X 



THE SEA-LION 



THE sea-lion is a beast the sight of which must be 

 familiar to very many Americans, for it can hardly 

 remain long unknown by any visitor to San Francisco. 

 It is also a creature well worthy of notice in itself, since, 

 interesting as sea-lions are from their habits, they are 

 also remarkable as regards their structure. 



A sea-lion is a marine mammal and a true quadruped, 

 all the four limbs of which are modified to suit its 

 eminently aquatic life. It has a moderately rounded 

 head with large eyes, very small but quite distinct 

 external ears, a longish neck, a long tapering body, and 

 a very short tail. It has six small cutting teeth above, 

 and four below in the front of the mouth, and external 

 to them, on either side, is a large eye-tooth, or " canine," 

 which is conical, pointed, and recurved. Behind these 

 there are, on each side of the mouth, five or six grinders 

 above and five below ; each of which has a crown with 

 three conical prominences, whereof the medium one is 

 very much the largest. In the fore -limb the parts which 

 answer to our upper arm and our fore-arm are exceedingly 

 short, but the hand is very much elongated, with five 

 fingers, which are all enclosed in one fold of skin, forming 

 a fin, the separate elements of which are not visible ex- 

 ternally. Indeed, the fold of skin which encloses the 

 fingers extends much beyond their respective tips. Of 



