HABITS. 271 



up suddenly, fire pistols, and make all the noise possible. The 

 animals thus suddenly alarmed immediately start in whatever 

 direction they chance to be headed ; those facing the water rush 

 precipitately into it. These the hunters avoid, letting them 

 pass them, and start at once after those heading inland, shout- 

 ing at them to keep them moving until some distance from the 

 shore. The Sea Lions, when once fairly in motion, are easily 

 controlled and made to move in the desired direction till they 

 reach some convenient hollow, where they are guarded by one 

 or two men stationed to watch their movements and prevent 

 their escape until enough have been obtained to make a herd 

 for driving, numbering usually two or three hundred individ- 

 uals. They sometimes capture in this way forty or fifty in a 

 single night, but oftener ten or twenty, and many tiines none 

 at all. As at this season Sea Lions of all ages and sizes con- 

 gregate together, it often happens that females are caught while 

 their cubs escape, or the reverse, but as the capture is con- 

 tinued for several successive nights at the same place, and the 

 new captives are driven to the herd already caught, the mothers 

 and their young are again brought together. They recognize 

 each other by their cries long before they meet, and it makes 

 lively work for the herders to prevent the herd from rushing to 

 meet the new coiners. When the recruits join the herd the 

 mothers and cubs rush together with evident pleasure, the 

 mothers fondling their young, and the latter, hungered by sepa- 

 ration, struggle to nurse them. After a sufficient number have 

 been thus obtained they are driven to the village for slaughter, 

 in order that all parts of the animal may be utilized. 



" The distance to the village is, as already stated, about ten or 

 twelve miles, and the route lies near the shore. Along the way 

 are several small ponds through which they pass and which 

 serve to refresh them on their slow toilsome journey. The 

 journey is necessarily slow and tedious, for the Sea Lions are 

 less well fitted for traveling on land than the Fur Seals, which 

 are able to raise their bodies from the ground and gallop off 

 like a land animal. The Sea Lions travel by bending the pos- 

 terior part of the body to the right or left, extending their long 

 flexible necks in an opposite direction to balance themselves, 

 and then slowly raising their bodies by their fore limbs and 

 plunging forward, by which movement they thus gain an ad- 

 vance of only half a length at a time. When they arrive in 

 sight of the ponds they make a hurried scramble for them, and, 



