SEAL 



5283 



SEARCH 



makes the other so valuable commercially. 

 There are two chief groups of sea lions the 

 so-called Steller group and the California sea 

 lions. The former reach the greatest size of 

 any of the eared seals, the males attaining a 

 length of from ten to fifteen feet and a weight 

 of from 1,000 to 1,300 pounds. In all the north- 

 ern Pacific, from California to Japan, this huge 

 animal is to be found, and the Indians of the 

 Aleutian Islands count them among their chief 

 prizes. They eat the flesh, either fresh or dried, 



THE SEA LION 



use the skins for boat coverings and the flip- 

 pers for boot soles, blow up the stomach to 

 serve as an oil bag, and make thread of the 

 sinews. 



The other sea lions are those timid, gentle 

 creatures which are seen in such numbers on 

 the Cliff House rocks at San Francisco. They 

 are much smaller than the species described 

 above, and are almost black. Nearly all the 

 seals seen in menageries and circuses are of this 

 species. 



True Seals. Of the true seals the common- 

 est is the little, yellowish-brown harbor seal, 

 which is an interesting visitor in Atlantic ports. 

 Like the fur seals, the harbor seals are iir 

 danger of extermination, for while they have 

 no fur they yield a valuable oil, and their skin 

 is used for leather. Strangely enough, this 

 animal shows a real delight in musical sounds, 

 but its own voice is far from musical, being a 

 sort of bleat which has won for the animal the 

 name of sea calf. 



Sea Elephant or Elephant Seal. This is the 

 largest of all the seals, a huge creature which 

 may measure thirty feet in length. It is a 

 hideeus appearing animal, with its small eyes, 

 long, tusklike teeth, and the short, wrinkled 

 trunk which gave it its name, but it is very 

 valuable, for a single male has been known to 

 yield over 200 gallons of oil. Formerly sea 



elephants were numerous along the coasts of 

 Lower California and Mexico, and great rook- 

 eries existed as far north as Santa Barbara, but 

 like other members of the seal tribe the sea 

 elephants have been ruthlessly slaughtered until 

 now they find a peaceful home only on some 

 of the islands in the Southern Pacific. In their 

 manner of life they much resemble the fur 

 seals, especially in the fights which the males 

 wage for possession of the females and in their 

 fondness for their chosen spots. A.MC c. 



Consult Treasury Department Document No. 

 2017, "Fur Seals and Fur Seal Islands of North 

 Pacific Ocean," Washington, D. C. 



SEA LEMON, a free-moving mollusk found 

 in the warmer parts of the ocean, so called be- 

 cause it somewhat resembles a lemon in shape 

 and is yellowish in color. It has a soft body 

 like a jellyfish, and is without a shell covering. 

 The gills form a tuft of plumes on the back of 

 the animal, and at the front there are two leaf- 

 like tentacles. The sea lemon glides about 

 slowly by means of a flat foot. The adult ani- 

 mal is about three inches long. See MOLLUSKS. 



'SEA LILIES. See CRINOIDEA. 



SEAL 'ING WAX, a composition of rosin, 

 shellac, turpentine and coloring matter used 

 for sealing letters and documents and for tak- 

 ing the impression of seals. Before the advent 

 of envelopes with gummed flaps sealing wax 

 was in general use for sealing letters, but now 

 it is seldom employed for that purpose. That 

 used for letters and documents is colored with 

 vermilion and placed on the market in the 

 form of sticks. An inferior grade used for seal- 

 ing packages is usually colored with lampblack. 

 An inexpensive wax for sealing bottles and cans 

 of preserved fruit is made by mixing nine parts 

 rosin with one part beeswax and heating the 

 mixture until melted. If coloring matter is 

 desired lampblack or ocher may be used. The 

 necks of the bottles should be dipped in the 

 wax. Sealing wax is supposed to have been 

 invented by the Chinese in the seventh cen- 

 tury. 



SEA LION. See SEAL, subhead Sea Lion. 



SEARCH, RIGHT OF. A nation at war has 

 the right under international law to visit and 

 search merchant ships of neutral nations for 

 the purpose of verifying the nationality of the 

 vessel and of ascertaining whether or not the 

 cargo includes property of the enemy, or 

 merchandise that is contraband of war (see 

 CONTRABAND). The visitation and search must 

 be made by the officers of a warship of the bel- 

 ligerent. 



