Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-03-22
DAILY COMMERCIAL.
BALTIMORE, MD.
Education of Seals.


1t is evident that there is an o,,r,ort,,,,it f.
an Improvement in the instincts or habits of
seals, which would give any variety of seal
adopting it a very great advantage over the
present species in ''the conflict for existence -
Captain Musgraye thus describes the certainly
at present very ill-organized methods of phvsi
cal and mental education pursued by the
maternal seals toward their young:
SIN the latter part of December and during
the whole of January they are on shore great
deal, and go wandering separately through
the bush Tor woods, and into the long grass on
the sides of the mountains above the bush,
constantly believing out in most dismal
manner. They are undoubtedly looking for q
place suitable for calving in; have known
them to go to distance of more than a mile
from the water for this purpose. Their voice
is exceedingly powerful, and in calm weather
may be heard to the almost incredible distance
of four and a half or five miles. Why they
below so much before calving | am scarcely
able to Judge; but after that event which does
not take place until after the 1st of February,
1t IS undoubtedly to call their young, which
they generally get into the water a few days
alter they are born, and assemble them in
great numbers at some particular place, select
q
land with a narrow junction. This, no doubt,
prevents them from getting struggled about
and lost as they do sometimes in the bush
while in these places they cannot very well get
away without going into the water, to which,
when very young, they have great antipathy.
The means employed by the COW for getting
her young into the water for the first time,
and taking it to a place of safety, is when
witnessed highly amusing. 1t might be sup
posed that these animals, even when young,
would readily go into the water, that being
one Of their natural instincts; but, strange to
say, such is not the case: it is only with the
greatest difficulty and u wonderful display Of
patience. that the mother succeeds in getting
her young in for the first time. have known
a cow to be three days getting her calf down
halt mile, and into the water; and what is
most surprising of all, it cannot swim when it
Is in the water. This is the most amusing
fact; the mother gets 1t on to her back, and
swlms along very gently on the top of the
water; but the poor little thing is beating ALI
the time, and continually falling from its sim
perry position, when it will splutter about in
the water precisely like little boy who gets
beyond his depth and cannot swim. Then the
mother gets underneath it, and it again gets on
her back. Thus they go on, the mother
frequently giving an angry below, the young
falling off, spluttering, and getting on again;
often getting a slap from the hppcr Of the
mother, and sometimes she gives it a very
cruel bite. he poor little animals are very
| often seenwith theirshins pierced and lacerated
IN the most trlghttul manner. In this manner
they go on until they have made their passage
to whatever place she wishes to take the Young
one to- sometimes they are very numerous at
| these places, their numbers being daily aug
mentcd until the latter end of March. Here
the young remain without going into the water
again, for perhaps n month, when the,y will
begin 10 90 in Of their own accord but at first
they Will only play about the edge. yentnrmp
farther by degrees: and, until .,bev are three
months old, il surprised in the water. thev will
Immediately run on shore and hide themselves;
but they always keep their heads out. and
their eyes liked or the party who has surprised
them lmpior'ng mercy in the most eloquent
language that can be communicated by these
organs"
Now, COWS that go to calve so far from the
/ sea, and that take the young ones back to the
sea before they are any better inclined to swim
| than babies would be, must clearly be under a
| great disadvantage in the conflict for existence
| with a variety that should succeed in calving
| near the water, and have young ones with
| carrier prOpenSities to swim. and not recurring
l
mothers backs. And should some Iso-caIIed,
accidental variety spring up in which either
of these two. illadyised habits should be cant
| ing, we suppose their race would soon oct 2
| start over the decidedly clumsy race of seals
with whom Captain Musgrave mGde acouaint-
ance Mothers Of all species are apt to be
guilty of works Of sugererogation towards
their oung-supererugatio both in tender
| ness ana sIaps-Dut we have seldom heard Of
mothers apparently more disposed to works
OF supererogatou than Captain Musgrave's
| COW, seals Perhaps, however, he would pre-.
fer the kind which he used for the purposes Of
shipwrecked mariners. Disagreeable as the
| old seal meat always was, he speaks with a
kind of rapture of the young calf seal meat as
| quite equal to lamb. And no doubt theymight
have found itmore difficult sometimes to obtain
such delicacy but for the painful and en-
barrassing etiquette which Obliged the maternal
seals to produce their calves a long way from
the sea, in order that they might have the
difficulty Of getting them down to it.-LondoB
| Spectator