The Panola weekly star. (Sardis, Miss.) 1882-18??, 1886-05-08
SEAL
Interesting rscts Concerning Their Habit.
sud Mode of Life.

Interesting rAots Concerning Their Habit.
sud Mode Of Iif..
Alaska is the f%Ayorto home Of the fur
seal About the middle II MAY they
gather on The various Islands II that in.
iere'ting country In great numbers.
Soon after landing The females begin 10
ind their Young, Of which they have
but one; at great intervals twins. A.
soon ~ the little fellow is born on the
sand he begins to call for his mother
with a husky, strange voice, like the
bleating Of lamb. lie also begins 10
puddle about with his eyes wide open.
evidently looking for refreshments.
The pupfor the first three months or so
is black A. ieL with two little white
spot, just back Of his forearm. When
first bora they are about one foot To
fourteen inches IN length. and weighing
from three 10 four pounds. The mother
never fOndlcs or carcssrs her offspring.
but leaves h IN the sand with hundreds
and thousands Of other puppies. and
goes away Ia the sea 10 battle and catch
fish for food
The little puppy does not even know
hi. wi mother from any other. but is
80 constituted that he keeps up that
frequent beating. 80 that when his
mother returns she instantly recognizes
the voice Of her own from an the rest.
aud nurses Il.
Early IN August the pups begin 10
learn 10 swim. for during the first fifty
or sixty days Of their life they eau swim
about ~ well ~ 4 stone. some natur-
ali''' aver that their mothers driyethcm
down into The water aud teach them tho
ART Of swimming. Thi. j. not true.
After they have attained the age Of six
weeks Or two months they 90 of their
own choice down into the margin Of the
SURF, where the water PUSHES out over
them, and in turn leaves them ON solid
ground. u a puppy happens 10 be
washed OIL his feet aud carried out be-
yond his depth. he becomes greatly
alarmed, opens wide his mouth and big
eyes, and struggles m%anfully for the
shore. MANY of them are drowned in
this way. This kind Of practice Is kept
up tall the little fellows ara able tn
swim In all sorts Of ways. div
ing, twisting. and floating on
their backs TIL thry arr completely
tired out, when they crawl out ON tho
sand aud curl down for n nap. When
this Is done. usually occupying less than
an hour. they are At Il again. The
mother never takes the slightest super.
vision ~ her children's swimming or
any thing else. except to come % of the
sea at intervals and give him nurse.
About the middle Of October the pun.
pie, completely shed their black hair
and take on a beautiful ,tcel-gray hair.
with n bright brown undcr.nr. This il
their sea-going coat. Early in winter
they leave Alaska in small squads. and
do not see land again until their return
the next MAY They 90. seemingly by
common consent, Ia the south. aud are
soon lost In the vast and wide ocean.
where they spread themselves out all
over the North Pacific from Oregon 10
Japan. They rest and sleep in the
water with the greatest comfort from
November to NAV. when those Of them
fortunate enough 70 escape the shark
and other enemies return again h. the
same spot wherr they were horn, having
been on a voyage II seven months and
thousands Of miles on the briny deep. -
Rambler.