File:Animals in action; studies and stories of beasts, birds and reptiles; their habits, their homes and their peculiarities (1901) (14775256693).jpg

Identifier: animalsinactions00broo (find matches)
Title: Animals in action; studies and stories of beasts, birds and reptiles; their habits, their homes and their peculiarities
Year: 1901 (1900s)
Authors: Brooks, Elbridge S. (Elbridge Streeter), 1846-1902
Subjects:
Publisher: Boston, Lothrop pub. co
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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rieties ofthe seal, and is bolder in his battles for self-preservation. Butthe heavy, thick fur of the sea-bear, which enables the animal tolive in the extreme Polar seas, is the most striking differencebetween him and his poorer relations. The sea-bear has, par-ticularly upon the back and sides, a covering of long, gray, bris-tling hair, and under this is a thick layer of very soft and fine furwhich covers the whole body. The sea-bears abandon their dis-tant northern homes at the beginning of every summer, and ingreat herds come through Berings Strait into the Pacific Oceanto spend the mating season on more southerly shores. Amongtheir more favorite haunts are the Pribilof Islands, St. Paul andSt. George, which lie west of the Alaskan coast about midwaybetween the Aleutian Islands and the mouth of the YukonRiver. They are two precipitous little islands, and upon themthe sea-bears appear in countless numbers every year. Heremany thousands of full-grown adults were slaughtered annually
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Fur Seals fighting. FUR SEALS FIGHTING FOR A MATE. 29 for their skins, until the United States and Great Britainstopped this indiscriminate execution in order to save thespecies from extinction. The Pribilof Islands were formerly Russian territory, and,with the rest of Russian North America, or Alaska, were soldto the United States; so that the sealskin business is nowalmost entirely in the hands of Americans. The migration of the seals to the Pribilof Islands is acurious process. By the middle of June an advance guard ofmales arrives at St. Paul and occupies all the level places uponthe immediate coast and the stretches adjoining it. Later thefemales come, at first in scattered numbers, and then in everincreasing droves, until by the middle of July all the availableplaces have been occupied. As soon as a female arrives, theadult males or bulls rush to meet her. The foremost bull cutsoff Mrs. Sea-bears way back to the water, and proceeds toapproach her with his blandishments. He then

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