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Show 1881.] MR. R. COLLETT ON THE GREY SEAL. 383 as we know, never enters the water voluntarily in its woolly coating for, besides always finding a pleasure in wallowing in the small freshwater puddles on the rocks, they are often compelled, " nolentes volentes," to take to the water at this early stage of their existence. For instance, if a female be often disturbed by man during the days of breeding, the entire family keeps close to the water's edge, and the young ones in the yellowish skins, as well as the old ones, are often to be seen swimming about among the islets; and if the former have once become accustomed to enter the water at an early age, they do so voluntarily, and are often splashing about in the neighbourhood of their native rocks, especially at high tide, whereas they follow the example of the old ones in remaining on the rocks at low water. Heavy hailstorms also drive the pups very early to sea; and they do not like the thin sheets of ice which cover the small water-pools after a frosty night. The females suckle their pups on land, but do not remain with them long at a time. The suckling probably takes place during the night, as they are often heard to utter cries at that time, which they never do in the water. They are also seen regularly suckling their pups early in the morning. The milk is extremely rich and thick, and is quite white. As long as the young one retains its woolly coat and is allowed to remain undisturbed on its native island, it receives no other nourishment than the maternal milk. If it happen that bad weather or a heavy sea washes the new-born young one into the water, or if it be separated from the mother by other means, it nearly always dies, as it is unable to procure for itself the means of sustenance at that early period of life; but when they have attained the age of eight days they are able to stand the change of diet, even though they become extremely thin for a time. As a rule the young one can hardly support itself before the age of three weeks, although it can exist a long time without food, and it rarely dies before all the blubber with which it is coated has disappeared. In this manner young ones have been discovered in deep crevices, from which neither by their own exertions nor with the mother's assistance have they been able to free themselves; and, to judge from various circumstances, these young ones must have passed about a week and a half without food, although in order to maintain this fast they must have been in good condition beforehand. When the young ones first come into the world they have very little flesh and hardly any blubber; but they increase very rapidly (nearly two or three kilogrammes daily), although they receive no other nourishment than the maternal milk. When a young one attains the age of three weeks, or the size at which it becomes the object of chase, it may contain from 20 to 30 kilogrammes of blubber, besides 12 to 18 kilogrammes of meat. Extremely fat specimens have been known to weigh 60 kilogrammes. But this rapid growth ceases as soon as the moulting process is completed, whereupon the parents leave it to support itself. |