XXI. THE SEALS 



The flesh eaters are by no means all land animals. 

 The seals, sea lions, and walruses are all carnivora of the 

 sea, living upon fish, which they capture with ease. The 

 sea Hon is common on our Western coast, and at the islands 

 off the California coast there are several rookeries. The 

 Catalina animals are so tame that they allow boats to 

 approach so closely that they can be photographed. At 



night the sea lions 

 leave their rocks, 

 which are at the 

 south end, and 

 swim around the 

 shore, entering the 

 Bay of Avalon with 

 loud barks, eating 

 the dead fish, and 

 proving themselves 

 valuable scaven- 

 gers. They often 

 steal fishes from nets, and on the north coast near San 

 Francisco have proved such a nuisance that they are being 

 killed off. The sea lion is of little use to man, the oil 

 having only a small value. 



The seals are common in many bays. The harp seal 

 (Fig. 1 68) is one of the most attractive, while the Green- 

 land seal is also a valuable catch for its oil and skin. The 



176 



Fig. 168.— The Harp Seal. 



