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Show 1868.] MR. A. D. BARTLETT ON THE BIRTH OF A SEAL. 403 On Monday the 8th of June she was very uneasy, and appeared to me to be in considerable pain ; I therefore kept a constant watch, and the man who had charge of her remained with her all night. She continued in this state until about twelve o'clock on Tuesday, at which time she produced the young one. It was born near the edge of the water, aud in a few minutes after its birth, by rolling and turning about, was completely divested of the outer covering oi fur and hair, which formed a complete mat, upon which the young animal lay for the first hour or two after its birth. When born it was very active, and within three hours afterwards was swimming and diving about in the water like an adult animal, lt uttered a low soft ba, or single call-note, and looked about for its mother, and crawled towards her when she came out of the water. She turned upon her side in order to let it suck, aud I had every reason to believe that all was going on well. The young Seal slept well, sometimes on its belly, sometimes on its side. The mother, however, appeared unwell and in great pain, and on the following day (Wednesday) suddenly plunged into the water and sunk to the bottom. Believing she was dying, I had her assisted out of the pond. She was in strong convulsions, and continued to roll and struggle until the next morning (this day) when she died. She appears to have had no milk. Finding the female unable to suckle her young one, I had it removed to the house and have fed it by means of a bottle with warm milk and a small quantity of cod-liver oil added to the milk. The statement having been made that the species of Seal could be distinguished by the mode of shedding its first coat (I believe it is said that the common Seal, P. vitulina, sheds its coat as soon as born, while the P, fcetida sheds its first coat before its birth), I beg to say that this supposed distinction is shown by the above remarks to be of no value whatever as a means of distinguishing the species. I have no doubt both species are alike in this particular; and I have no doubt, from what I have seen, that the outer fur is sometimes shed before birth and sometimes immediately after birth in both species alike. This young Seal was 32 inches long, and weighed 20 lbs. at its birth. The outer covering is now on the table. It appears to me that the young animal shedding its outer covering compensates for the absence of the licking generally bestowed upon young animals by their mother. The Seals never lick. June 25, 1868. Dr. E. Hamilton, V.P., in the Chair. Mr. P. L. Sclater exhibited two heads of the Spanish Ibex (Capra pyrenaica, Schimper), which had been obtained by Major Howard Irby on the Sierra Herniosura near Marbella in Southern Spain, |
