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Show 1868.] CAPT. ABBOTT ON THE SEALS OF THE FALKLANDS. 191 Now, however, the skin of the latter is considered the more valuable of the two. During the breeding-season the males fight most desperately, and I have seen them covered with scars from old wounds. When these Seals are on the shore they appear to have a great disinclination to go to sea. I recollect on one occasion, accompanied by a friend, rolling stones down from above on some that were lying on the beach. When one was hit, he gave a roar and rushed at his nearest companion, fancying no doubt that he had attacked him; others swallowed the stones thrown at them. This dislike to going into the water may have arisen from their laying up to change their coats. Although these animals are so unwieldy in appearance, they have wonderful powers of climbing, chiefly by means of their flippers, and can ascend rocks that are almost perpendicular. I recollect once watching a number of Seals from the top of a very steep ledge of rocks about 20 feet high, when, upon hearing our voices, a large Sea-Lion gave a sudden roar and rushed up the rock to where I was sitting. Having no weapons of defence it did not take me long to beat a retreat. I fancy that it was on account of a female companion near him that he made this attack, as among about fifteen males there appeared to be only two females. On one occasion I made an excursion to the north shore to procure the skull of a Sea-Lion. On finding about a dozen of these animals basking on the shore, I fired both barrels loaded with bullets into the shoulder of one lying about 5 yards off, but with no effect, for he only gave a roar and shuffled into the water. I then reloaded, and going close to another fired at him, but without doing him any apparent harm. Upon this the others took the alarm and retired into the water, whence I could see them gazing at me, their bodies half-raised up out of the sea, perfectly motionless, like large rocks, the water being quite smooth. I was afterwards more successful; for finding two Sea-Lions with two females and their cubs in a small cave, I killed one of Sea-Lions with a bullet through the ear, and wounded the other badly; but the latter animal managed to escape into the water. I then drove out the females and secured the cubs. Wishing to have the skull of the Sea-Lion that I had killed, I sent the Gaucho, who accompanied me, for a lasso, which we made fast round his head (his body being half in the water) and proceeded to haul him out. I have never taken the dimensions of a Sea-Lion; but I once skinned a large one, and it was as much as the man who was with me and myself could do to carry only the skin across the bay and up the hill to m y tent; on returning to the settlement I found the weight of the skin to be 240 lb. The hair of both sexes is very coarse, that of the female being somewhat the finest. The young ones also have coarse hair, aud are much darker in colour than the old ones, being almost black. I have seen hundreds of skins, and never saw on any of them anything approaching to fur. The skin and skull of the Sea-Lion that I shot are now in the British Museum. |