ZALOPHUS CALIFORNIANUS CALIFORNIA SEA LION. 771 



on the islands, for the puriDose of supplying menageries in the 

 Eastern States, and parties engaged in the business always 

 come to Santa Barbara to secure men for the purpose, who 

 have had years of experience in capturing them. 



" The mode of capturing these animals is simple, yet very 

 exciting, and while it is not considered much of a trick to 

 cage an ordinary sized seal, it is a big contract to capture a 

 bull that weighs 1,500 pounds or more, without seriously injur- 

 ing the animal. 



'^ Three or four expert vaqueros usually approach the animals 

 that are out on the rocks near the beach, select, perhaps from 

 a hundred or more, the big bull which usually starts for the 

 water, and when the animal arrives at a convenient place on 

 the sand, if possible three riatas are thrown simultaneously, 

 one over the animal's neck, one over either of his front flip- 

 pers, and one over his rear flippers, making a spread eagle of him 

 instantly. The riata that holds the rear flippers takes away 

 the motive power of the animal, and while his other front flip- 

 per is ' lassoed ', the riatas are all fastened to the rocks or trees 

 near by, or held by the engaged, while the large box which 

 has already been made without the cover, is brought and care- 

 fully stood on end close behind the animal, unobserved, and, 

 with a man on top of it is dropped suddenly over the sea lion 

 as he lies stretched at full length on the sand. Small ropes are 

 worked under the box and the animal, and lashed to the top of 

 the box, and at a given signal the riatas are loosened, and the 

 animal is free to move around in his cage at will. The cages 

 are made out of strong fence boards, firmly nailed to the 

 scantling in the corners and on the sides. They are about 

 four feet high, four and a half feet wide, and from eight to 

 fourteen feet in length, and always made before the animal is 

 captured. After the animals are caged, several strong ropes 

 are made fast around the cage and blocks hitched into these 

 ropes, and the cage, with the animal, is drawn through the 

 water to the schooner, near by, and hoisted on board. Fish 

 and water are given the captured, but they often go ten to 

 twenty days without eating." 



ZALOPHUS CALIFOKNIANUS. 



Period of Gestation, etc. Under date of June 2, 1880, 

 Mr. Frank J. Thompson, superintendent of the Cincinnati 

 Zoological Garden, wrote me that a second Californian Sea 



