Evening star., 1901-02-23

by one of the cutter officers give chase to
him. and with such evident purpose or
fight that the officer ANONYMOUSLY turned
his back and ran as best he could over the
rocks, the seal numbering awkwardly after
him and giving him a close race.
A cow seal is vain as a woman and
she never tires of preening herself The
sight of of them floating serenely on
the waves. tanning herself with her tiippers,
Is funny it is womanly. The day be-
fore our arrival the puppy seals had been
6.000 of them. which would give about
15,0O0 in all bulls. cows and bachelors.
or killable seals. The last killing day of
the season is August 10. On killing day
the seals are driven to the killing grounds
and the bache ors-that is. those not the
heads of families-are killed for their furs
and meat. The killing is simple enough
Armed with heavy hickory clubs made in
Connecticut. the killers, to the beating of
tin pans and other noises to keep the seals
bunched, go among them and with a tap
on the head the seal is knocked insensible
and his throat is cut before he recovers
consciousness. The skins are removed and
packed away in salt and the meat is used
by the natives and for fox feed in the win
ter We ate some of the meat and found 1t
very delicate though little bluer in color
than was attractive. Seal liver is finer
than the finest calf liver.
Interesting Family Life.
The family life of the seal is remarkable,
counted for in an animal which is said to
be absolutely unteachable. as the fur-bearing
seal is. During the winter the rookeries are
deserted. the seals being off to the warmer
waters of the south but from May 10 to
II the bull seals make their appearance
and take up positions on the rocks, select
ing locations as near the water as they
can get and tiercely fighting any others
who seek to dispossess them. The weaker
brothers must take their places further
back and so on till the bachelor seals are
reached and they are driven entirely off
the rookery proper. These bachelor seals
are young fellows four and five years old
who have not yet grown sufficiently strong
to fight the old ones and take a family,
but If they escape the killers they will dis
possess the old bulls In time to be driven
forth themselves when they have grown
old.
On each plot of space selected, say a rod
or more square, the bull seal maintains
himself by his valor alone and he holds
the fort in a constant succession OF bat
ties in which both contestants are not
infrequently slain. About the 1st of June
the COW seals appear and then the battle
of the bulls RACES more fiercely than ever,
until the households are all made up.
The bull seals do not again return to
the water after they have come out on the
rocks until the families begin to break up
in the autumn. and they neither eat nor
drink during that time. They come out as
fat as they can roll. weighing sometimes
as high as 400 pounds, and when they re-
turn to the sea they are thin and weak
that they can scarcely get about.
AminbIe Females.
In pleasing contrast with the disagree
able displays of temper and jealousy on
the part of the male members of the va
rious families is the delightfully."- amiable
disposition of the mild-eyed sweet-faced
females. They never complain or quarrel
or fight, and even when they are severely
injured in the battles over them, they sub
NIT to it all in a perfect spirit of gentle
ness and resignation. The real family life
of these interesting animals begins with
the appearance of the puppy seals. Thou
sands of little fellows chase over the rocks
and play, quite neglected by their parents
as soon as they get beyond the limit of
their homes. y mother seal shows no af-
fection for her baby if 1t gets beyond the
home limits and ii may be killed before
her eyes without protest from her, but
either father or mother will fight for it
to the death within the limits of its birth
place.
At the same time a mother seal will Sc
lect her puppy from among 10000
when she comes in from the sea at nurs-
ing time. and she will not permit strange
puppy near her She recognizes her own
BY its voice, and if she calls and gets no
answer she will lie down to sleep for
awhile and wake to call again. When she
hears It's voice among the thousands she
pushes her way through the throng until
she reaches it, and then gives it the care
it needs. She will sometimes be away for