AFTER THE SEAL 



sea- elephant, the sea-lion, and the sea-bear, all pursued 

 whenever it is possible, for the sake of their skin and fat. 

 These have an external ear and are otherwise distinguished 

 from the true seals by the formation of their limbs and 

 teeth. The sea-elephant or elephant-seal, as the fisher- 

 men call it reaches a length of twenty-five feet and 

 more, and the males have a prolongation of the muzzle 

 which has some resemblance to a trunk. It is to be 

 found principally off the southern shores of South 

 America, but it has no objection to fresh water, and 

 large specimens have been shot in the rivers or on the 

 marshy banks or pools some distance inland. The people 

 of the Argentine regard the tongue of the animal, dried 

 and salted, as a very great delicacy, though the rest of the 

 flesh is uneatable. A great many elephant-seals are har- 

 pooned by the Antarctic whalers in the outward or home- 

 ward course of the ship ; the oil is more valuable than 

 that from the whale, and the skin, though useless as " seal- 

 skin," is tanned for carriage- covers, etc. 



The sea-lion is less terrible than its name suggests, and 

 like other seals, will only bite in self-defence. It gets its 

 name on account of the thick mane which covers its head 

 and shoulders, and perhaps by reason of its generally 

 savage appearance and loud, lion-like bellow. Those of 

 the south Chili and Patagonia are generally snapped 

 up by the whalers for the sake of their oil; but the 

 northern lions those from Kamchatka, the Aleutian, and 

 the Kurile Islands generally become, with the seals of 

 that neighbourhood, the property of the Japanese sealing- 

 boats, large steam-craft built on European lines. 



310 



