310 ZALOPHUS CALIFORNIANUS CALIFORNIA^ SEA LION. 



water, placed it in his way, and he immediately stuck his head 

 to the bottom of it. Fearing an accident, as the water in the 

 basin only reached within about a foot of the top of the lip sur- 

 rounding the house, I had the carpenter construct a small, 

 shallow, wooden tank inside the larger one, with a sloping plat- 

 form leading into it. So soon as the door was opened connect- 

 ing with it he followed his mother, and in a short time was 

 having high jinks swimming and diving to his full bent. When 

 he tired he would quietly rest in the water with his head lying 

 across his mother's neck, or he would scramble up on the plat- 

 form, stretch himself, have a short nap, and then commence 

 his play again. So soon as I thought he had gained sufficient 

 strength the small tank was removed, and he was allowed the 

 run of the larger one, when his wonderful swimming powers 

 came into full play. I have frequently seen him dash off with 

 such velocity that the water would part and fly from each side 

 of his neck with a fairly hissing sound. Again he would dive, 

 and then suddenly make a succession of salmon-like leaps with 

 such rapidity that I could easily imagine with what little dif- 

 ficulty he would be able to capture the swiftest of fish. One of 

 the favorite ways of amusing himself was by taking a chip 

 several of which were always kept in the basin out on the lip, 

 lying on his back, and playing with it with front flippers and 

 mouth, almost precisely as an infant would act with a common 

 rattle. At first he was rather shy of the old male, but gradu- 

 ally took the greatest delight in swimming about with, and 

 trying to induce him to join in a game of romps $ but the old 

 fellow was proof against all his wiles, and always good-na- 

 turedly endeavored to get rid of him. 



u I noticed that the female's cough disappeared immediately 

 after the birth of the young one; but about the middle of 

 August both her appetite and actions became variable, some 

 days feeding and seeming lively as usual, on others she would 

 either take but little or entirely refuse her food. She gradu- 

 ally grew worse until September 8, when, on going to the 

 basin in the morning, I missed her, and found the male busily 

 engaged in diving just at one particular spot. He finally 

 succeeded in bringing the body to the surface, and when the 

 keepers attempted to remove it he repeatedly charged, and it 

 was only by great care and watchfulness that they avoided 

 being bitten. On dissection it was found that tuberculosis, 

 that scourge of all zoological collections, was the cause of her 

 death. 



