up a little way and then slip down again. The men make furious rushes at it; they get a long way up; they get almost to the top; and then they come down again. Here was a most unexpected, a most maddening stoppage. And the sepoys may appear on the top of the wall, in the bastion, at any moment. Of those of the party who survived to look back on the events of this day there were many who thought the worst moments during it had been those in which they had tried ineffectually to climb the side of the ditch. But now Hay makes a desperate rush at the slope and manages to get almost to the top, then throwing himself forward, he gets his hand on the hard edge, and sustains himself, and then draws himself up. The improvised rope has of course been left dangling from the wall. But he lets down his sash, and Hamilton has dug a foothold in the declivity as high as he can reach with the point of his sword; and so, what between pushing and pulling how they would have laughed at any other time! but it was no laughing matter now, when they expected that at any moment a shot from the wall might lay them dead or wounded in the bottom of the ditch - the ladies are got up the slope at last, and they hurry away from the horrid declivity as fast as they can. The sun has sunk, but the air is still full of the bright afterglow. From Murray's Magazine. THE SEAL ISLANDS OF BERING'S SEA. We must turn to the science of zoology for an explanation. Of the value of sealskin as a fur none of us need to be informed; but the life-history of the animal which provides us with it is not so generally known. Some of us— - dare I say some even of the sex most often decked with it? - are perhaps hardly aware that the common seal of our own shores is in this respect valueless. In lieu of the soft down of the fur-seal, this creature is provided with a coat of coarse, stiff hair which would be utterly inapplicable to purposes of clothing. We may therefore roughly divide the seals into two groups those without and those with fur. The former are known as hair seals, the latter as the eared or fur seals, and it is with these latter that we have now to do. The geographical distribution of the various species of fur-seal is at the present time of great interest. Long years ago these creatures inhabited the South Pacific and South Atlantic in great numbers. The Falklands, indeed, and other islands off the coast of Patagonia swarmed with them. Anthony Pigafetta, the doughty comrade of Magellan in his celebrated voyage, frequently mentions in his journals the abundance of the lupi marini, and various rocks and islands were given the name of "Recife de lobos " and "Yslas de lobos marinos" by the great navigator. But all this is now ancient history. Here and there, perhaps, a skin or two is secured by whalers or others cruising in the southern oceans and brought to Cape Town or some port in Chile. For all practical purposes, however, these localities may be regarded as non-existent, and their inhabitants as extinct. Nine-tenths, if not more, of the sealskins which come into the European market are from the islands of Bering's Sea. Were they only necessities of life the Americans, it must be confessed, could make a very pretty corner in them. The operation would be greatly facilitated by the animals themselves, which, instead of being generally distributed over a large area, are confined not only to certain islands, but to certain circumscribed spots upon them. OF the difficulties which have lately presented themselves for solution with regard to two little-visited regions of the North American continent, that connected with what is usually—if unscientifically -termed the seal-fisheries is certainly not the least important. We are at issue," as all the world knows, upon the question whether Bering's Sea is, or is not, to be a mare clausum, and all of us have become more or less interested in the subject. Many, whose geographical knowledge of that region is not of the soundest, have doubtless taken down their atlases and, after due consultation, closed them without finding themselves greatly enlightened, wondering still why America, whose present authority over the seal islands is unquestioned, should be so persistent in her endeavors to exclude all strangers not only from their immediate, but even from their remote vicinity. Omitting Robben Island - a small reef off Saghalin from which a few skins only are obtained-the Seal Islands consist of two groups, the Komandorskis and the Prybilovs. The former-Bering and Copper Islands - are the westernmost links of the lonely Aleutian chain, and, though rented by the Americans, belong to Russia. The Prybilovs-St. Paul, St. George, and Otter Islands - lie well an within Bering's Sea, and are the most val- | previous to my arrival. Two men had uable, being capable of exporting in good been killed and eight wounded. One of seasons as many as one hundred thousand the latter was landed at Petropaulovsky pelts. These five islands then are the with no less than thirteen bullet-wounds, sole breeding-grounds of the North Pacific from which he nevertheless managed in eared seal (Callorhinus ursinus). At va- some miraculous manner to recover. To rious other places stray individuals may compensate for these risks, and for the doubtless be found, but they are nowhere chances of the loss of their vessel very numerous. Why so restricted a occurrence by no means infrequent - it ground should be chosen it is difficult to is evident that the owners of these craft explain. There are without doubt other must calculate upon obtaining a heavy localities where the conditions are identi- return upon their outlay. cal, but habit, we know, has as much influence over the lower animals as ourselves, and hence it happens that the fur-seal year after year visits the island to which it is accustomed, never moving to fresh ground, and only very rarely to the other islands frequented by its kind. Mr. H. W. Elliott, in his "Report on the Prybilov Group, or Seal Islands of Alaska," published in 1873, was the first to place a full and trustworthy account of the habits of this seal before the scientific world. The animal had been known for years. So far back as the end of the last century the Russian-American Fur Com Before considering the poaching question, however, a knowledge of the history and habits of the creature is necessary. Zoology furnishes us with few objects for study so strange and so full of interest. We have in the fur-seal an animal which spends one half of the year entirely in the Into the dreary wastes of Bering's Sea water, and the other half almost entirely few vessels penetrate; few at least which on land; which herds together in closely are not concerned in the chase of the wal-packed crowds of innumerable individuals rus, seal, or whale. Spring and autumn in a manner unknown in the case of any bring with them terrific gales, and in sum- other mammal; and, finally, which exhib mer dense sea-fogs wrap everything in an its in its mode of life an organization and impenetrable veil. The coast of the main- method almost as wonderful as that of the land is sometimes clear, enabling the ant. mariner to determine his position; but this is rarely the case with the islands, and here the sense of hearing has to be called into play to avoid disaster. It is not for the surf, however, that the sailor listens, but for the sound of the seals on the "rookeries a dull, hoarse roar which in still weather is audible for some miles. Notwithstanding difficulties of naviga-pany had settlements upon the Aleutian tion, to say nothing of the risks of seizure by an American cruiser, a certain number of schooners, usually of small tonnage, fit out annually for these seas. Some are from the ports on the eastern shores of the Pacific, but others come from Japan. Most of them, it would be safe to say, sail under the British flag. Nominally they are in search of walrus, or perhaps the skins of the sea-otter, but in reality ninetenths of them are seal poachers, hanging about so as to run close in to the islands during a fog, or even landing a crew on the rookery if the weather is especially favorable. But this latter is a risky proceeding. Each rookery is excellently guarded, and detection of the offenders is followed by a shower of Winchester bullets. No questions are asked. The poachers know well enough what to expect if they are unfortunate enough to be discovered, and they take their chance. While at Petropaulovsky in Kamschatka in the year 1882, I learnt that the crew of a schooner had suffered considerably in an encounter of this kind a short time islands and obtained numbers of its skins from the natives, but it was some time before the Prybilovskis were discovered by the sailor whose name they bear. Even at the time of his landing-in 1786— traces of former visitors were found. Long before, in 1741, the great navigator Bering, his crew decimated by scurvy and he himself dying from the same disease, reached the Komandorskis, the other group appropriated as a breeding-ground. But it was winter, and though the naturalist Steller, who accompanied him, made his notes of the huge Rhytina, or sea-cow, now extinct, which formed their food, and shot numerous sea-otters, he must have been brought very little, if at all, in contact with the sea-cat, as Callorhinus is termed by the natives. The islands once discovered, it was not likely that their existence would become forgotten. Before very long the Prybilovskis were colonized by a small party of natives in the service of the Russian Company. The Bering group remained far longer without inhabitants, but in each, cabins formerly constructed by the Aleuts. All the timber needed for this or for any other purpose has to be brought from Kamschatka, for the islands are utterly destitute of trees, and here, as in Greenland and other regions of the far North, the boats, whether large or small, have to be constructed of skins. almost from the outset a system of indis- | come schools for the children, and neat criminate slaughter was instituted. Ani- wooden houses in place of the turf-built mals of both sexes and all ages were killed. We learn from Bishop Innocent Veniaminov that more than a hundred thousand skins were thus taken annually upon the islands of St. Paul and St. George. The pelts had accumulated to such an extent in 1803, that no less than eight hundred thousand were lying in the stores, and of these so badly were they cured and taken care of -seven hundred thousand had to be thrown away. For a long time this waste of life continued without much apparent effect upon the numbers of those that yearly filled the rookeries. Then steadily and rapidly, the diminution became evident. In 1817 the "take" from the two islands had fallen to sixty thousand, and three years later to fifty thousand. In 1825 we find a return of only thirty thousand one hundred; in 1829 it had sunk to twenty thousand eight hundred and eleven; and finally, in 1835– the date at which the "take" appears to have reached its lowest ebb-six thousand five hundred and eighty skins were obtained. With the exception of these statistics of Veniaminov, none, or none that I am aware of, exist of the period previous to the American occupation of Alaska. For the two or three years preceding this event a reign of anarchy, or something approaching it, prevailed, and the seals ran a nearer risk of extinction than any that had previously threatened them. This danger luckily passed over, and in 1870 a lease was granted to the Alaska Commercial Company, under whose direction the numbers of the animals were quickly raised, until the rookeries were once more restored to the condition in which they were found by the discoverers of the islands. The fur-seal, indeed, under the present system of management, can hardly be looked upon as other than a domestic animal and the island upon which it breeds as a stock-farm on a large scale. It has never been my good fortune to see the rookeries of the Prybilov Islands, which have been so admirably described by Mr. Elliott, but in the course of the cruise of the yacht Marchesa to Kamschatka in 1882, I visited those of the Komandorskis, landing in Bering Island in mid-September. The little settlement of Nikolsky off which we anchored, though barren and dreary-looking to a degree, bore evidences of a rather more advanced state of civilization than I had expected. With the Americans have The rookeries, of which there are two, are far from the settlement, and are reached by dog-sledge both in winter and summer, the level waste of the dreary tundras affording nearly as good a road in the latter season as the surface of the snow. Mr. Elliott describes the Prybilovskis as volcanic, but no evidences of a like origin struck me while crossing Bering Island. The land, desolate and barren beyond words, presented itself as a series of marshy terraces, upheaved by discontinuous elevation from the sea-level. Mile after mile of this monotonous and lonely scenery is passed - rendered yet more weird by the gloomy skies characteristic of the region before the little huts of the Cossacks and Aleuts who form the armed guard of the rookery appear in sight. Then the traveller gets out of his sledge and in another minute finds himself looking at one of the most astonishing sights that the world affords. Before him, along the seashore, extending, as it seems, for an interminable distance, lies a densely packed and ceaselessly moving crowd of animals, reminding him of some vast collection of human beiugs. The constant heaving motion which passes in waves over its surface recalls unpleasantly the appearance of a piece of carrion when swarming with maggots, and a dull, hoarse roar, whose evenly blended volume of sound is from time to time broken by the louder bellow of some old bull or the high-pitched ba-a of a pup hard by, greets the ear from tens of thousands of throats. Ceaseless activity is the leading feature of the scene. Closely packed as are the multitudes of creatures, the mass of life is intersected here and there by paths where numbers of the "bachelors " are passing to and from the sea. In all directions are to be noticed the bulls, each guarding his harem of wives in a space the size of a small room. The small black pups are sleeping by the side of their mothers, or joyously diving and plunging with their fellows in the surf. The variety and oddity of the attitudes assumed astonishes and amuses the spectator. Here is a pup curled up head to tail, like a dog; there | sary for the proper comprehension of the The spectator, confused by the strangeness and interest of the sight, may remain for some little time without discovering that there is any definite arrangement in the apparent disorder before him. Such definite arrangement, however, exists, as might be expected, for most large communities in the animal world are ruled by some system. In this case it is based upon the curious fact that the young male seals are not permitted by their elders to enter the breeding-grounds until they are five years old, although they are actually adult before that time. The rookery is thus divided into districts with sharply defined boundaries. Most important of all is that set apart as the breeding-ground, the locality chosen being nearest the sea, and of such a nature as best suits the animals' taste. Flat, low-lying rocks and coarse beach seem to constitute the favorite ground, while sand is eschewed, according to the sealers, from its tendency to irritate the eyes. In close proximity to this ground, either at the sides or at the back, the holluschicki or bachelors establish themselves, in company with the young females of one and two years old. The seals of each district confine themselves to its limits. The bulls on the breedingground never wander from their posts, and the cows and pups only move to and from the sea. Should any daring holluschack venture into the "married quarters" he would probably not come out alive, although, as I have already stated, permission to pass through by certain paths is always afforded him in the case where the holluschicki ground is in rear. In addition to these two grounds there is usually another - a species of hospital which serves as a temporary refuge for the sick, or for the many who have been injured by fighting and other causes. The foregoing rough sketch of the aspect and plan of a seal-rookery is neces We may now look for the first seal. Winter, it is true, has not yet given place to summer, and the snow has not changed to fog, but the animal is not one to be daunted by cold. The bulls are the first to make their appearance, the old and strong generally preceding their younger brethren, and these pioneers often remain for some time without addition to their numbers. But with the advent of the fogs the rest land in thousands, and at the end of May in the Prybilovskis, and perhaps a few days earlier in the Bering group, all to use the technical term always employed-have "hauled up." It must not be supposed that all this has taken place either rapidly or quietly. Far from this being the case, the rookery has from the very first been the scene of ceaseless fighting-of fighting so fierce as frequently to result in the death of the combatants. The bull-seal on first landing is like a gold miner on a new reef, and instantly busies himself in marking out the best "claim" that offers. He establishes himself upon a small area of ground a few feet square, as near the sea as he can, and defends it against the attacks of his brethren who are either unprovided with a similar holding, or who prefer his selection to their own. Day after day this fighting continues, until at length, perhaps worn out with these oft-repeated struggles — the creature has to yield his place to some fresh antagonist. Upon this "might is right" principle the rookery is soon definitely parcelled out, but as yet no cows have appeared upon the scene. Their advent is delayed three weeks or more beyond that of their lords and masters, and it is probably midJune before the tide of immigration has in their case reached its height. Their arrival is the signal for a renewal of the fighting. As each cow "hauls up" she is at once seized and appropriated by the nearest bull, who, after depositing her within his holding, turns his attention to the securing of the next arrival. Mere annexation does not necessarily mean possession, however, and a dozen or more pitched battles may be fought over some coveted fair one, until-appropriated time after time by some third party - she eventually finds herself far from her first owner. During these struggles the cows are sometimes seized by each of the combatants, and tugged so violently in opposite directions that the skin is torn in strips from their backs and limbs. serves him as a useful training for his future life. Crowded as the rookery has been from the beginning, the birth of the pups has nearly doubled its population, and the scene is busier than ever. From a tolerably early period, when the cows have all ceased "hauling up," and the fighting has stopped, and when there can no longer be any doubt as to ownership, the bulls have permitted the members of their harem to go down to the sea to swim and feed. No such relaxation, unhappily for him, is pos sible for the head of the family. Should he leave his little holding to satisfy the cravings of hunger, he would find his household hearth cold upon his return. So long as he sticks to his post his neighbors will respect his presence and let his wives alone, but desertion, if only for a short time, leaves his home in the position of an empty claim, which to pursue the mining simile-may be "jumped by the first comer. And so, from the middle of May, or at latest from the beginning of June, until mid-August- a period of some twelve or thirteen weeks-the matrimonial responsibilities of the bull seal entail not only imprisonment within the In due course of time these difficulties become adjusted, the cows have all landed, and peace once more reigns in the rookery. If the breeding-ground be now examined it is at once evident why the bulls have striven to obtain the posts adjacent to the sea. Here those that have been fortunate enough or strong enough to hold their own are now seen lording it over a harem abundant in wives, while at the back and outskirts of the ground those who are weaker or younger are but ill-limits of a few square feet of ground, but provided. It is doubtful whether any more preposterous polygamist exists than the fur-seal. Mr. Elliott records an instance where one powerful old bull, scarred and gashed, and with one eye gouged out, watched jealously over no less than fortyfive wives. This, of course, is exceptional. From twelve to twenty appears to be a good average for the best places, while on the remote holdings the juniors are lucky enough if they obtain one or two. Almost immediately after her arrival the cow gives birth to a single young one the "pup as it is termed. It is a sin gular fact that the period of gestation should be so prolonged in a creature which is of such small size, and attains maturity so quickly, but it is certain, both from the above and other facts, that it is as nearly as possible a year in duration. The pup is born with the eyes open, and is soon active enough two points much in its favor in the midst of the crowded rookery and the ceaseless fighting around it. The mother is by no means devoted, leaving it to shift very much for itself. As far as can be made out, it is most curiously indifferent to food, those in charge of the rookery assuring me that it often went a day or more without suckling. If it be a male, this abstinence, as will presently be seen, a fast so absolute and protracted as to put the efforts of the toughest Indian fakir to the blush. As may be imagined, this prolonged period of starvation is not without its effect upon the unhappy animal. Weak and emaciated, its body scarred with wounds, it regains the water in very different condition from that in which it first landed on the island. In August, then, the "season," if I may so term it, is over. The bulls have gone down to the sea, to return no more, or at least only very occasionally, till the following year. All trace of organization in the rookery is now lost. The busy life still continues, and the numbers scarcely seem diminished, but the holluschicki roam where they please without let or hindrance, and the masses have become more discrete and scattered. The pups have nearly all learnt to swim-an art which, curious to relate, appears in their case to be not natural, but acquired. Then comes autumn, a season short enough in these latitudes, and the numbers become thinned. With the first snow many take their departure, and by the end of October the majority are gone. After the 20th of November, I was told, scarcely one is to be seen, save here and there some late-born pup who has as yet not perfected himself in the art of swimming. It is a commonly received |