£24 A VOYAGE TO Book VIII. 



extremity of the belly, and at the time of coition 

 the male and female place themselves on their tails, 

 with their faces inward, embracing- each other with 

 their fins, which, on this occasion, supply the place of 

 arms. The female brings forth and suckles her young 

 in the same manner as terrestrial creatures; but has 

 never above one or two at a time. 



The largest species are by some called sea lions, 

 but in these seas their general name is Lobos de 

 Aceyte, or oil wolves : because when they move, they 

 appear like a skin' full of oil, from the motion of the 

 vast quantity of fat, or blubber, of which tlieir enor- 

 mous body consists. And though oil is made from all 

 the species, none yield it in proportion to these; in- 

 deed they consist of little else. I was once entertained 

 with a particular circumstiince relatingto this species. 

 A sailor having wounded one, it immediately plunged 

 itself into tlie sea ; but had hardly tinged the water 

 with its blood, when it was surrounded in an instant 

 by shoals of the other two specie.^, who attacked 

 and devoured it in a few minutes, which was not 

 the case with the other species ; which, when wound- 

 ed, though they also ])lunged into the water, yet 

 the sight of their blood had no effect on others ; nor 

 were they ever attacked. They are mischievous, and 

 their bite the more dangerous, as they never let go 

 their hold ; but they are heavy, torpid, and sluggish, 

 nor can they turn their heads without great difficulty. 

 They were so far from avoiding our n)en, that they 

 were obliged to strike them with sticks to make 

 them move out of their way. The cry of their 

 young very nearly resembles the bleating of a sheep ; 

 but when they all join, as it were in concert, the 

 noise is insupportable. They are the chief food of 

 the dogs, who, after killing them, take off their 

 skin with great dexterity. In their attack, they 

 aim always at the throat ; and when they have de- 

 stroyed the creature, they tear the skin all round 



the 



