The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1892-09-14
Qae Aexala aud 0ews.
rHEso1s1Esr SPOT ON EAzsTH.
a sTiemendous Uproar n BehrinG Sea Dur
ing the Seal Saason.
PHILADELPHIA Telegraph ]

Philadelphia Telegraph
From the 1st of May to the lst OF
September Of each year the Prioylof
Islands, in the midst of Behring Sea,
are probably the noisiest region on
earth, the combined laundering of the
falsofNiagara, shoshone, Yellowstone
Pohono, Missouri, Sioux and St. An
thopy being as the murmering OF
brook compared to the tuniuituous up
roar which may be heard any day our
5ne She summer ir those subarctic vol
canic dots which are in the home OF the
fur seal. This immense mass OF souno
is mainly produced ssby those knights
Of the deep, the males Of the Cailofhi-
nus arsinus, which congregate on the
islands by the hundreds Of thousands
+o WOO and wiz their brides and fight
the fercest battles known to the brute
creation for home and love. OF these
islands the ole called St. Paul con-
tains the largest number Of seals OF all
kinds.
The Pribylof Islands are about TWO
hundred miles west of the malnlano oi
Alaska, and were discovered in 1855 oy
) Gehrman Pribvlof, ships mate IN the
enn]oy of one Of the Russian eompa-
nies then engaged in the fur trade IN
Alaska. He bad been searching Tor
the breeding grounds Of the fur seal Tor
three years before he discovered tnem'
and then he seems to have come upon
them more by accident than design iof
he was first made aware OF their pres
enee by running bis sloop against the
nrecipitous bluffs of Tolstoi Mees, on
the Island ofst. George, during fog.
He realized in moment the lmpor-
lance of his discovery, for he sent
mart of his crew ashore to retain posses
sion of the island lille he sailed for
0ona,aska to inform his employees OF
his good fortune.
The tale OF ins discovery soon spread
despite all precautions, and when he
next started for st. George he was 1ol-
lowed by a f.et of vessels that were
determined tc reap some advantage,
rightly or wrongly, from his laoors.
The party he had left behind discovered
st. Paul, about thirty miles distant, IN
.7zs7 and these two islands, with Otter
z and Wa,rus, which are rocky islets,
constitute the Pribyloi Islands, whose
inhabitants nave been the cause OF so
much diplomatic manoauverlrg.
Nature has wisely provided seals
with the means Of sustaining them
selves without food for long time by
giving them enormous quantities OF tat
on which to draw. When the old bulls
reach tie rockeries early IN May their
hinge necks and shoulders seem to DE
one mass of fat, and every muscle is
covered with adipose matter except the
ends of the hippers. They then seem
to be the perfection of strength ana
suppIeness, and as they lift high their
small but comely heads and utter their
resonant roars, which can be heard for
miles, even ABOVE the laundering OF
the surges, they form a picture OF Wig
orous animal life which cannot be ex-
eeIled. Their color, after dying of in
the rookeries, is a dusky brown, but
the part on the shoulders called the
asign is always pepper-and salt hue
in old males, who are frequently called
sswigs'' by the seal hunters. They
range in length from six to seven or
more feet, and weigh between 400 and
800 pounds. Their huge necks and
shoulders are evidently very powerful,
their eyes sre soft and intelligent, and
their heads full of brains, to judge from
their actions. They are at first demure
and rarely ever lose their temper, but
few days change their character COM
pletely, owing to the intrusion ofrivais,
who attempt 70 drive them from the
homesteads they have pre-empted by
being first on the rookery.
This attempt at claim-junping is re-
sisted by the homesteaders, particular:
" those near the edge Of the water,
with all the spirit of the water, with
ali the spirit Of the race, and from that
moment until they leave for their win
I. ter homes in ocean in October or No
vember every "wig" on the rookery IS
engaged in perpetual strife with jealous
rivals, who want to rob him OF bis
home and mates. Aveterau may fight
fifty fierce battles and win them, and,
after I'LL, be vanqished and drivrn from
his home and family by a fresh arrival
from the ocean, who has never been
eTen in a skirmish. The victor then
takes the mates Of the vanquished
under his protection and the defeated
veteran must abide by himself, or with
brother seals in his own plight, unless
he can win home and family from
some weaker member.
These terrific combats are the cause
of most of the uproars heard on seal
rookeries, for all the combatants-and
thousands of them may be waging
individual battles at the same time
shouts at the top of their voices while
fighting, and their clamor is often in
creased by the bleating ofthousands OF
mothers calling for their young, OF the
young crying for their mothers. A
combat between couple of wigs or
old bulls, is one ofthe noisiest known,