THE CAPE SEA LION 



great slaughter of seals had taken place at some 

 special time, as the remains were not mixed at 

 different levels with the shells and other debris, 

 but were all on the same level. In every instance 

 the skull had been broken open to obtain the brain 

 for food. The mouth of the Zwartkops River, no 

 doubt, in the past furnished a favourite breeding- 

 ground of these seals, but incessant persecution 

 drove them to the various islands off the coast, 

 where they were secure from the attacks of these 

 South African aborigines, for none possessed boats. 

 At Bird Island, near Algoa Bay, there is a large 

 herd of Sea Lions which may be seen at any time 

 of year on or about great masses of rock jutting out 

 of the ocean near the island. I visited Bird Island 

 one day, and so tame were the seals that they took 

 little or no notice of the tug. Several large shaggy- 

 maned males, almost as large as oxen, were fighting 

 fiercely with one another. A couple, locked in a 

 fierce embrace, rolled over and over down the 

 ragged rocks into the water, where they continued 

 their battle. When the tug whistle was blown 

 several times in quick succession, the Sea Lions of 

 all sizes made for the water in great alarm, rolling, 

 tumbling, and climbing down the rocks in their 

 haste to reach their native element, where they 

 dived and swam with the greatest of ease and 

 grace. These seals were in the past strictly pro- 

 tected, and in consequence their numbers increased 

 rapidly, so much so that they became a menace 



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