Wichita eagle., 1889-06-30

few years ago studying seal lire Tor une
Smithsonian institute. This brilliant observer
has told the world abous all it knows OF seal
life and his book, Our Arctic Province
published by the Scribners, contains more
information about Alaska than all other pub
LEGATIONS combined. That was queer place
for an American gentleman to go for his
wife. but Professor Elliott has no reason to
regret his venture.
''After spending the winter in the North
Pacific ocean, sleeping on top of the water
and catching fish for food, the seals return to
the Pribylov islands. First always come the
full grown males or bulls the most powerful
of their tribe. After very cautious recon
noisance these whiskered patriarchs make a
landing, seeking out their old haunts. Year
after year the same bulls will be found in
the same spots, showing that the sense OF
locality is strongly developed in them. For
a month these old fellows, fat and lazy, do
nothing but sleep. They are too indolent to
seek food for themselves. Along In May
they rouse a little and begin looking for
their wives The females are the second
class to arrive and then trouble begins.
From this moment till September the bulls
are continually fighting over family matters
They are polygamists of the most pronounced
type, the females numbering ten or fifteen TO
each male As general thing the wives find
their way TO the piece OF ground held by their
proper husbands, but the trouble Is each pa
triarch struggles constantly to increase his
barem. The bulls who have established
themselves nearest the shore naturally get
the lions share of wives, but having more
than they can guard their neighbors in the
rear poach with such success that within a
week or two the families are pretty well ar
ranged as to numbers if not as to individual
associations.
During these days of colonization the fe-
males are roughly handled by the bulls, many
of them being fought over and tossed and
dragged from shore to the cliffs day after
day for a week The females however, utter
no word Of complaint and offer no resistance.
A singular fact is that each bull appears to
respect the territorial but not the family
rights of his neighbor. He watches his chance
to catch female beyond the borders of his
neighbours ground, when he pounces upon
her and, if possible, carries her Off. But he
Will not enter upon the piece of ground over
which this neighbor exercises authority.
There is still third class of arrivals at
the islands, and in this strange classification
is one of the most powerful arguments have
ever seen in favor of the theory Of natural
selection and survival Of the ittest. The
third and last arrivals are the bachelors or
young males, who have no rights, no wives,
no standing in the community. They are
outcasts, who must flock by themselves. Poor,
despised, but envious creatures that they are,
they take up ground near the rookeries of the
tribe Init opa-t from them
"Woe unto the bachelor who presumes to as
sert his claims to consideration. Upon such
an audacious youth the patriarchs make COM
mon war, and if the STRIPPING be not torn
into shreds he is at least driven into retire
meut, a sadder but wiser bachelor These
young males are really unfortunate creatures,
for not only are they robbed Of the society
and companionship of fathers, mothers and
sisters, but they are selected for slaugh-
ter, so that the women of Christendom
may revel in sealskin garments. The gov
eminent permits the company to Kill each
season 100000 Of these bachelors, because
their death does not interfere with breeding.