848 CHANNEL ISLANDS OF CALIFORNIA 



fish, as he did recently, he makes a very clever imita- 

 tion of a savage and ferocious beast. 



A few years ago many of the sea-lions were killed 

 by vandals; but laws were passed, and for a number 

 of years the sea-lions have been protected. The 

 rookery has increased in size until a spht has recently 

 occurred, and another settlement has been established 

 half-way up the island at White Rock. It has been 

 the custom of fishermen for years in cleaning their 

 fish to toss the refuse into the bay, and the sea-lions 

 formed the habit of coming down to the bay at this 

 time to dine thereupon. At first only one or two came; 

 now a band of two large bulls and several females make 

 their headquarters at the bay, or spend most of the 

 time there, constituting a valuable sanitary corps, as 

 they eat every fragment of fish, the gulls joining in 

 the feast. When not feeding, the sea-lions pass the 

 time within a few feet of the beach, sleeping or playing, 

 the females and young leaping from the water and 

 going through various tricks of interest to the amazed 

 looker-on. 



But a few feet away from the sea-lions are the boat- 

 stands of the fishermen and boatmen, and boats are 

 moving out and over the sea-lions constantly; yet they 

 are apparently oblivious of the men, who never molest 

 them. This has had a peculiar result. The enormous 

 animals have become so tame that they almost allow 

 the men to touch them, and readily come out upon 

 the shore to feed from their hands. It so happened 

 that I was upon the sands one day when no sea-lions 

 were in sight; and upon my asking a boatman where 

 they were, he began to whistle as if calling for a dog, 



