ZOOLOGY. 127 



" The otter is never seen upon land. He is purely an aquatic 

 animal. AVhen he swims he turns upon his back and propels 

 himself with great rapidity. The fore-paws are rounded like 

 a cat's, but the claws of the older ones are generally worn off. 

 The hind-legs, or propellers, are broad and flat, like paddles, 

 and are used very dexterously. The seal much resembles the 

 otter, seen at a distance, but he swims upon his belly, and the 

 hunter seldom mistakes the one for the other. The otter 

 sleeps in the water, lying upon his back, and anchors himself 

 from the motions of winds and waves by drawing a string of 

 kelp across his breast, just below his fore-legs. "When discov- 

 ered in this position, they are often approached very near by 

 the hunters. They are very buoyant in the water, but when 

 the chase has been long continued, and the blood of the otter 

 becomes heated by the exercise, on being shot the body sinks 

 rapidly to the bottom, and never rises. More than half the 

 otters shot are lost in this way. 



" Once a day the otter comes near the shore for food. He 

 eats every thing that grows in salt water, and is particularly 

 fond of abelones {haliotiis), mussels, and sea-eggs. At high 

 water the abelone loosens its shell from the rock, to receive 

 the nourishment which the overfloAving waters bring to it, and 

 it is then easily taken from the rock and removed from its 

 shell. The otter is well acquainted with all the peculiarities 

 of this fish, and this opportunity to capture it for food." 



The common seal, a species of phoca, is abundant along the 

 coast. 



The sea-lions, of the Otaria genus, frequent the coast from 

 May to November, making their homes during the winter in 

 some other cUme, but where is not known. They delight to 

 collect on clear summer days on rocks near the water's edge, 

 and bask in the sun. They may often be seen on the rocks 

 near the Golden Gate, and heard too, for they keep up a kind 

 of barking or growling in chorus, which grows louder as they 

 see any one approaching. They do not wait, however, to let 

 a man come near, but pitch off into the sei before he is within 



