262 SEA-BEAR OF FORSTER. 



are always round the island thousands in the bays, 

 and going to and returning from the sea. When a 

 mile or two from shore, you observe that the island, 

 and all round it, is covered with them, some play- 

 ing on the wave, and others basking on shore. 

 When they come from sea they bleat for their 

 young like sheep, and mss by an infinity of others 

 till they come to their own cub. The young re- 

 semble small dogs, and greatly prefer the land, 

 but when chased thence, they make for the sea as 

 fast as the old ones, and swim very fast and lightly, 

 though on land they are sluggish, and will not leave 

 their own lair till they are well beaten." 



Tne illustrious Cook's notice of them is very 

 short. He tells us that " the Sea-Bears are not so 

 large by far as the Sea- Lions, but they are rather 

 larger than the Common Seal ; they have none of 

 the long hair which distinguishes the Lion, theirs 

 being all of equal length, and finer than that of the 

 Lion, somewhat like an Otter's, and the general 

 colour is iron-grey." 



The naturalist and companion of the great cir- 

 cumnavigator, in his second voyage, supplies a much 

 more particular account. The locality in which he 

 observed it was that noticed by Cook, viz. New- 

 Year's Island in Staten Land. " We soon," says 

 Forster, " perceived that another kind of Seal oc- 

 cupied this part of the island. These were no other 

 than the Sea-Bear, which we had already seen at 

 Dusky Bay, but they were here infinitely more nu- 

 merous, and grown to a much larer size, equal to 



