132 THE STORY OF LIFE IN THE SEAS. 



offensive creatures, easily tamed, passionately 

 fond of their children and taking an intelligent 

 interest in music. 



There are several animals closely related to 

 the Seal, occurring in different parts of the 

 world ; and a few words may be said about the 

 remarkable animal called the " Sea-elephant," 

 which is found on Kerguelen island in the 

 Antarctic Ocean. The popular name was 

 given to the animal in consequence of the 

 fleshy protuberant nose which has been com- 

 pared with the trunk of an Elephant and is 

 possessed only by the male. The late Professor 

 Moseley, who came across a small herd of them 

 when the Challenger was at Kerguelen, says : 

 " The trunk is produced by an inflation of a 

 loose tubular sac of skin placed above the 

 nostrils, just as is the c Cap ' in the northern 

 Bladder-nose Seal. The trunk is evidently, as 

 appears from both the drawings, sacculated, and 

 hence irregular in form when inflated." 



The Sea-lions and Sea-bears or the Eared 

 Seals, as they are sometimes called, form a very 

 distinct family. The one that is best known to 

 the general public is the Calif ornian Sea-lion, as 

 it often lives in captivity in the European 

 menageries for many years and attracts the 

 attention of the visitors by the tricks which it 

 is taught to perform. 



In the spring months of the year these 

 creatures may be seen in great numbers on the 

 rocky islands off the coast of California, where 

 they come to breed. 



The most important of them all, from a 



