B. C. ^EA-LION IXYESTIGATIOX 



17 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 38a 



The first goal was the Bird rocks, the principal resort and retiring- place of 

 sea-lions in Barkley sound, where, it was stated, a day or two earlier, some hundreds 

 had been seen from passing vessels. On the way out two independent hunters in a 

 small canoe furnished with gasolene were overtaken. They had just wounded a 

 female sea-lion, and speared it while under observation. 



At Bird rocks there was a large numlber of sea-lions, some hauled up, and a 

 large numlber swimming about close to the shore. All were somewhat wild, but two 

 were killed and hauled on hoard to be examined at leisure at Kildonan. The weather 

 was dull and rainy, and hence it was impossible to secure successful photographs. 

 After this the hunting was left to the Indians to carry on, resulting in eleven more 

 specimens being brought in, two of which were paid for by Mr. Patch on behalf 

 of the Geological Survey, as the chairman considered that a run of eleven or twelve 

 specimens, all telling the same story, was sufficient for the purpose of the commission. 



On opening the stomachs of the twelve specimens containing fish, it was found 

 that all of them had herring in an unmutilated condition. Evidently they had bolted 

 them without any mastication. The quantities amounted to from one-half to two 

 gallons, incluiding the pulpy mass of more or less digested food. Two contained one 

 or two rounded stones. 



The following table shows the sex, length, etc., of those examined, as noted by 

 Mr. Patch:— 



In addition to these fourteen, a male brought to Kildonan a few days previous 

 to the arrival of Dr. Newcombe and Mr. Patch, was opened and examined by Mr. 

 W. A. Newcombe, who reported that it had been killed amongst the herring, and 

 that it contained a large numjber of these fish and their skeletons, in addition to a 

 pulpy mass of indistinguishable material. 



From the results above detailed it seemed clear that at this time of the year, at 

 least, the main food of Stellars sea-lion, while in Barkley sound, is one of the most 

 important food fishes of the province, and that the contention of the white and native 

 fishermen relating thereto was amply supported by incontestable evidence. 



Some of the stomach contents were bottled up and sent to Dr. Fraser for exam- 

 ination, on which he reports as follows: The main portion of the material from sea- 

 lion stomachs sent from Barkley sound- consisted of herring in a more or less digested 

 state, but the other contents are worth considering. These were (1) the dorsal fin 

 and some vertebrae of dogfish — enough to make diagnosis definite; (2) a portion of 

 a vertebral column of a flatfish — not enough to make identification of species possible; 

 (3) a clavicle from some bony fish, possibly from the same flatfish; (4) a number 

 of cephalopod beaks; (5) a clam shell that had been bored by Thais; (0) small 

 stones; (7) numerous nematode parasites of the Ascaris type. 



