FUR ANIMALS. 457 



dried, and the remains are made into oil, or boiled and 

 eaten, so that no portion is wasted. 



This valuable creature, whose hearing is very sharp, is 

 readily distinguished from the hair-seal by having flippers 

 destitute of hair, external cars, and only three nails, where- 

 as the other has five nails on the hind flippers. It is, in 

 fact, more closely allied to the sea -lion than to the hair- 

 seal ; hence is classed with it in the genus Otariidce, in- 

 stead of being placed in the Phocidm. The allied kindred 

 do not seem to care much for each other's society, however, 

 for the sea-lion scrupulously avoids places occupied by the 

 other, and very properly, if it has a sense of smell, for the 

 rookeries of the fur-seal have anything but a pleasant odor. 



I had an adventure once, while out on a short cruise after 

 this animal, that I shall not readily forget, as it came near 

 sending me over to join the great majority. I was in a 

 large canoe in Fuca Straits with a party of Indians who 

 were out on a scaling expedition, and our course led us to 

 one of the small islands which dot that splendid body of 

 water in many places. When we started from the reserva- 

 tion the day was fine, but after being out a short time the 

 wind freshened into a stiff breeze, and the billows reared 

 up into foam-crested hills that presented anything but a 

 pleasant sight to us ; and before we reached our destina- 

 tion they were so huge that our frail craft threatened to be 

 ingulfed every moment in the vale of waters. 



By pushing the paddles deep into the sea on the star- 

 board side, and running across the waves, to avoid their 

 following us and coming aboard, we managed to make 

 slow headway — very slow indeed, as we had to watch the 

 seas carefully and to steer right into the teeth of a land- 

 breeze, while another coming from the ocean quartered us. 



After a most tedious voyage of four or five hours we 

 were compelled to land on the first islet we met, and were 

 only able to do that through the immense force of a surge 

 that carried us far up on the sloping beach and left us 

 there high and dry. Finding ourselves safe, we pulled the 

 canoe shoreward in a hurry, and had it beyond the reach of 



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