. A NATURALIST'S VIEW OF THE FUR-SEAL QUESTION. Where are our THERE can be no doubt that among the more highly organized animals of the present day species are rapidly decreasing in number. quaggas, our white rhinoceroses, our sea-cows, our dodos, and our greatauks? Gone, gone forever, never to be seen again in life by us or by our descendants, and known only by miserable stuffed specimens and dry bones in our museumis. The bisons, both of "Close beside her lay that other little one, with its white worn face and its poor arms crossed in that old-womanish fashion in front of her. Its large, suffering eyes looked for a moment into mine, and then my head seemed filled with mist and my ears buzzed. "I saw that. It was not hallucina-pigeon, formerly met with in millions tion. It was there. "Just think what it means, if that actually happened. Think what must have been going on in the past, and I never knew. I remember, now, she never called it 'mamma's baby;' it was always 'yourn.' Think of the future, now that they are both-what? Gone? it. I "If it actually happened! I saw Europe and North America, will shortly share the same fate. The passenger can 66 in the forests of western America, is now an extremely rare bird; and the Carolina parakeet, once spread all over the Southern States, is at present to be found only in a few isolated swamps. Even the giraffe, familiar to visitors to our Zoological Gardens for the past fifty years, can no longer be obtained for love or money; and unless Mr. Rhodes square the Mahdi" (as he has promised to do) it seems that the children of the present generation will never know what a living giraffe is like. Gloomy thoughts attack even the most Some months passed before I heard cheerful naturalist as he ponders over again from my friend. In his subse- these things, and thinks of the coming quent letters, which grew rarer and time when there will be no mammals briefer as time went on, he never again left upon the earth but rats and rabbits, referred to his loss or to the incident and no birds to speak of except the dowhich he had described. His silence mestic fowl and the all-pervading sparwas singular, for he was naturally very row. Such being the case, it is obvious communicative. But what most sur- that when a controversy arises which prised me was the absolute change of involves the existence of a species of character that seemed to have been animal, the naturalist is sure to support brought about in an instant-literally the view that the continued existence in the twinkling of an eye. One of that animal is the most important part of the question. It matters little | also for locomotion on land. The gento mankind whether one nation or eral form and external appearance of another shall gain a diplomatic victory. the latter group are now well known to It matters much that an animal, espe- the public from the recent introduction cially if it be of economic importance, of sea-lions into the zoological gardens should not be wiped out of the category of living beings. of Europe. A specimen of the Patagonian sea-lion was first obtained by the Let us, therefore, consider shortly Zoological Society of London in 1866. the history of the fur-seal of the north- Since that date numerous specimens ern Pacific, which is now engaging the of the Californian sea-lion have been attention of the seven arbitrators at brought from the western coast of Paris, and see whether the British or America, and nearly all the principal American proposals on this subject are zoological gardens of Europe have been more likely to conduce to the preserva-supplied with specimens of these most tion of this most useful animal. The interesting animals. excellent monograph of Mr. Henry W. It is to the same genus of aquatic Elliott and the writings of many other carnivorous mammals, but not to either observers, not to speak of the eight of the species above mentioned, that blue-books lately presented to Parlia- the Alaskan fur-seal, the subject of the ment, contain a mass of information present great international controversy, upon the fur-seal and its habits such as belongs. The genus has been well has been rarely, if ever, got together named Otaria, from its external ears, on a similar subject. It is difficult to and comprehends some nine or ten difcompress so much interesting matter ferent species, which are distributed into a few paragraphs. over various parts of the Pacific and Antarctic Oceans, but do not extend into the Atlantic. Some of these eared seals are what are called "hair-seals," being covered with the stiff, close hairs common to all the members of the family; others, which the hunters and traders call "fur-seals," in addition to their hairy covering, possess an exceedingly fine and dense under-fur. skins of the members of this second group (the fur-seals), when properly dressed and deprived of the longer hairs, supply the well-known "sealskins" of commerce, so much valued for ladies' "seal-skin jackets.” The The seals, walruses, and sea-lious constitute a very distinct group of the order Carnivora of naturalists, distinguished from the terrestrial carnivores mainly by the structure of their limbs, which are modified for use in the water, though there are also slight differences in their dentition. The animals of this group are all essentially aquatic; they spend the greater part of their life in the water, swimming and diving with great facility, and feeding mainly on fishes and other marine animals. On land they progress with difficulty, but they appear always to come ashore for the purpose of breeding In former days South Africa, Austraand bringing forth their young. Put-lia, and South America all supplied ting aside the walrus, which represents seal-skins for the market, derived either by itself one of the three principal from the shores of the continents themfamilies into which the "pinnipeds," or "fin-footed carnivores," are usually divided, there remain two very distinct groups, which are often both spoken of as "seals." These are, first, the true seals, distinguished by having no external ears, and by their hind limbs being serviceable for progression in the water only; and the eared seals (also called sea-lions and sea-bears), which have small external ears, and use their limbs selves, or from the adjoining islands, to three hundred thousand seal-skins were "rookeries," situated on the two bare taken from the South Shetland Islands, | islands, St. Paul and St. George, of the and upwards of three millions are stated Pribilof group, having been vacant all to have been carried off from the Island the winter, are first occupied by the of Mas-à-fuero, near Juan Fernandez, adult male seals or "bulls," from five in the short space of seven years. In or six to twenty years of age, and fact, the breeding-places, or "rook-weighing from four hundred to seven eries," as they are called, of the fur- hundred pounds, which arrive in the seals in the Antarctic Seas have been latter part of April or during the first entirely destroyed. The myriads of few days of May, the time being partly seals which formerly resorted to them dependent on the melting of the ice have been either entirely swept away, round the islands. Each bull takes up or reduced to a few individuals, "which a special position on a rock or other seek the land in scattered bands, and eminence, as near as possible to the rush to the sea on the approach of water, and fights many sanguinary batman," There can be little question, tles with his rivals for the most advanwe see, of the fate that will overtake tageous post. Towards the end of May these defenceless animals in other parts the cows begin to appear in the adjaof the world unless effective regulations cent waters, and continue to arrive durare instituted for their protection. ing the following month and the first half of July. The one object of the bulls, like that of certain Eastern potentates, is to have as many wives as possible. The average number of cows obtained by each bull is from fifteen to twenty-five, or even more, and in some cases it is said that as many as forty cows have been seen gathered together in one harem. Severe conflicts are constantly taking place amongst the bulls for the possession of the cows, and grievous wounds are inflicted. Although, therefore, a few lots of the seals of the Pribilof group migrate Mr. Elliott describes these battles as follows: The fighting between the old males for the cows is mostly-or, rather, entirely — done with the mouth. The opponents seize one another with their teeth, and then, strength of the one and the other tugging clenching their jaws, nothing but the sheer to escape can shake them loose, and that effort invariably leaves an ugly wound, the sharp canines tearing out deep gutters in the skin and furrows in the blubber, or shredding the flippers into ribbon-strips. The bulls usually approach each other with comically averted heads, just as though they were ashamed of the rumpus which they are determined to precipitate. The Alaskan seal-herd being at the When they get near enough to reach one another they enter upon the repetition of present moment the subject of special interest, I will shortly describe the ex- the other takes the initiative by gripping. many feints or passes before either one or traordinary habits of these animals, The heads are darted out and back as quick which have been carefully studied of as a flash; their hoarse roaring and shrill late years. The breeding-places, or piping whistle never cease, while their fat As, moreover, besides continually fighting, the bull never leaves his station during the three months of the breeding season, or takes any food whatever during that period, it may be imagined that he has rather a bad time of it, and departs from the island lean and miserable after his long fast. But next year, after his migration to the south, where abundance of food is found, he returns to his station thickly enveloped in blubber and as strong and vigorous as ever. bodies writhe and swell with exertion and | Pribilof Islands soon after the adult rage; furious lights gleam in their eyes; bulls, and endeavor to land upon the their hair flies off into the air, and their rookeries, but are always driven off by blood streams down. All this combined the old males, and are obliged to esmakes a picture so fierce and so strange tablish themselves in separate comthat, from its unexpected position and its munities. Here they pass their time novelty, this is one of the most extraorsleeping, wandering about, and making dinary brutal contests man can witness. occasional trips into the sea, never missing to pay their attentions to a stray female, if an opportunity affords itself. It is this phenomenon of the entire separation of the younger males from the breeding bulls that gives the much-desired occasion for obtaining the pelts of the fur-seal without seriously interfering with the breeding herd. During the "killing season,' as it is called, which lasts about four months in the year, a certain number of bachelor seals are driven every day away from the rookery a short distance inland, to grounds specially set apart for the purpose. Here the "killable " seals are carefully selected, those of three and four years of age being preferred, as having the best fur, while the remainder are allowed to return into the water and to rejoin their companious in the rookery. In this manner, since 1870, when the Pribilof Islands were first leased by the United States government to the Alaska Commercial Company, one hundred thousand sealskins were taken annually during the months of June, July, September, and October, up to 1890, when the quantity was reduced on account of the falling off in the numbers of the herd. That this reduction of numbers was an undoubted fact is admitted by both the British and American commissioners in their joint report. admitted by both parties that the diminution was the result of "excessive killing by man," but, as will be presently seen, the commissioners of the respective governments are quite at variance as to what sort of "killing by man" has caused the diminution. The female fur-seal, which is only about one-fifth of the size of the adult male, brings forth her single young one shortly after landing on the rookery, where she is jealously guarded by the bull to whom she belongs. After a few days' nursing she goes off to seek food, leaving her pup on the rookery, and, according to the testimony of experienced observers, often wanders a long distance in search of sustenance. It is said that nursing females have been taken as much as a hundred miles and over from the breeding islands. The pups, as has been already stated, are born on the breeding-grounds in the months of June and July, and for the first six or eight weeks of their life do not enter the water. After this period they gather together in groups called "pods," and work their way gradually down to the beach, where they learn to swim, and pass an amphibious life until their departure, south, about the middle of November. It is likewise When the breeding season is entirely The ways of the adult males, females, and young have now been shortly described, but there remains a fourth and most important class to be spoken of. This is that of the "bachelors" or non-over, and the pups are grown up and breeding male seals, ranging in age from one to six years, after which they pass into the class of "bulls." The bachelors arrive at their home in the able to swim, the whole herd leaves the Pribilof Islands. The bulls after eutering the ocean remain in the waters south of the Aleutian Islands, but the the iven of god ve rate heir remainder of the herd-cows, bache- | are females." Worse than this, accordlors, and pups - -pass on eastward and ing to the same authorities, they are appear off the coast of California about principally females heavy with young. the close of the year. Thence they Thus for every seal of this kind taken turn northwards along the coast of two lives are sacrificed. Moreover, as British Columbia in a long, irregular the seal, if shot dead, sinks quickly body, returning to their breeding quar- below the surface, many of the bodies ters, through the eastern openings of are altogether lost, and another considthe Aleutian Islands, in the following erable element of wastefulness is thus May and June. It is during their prog-attached to "pelagic" sealing. on d ress northwards along the coast that Now, let me ask, what owner of a what the American commissioners term the fur-seal being polygamous, males may be killed to a large extent without fear of injury to the herd, for, although nearly equal numbers of both sexes appear to be born, one adult male is sufficient for twenty or thirty females. But the selection of males from females, and especially of males of the age required to make the best skins, can only be effected on land, where the assembling together of the younger male furseals on particular spots presents the necessary opportunity. I think, there deer forest in Scotland would consent "the pelagic sealing which in their to his hinds being killed, especially opinion has caused such havoc in the during the breeding season? Is it not numbers of the fur-seals-takes place. likewise on a grouse moor absolutely From a remote epoch the native In- forbidden to shoot grey hens at any dians along the coast have been accus-time? In these, and in numerous other tomed to spear a few seals from their instances which might be mentioned, canoes, and thus to procure a certain the sanctity of female life is univernumber of skins for the market. Of sally recognized. On the other hand, late years, however, American and Canadian schooners have taken up the same trade, using vessels with crews of from twenty to twenty-five men, and provided with small boats for hunting. Formerly these vessels were manned almost exclusively by Indian crews, who adhered to the use of the spear. Of late years, however, since the trade has become more profitable and attained larger dimensions, the spear has been superseded by firearms. It is of course very difficult to ascertain the exact number of seals obtained by the " pe-fore, that if the fur-seal is to be prelagic sealers;" but, according to the served for the use of posterity, every American commissioners, the number true naturalist will agree with the Amerhas been gradually advancing during ican commissioners that " pelagic the past ten years, so that in 1891 it ing ought to be altogether suppressed amounted to at least sixty thousand. in the first place because it necessarily The vice of " pelagic" sealing does involves the destruction of female life; not, however, depend only upon the and in the second place because of its numbers captured. If there were no wastefulness through the frequent failother reasons to the contrary, it would ure to recover seals shot at sea. It may be quite as fair that the "pelagic" seal- be very true, and probably is, as coners should catch sixty thousand seals in tended by the English commissioners, the open Pacific, as that the American that the Americans, of late years, have officials should slaughter the same num- worked their seals rather hard, and ber in the Pribilof Islands. But in the have unduly reduced the number of former case there is, of course, no pos- males. But this is a matter for the sibility of making a selection of age or Americans themselves to regulate, and sex. The" pelagic "hunter kills every looking to the great value of the furseal he can come across, whether male, sealeries, they will no doubt reduce the female, or young. According to the quantity of skins taken, if necessary. American commissioners, "at least It is hardly likely that they will "kill eighty per cent. of the seals thus taken the goose that lays the golden egg." "seal |