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Fur Seal Harvest on Pribylov Island in 1874
Fur Seal Harvest on Pribylov Island in 1874
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Nook version of vintage magazine article originally published in 1874. Contains lots of great illustrations and info seldom seen in the last 140 years.
Read excerpt -
From the time the male comes out and takes his position upon the rookery ground until he leaves it at the close of the season—a period usually of a little over three months — he takes no food or water, and never for an instant, unless driven away by superior force, leaves his ground, which is about ten feet square in area. The subsistence of fur seal males for three or four' months without eating, while engaged in the most violent exercise, combined with the greatest vigilance, is marvelous, for they do not stagnate, like bears, or similar hibernating animals. None of the other classes, the cows, young males, and pups, sustain any protracted fasting, the cows feeding every two or three weeks, at least, while the young males and yearlings of both sexes seldom stay upon land more than a week or ten days at any one time.
The males fight desperately, even to death, for their positions on the rookeries, the com¬batants, with teeth clinched in each other's hides or flippers, struggling in savage though alert unwieldiness, their roars of rage and defiance being half stifled by the violence of the conflict.
The females are, however, exceedingly amiable in disposition, and are only about one-fourth the size of the males, which will weigh from three hundred to five hundred pounds early in the season, having six to seven feet of length. The females weigh on an aver¬age eighty pounds, and measure four feet in length.
The bodies of these animals are covered with two coats, one of short, coarse over-hair, and the other a soft, close, elastic fur, which is completely concealed by the former. The prevailing color among the males on the breeding grounds is a rusty brownish-black, with a dark gray or rufous-ochre patch or "wig" over the shoulders, while the females show shining steel-like tints on the back, with pure white on the inferior parts. This beautiful coloring, however, soon fades, by exposure to the weather, to a dull rufous-brown and gray.
From the 1st of June to the 14th the females begin to make their appearance, and afterward, up to the 8th of July, they arrive by thousands and tens of thousands, landing in obedience to some subtle instinct, without the disorder or confusion which might be supposed to exist among such numbers. Within the short period of three weeks acres of ground are fairly packed by these animals as closely as they can lie. They are stimulated to land by the expiration of the period of gestation, for soon after coming ashore, usually within a day or two, they give birth to their young. How nicely these faultless animals must time and direct their long sea journey back to these islands? - for they go in quest of food two and three thousand miles away.
The fur seal never sprawls out and flounders when moving on land, as might be supposed from observing the progression of the common hair seal; on the contrary, this animal carries its body clear and free from the ground, with head and neck erect, stepping forward with its fore-feet, and bringing the hinder ones up to fresh position after every second step forward. When exerting itself it can spring into a lumbering, shambling gallop, and for a few rods run as fast as a man, but will sink quickly to the earth, gasping, panting, and palpitating. In the water all movements when swimming are quick and swift, the fore flippers propelling, and the long, attenuated hinder ones serving to guide the course. The animal always in traveling swims under water, ever and anon rising, with head and neck clear from the sea, to snort and survey the field. The seals will frequently, when in play or suddenly startled, leap from the water like so many dolphins.
Read excerpt -
From the time the male comes out and takes his position upon the rookery ground until he leaves it at the close of the season—a period usually of a little over three months — he takes no food or water, and never for an instant, unless driven away by superior force, leaves his ground, which is about ten feet square in area. The subsistence of fur seal males for three or four' months without eating, while engaged in the most violent exercise, combined with the greatest vigilance, is marvelous, for they do not stagnate, like bears, or similar hibernating animals. None of the other classes, the cows, young males, and pups, sustain any protracted fasting, the cows feeding every two or three weeks, at least, while the young males and yearlings of both sexes seldom stay upon land more than a week or ten days at any one time.
The males fight desperately, even to death, for their positions on the rookeries, the com¬batants, with teeth clinched in each other's hides or flippers, struggling in savage though alert unwieldiness, their roars of rage and defiance being half stifled by the violence of the conflict.
The females are, however, exceedingly amiable in disposition, and are only about one-fourth the size of the males, which will weigh from three hundred to five hundred pounds early in the season, having six to seven feet of length. The females weigh on an aver¬age eighty pounds, and measure four feet in length.
The bodies of these animals are covered with two coats, one of short, coarse over-hair, and the other a soft, close, elastic fur, which is completely concealed by the former. The prevailing color among the males on the breeding grounds is a rusty brownish-black, with a dark gray or rufous-ochre patch or "wig" over the shoulders, while the females show shining steel-like tints on the back, with pure white on the inferior parts. This beautiful coloring, however, soon fades, by exposure to the weather, to a dull rufous-brown and gray.
From the 1st of June to the 14th the females begin to make their appearance, and afterward, up to the 8th of July, they arrive by thousands and tens of thousands, landing in obedience to some subtle instinct, without the disorder or confusion which might be supposed to exist among such numbers. Within the short period of three weeks acres of ground are fairly packed by these animals as closely as they can lie. They are stimulated to land by the expiration of the period of gestation, for soon after coming ashore, usually within a day or two, they give birth to their young. How nicely these faultless animals must time and direct their long sea journey back to these islands? - for they go in quest of food two and three thousand miles away.
The fur seal never sprawls out and flounders when moving on land, as might be supposed from observing the progression of the common hair seal; on the contrary, this animal carries its body clear and free from the ground, with head and neck erect, stepping forward with its fore-feet, and bringing the hinder ones up to fresh position after every second step forward. When exerting itself it can spring into a lumbering, shambling gallop, and for a few rods run as fast as a man, but will sink quickly to the earth, gasping, panting, and palpitating. In the water all movements when swimming are quick and swift, the fore flippers propelling, and the long, attenuated hinder ones serving to guide the course. The animal always in traveling swims under water, ever and anon rising, with head and neck clear from the sea, to snort and survey the field. The seals will frequently, when in play or suddenly startled, leap from the water like so many dolphins.
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