& 



218 DIVISION I. VERTEBRAL ANIMALS.— CLASS I. MAMMALIA. 



great respect, often fondly caressing- tlieni. The cry of tlic older ones re^ 

 senililes the bellowing of a liull ; that of the younger, the bleating of sheep. 

 Although they have their winter and summer haunts, they do not make such 

 extensive voyages as some other species. They choose rocky shores, desert 

 rocks in the ocean, for their dwelling, and we are told that navigators, in the 

 foggy wcatlier common to those regions, have often been saved from ship- 

 wreck by their roaring, which appears to be as useful as a fog-bell. 



The natives hunt them by watching their opportunity to find one asleep, 

 when one of the most courageous among them strikes his harpoon into the 

 creature, and then takes to his heels as fast as he can. His comrades then 

 fasten the line attached to the harpoon to a strong stake, thus arresting its 

 flight, when they shoot at it with arro\\s, and pierce it with lances, until it 

 is (juite overcome. Sometimes they cmjiloy jxiisoncd arrows. From the 

 ;Teat size and power of these animals, the nati\es attach a kind of glory to 

 the destruction of a sea lion, and will hunt it at great peril to themselves, 

 for many successive days, by sea and land, without any other compass than 

 the stars of heaven. 



Olariu I^co J///riinix Fostvfil. — The Sea Lion of Foster. This species 

 is a native of the southern hemisphere, and we are indebted to ^NTr. Foster 

 for wiiatever knowledge we ha\e of the character, size, and habits of the 

 animal. i\Ir. Foster accompanied Captain Cook in his second ve)yage, and 

 observed great multitudes of them on the rocks along the shore in New 

 Year's Harbor. He says, "These seals, on account of their manes, well 

 deserve to be called sea lions. AVe put into a little cove under the shelter 

 of some I'ocks, and fired at several of these fierce animals, most of which 

 inuncdiately threw thcmsehes into the sea. Some of the most unwieldy, 

 however, ke[)t their ground, and were killed by our bullets. The noise 

 which all these animals made was various, and sometimes stunned our cars. 

 Tiie (lid males snort and roar like mad bulls or lions, the females bleat 

 exactly like cahes, and the young cubs like lambs. They live together in 

 numerous herds. The oldest and fattest males lie apart, each having 

 chosen a large rock, to which none of the rest dare approach, or, if they do, 

 a furious comiiat ensues. AVe have often seen them seize eacli other with a 

 degree of rage which is not to be descriljcd ; and many of them had deep 

 gashes on their backs, which they had received in the wars. The younger 

 active sea lions, with all the females and the cubs, lie together. They com- 

 monly waited the apjiroach of our pco[)le, but as soon as some of the herd 

 were killed, the rest fled with great precipitation, some of the females taking 

 a cub in their mouth, whilst others were so terrified that they left them 1)C- 

 hind. AVhen left to themselves, they were often seen caressing each other 

 in the most tender manner, and their snouts often met together, as if they 



