ZOOLOGY. 127 
“The otter is never seen upon land. He is purely an aquatic 
animal. When he swims he turns upon his back and propels 
himself with great rapidity. The fore-paws are rounded like 
a cat’s, but the claws of the older ones are generally worn off. 
The hind-legs, or propellers, are broad and flat, like paddles, 
and are used very dexterously. The seal much resembles the 
otter, seen at a distance, but he swims upon his belly, and the 
hunter seldom mistakes the one for the other. The otter 
sleeps in the water, lying upon his back, and anchors himself 
from the motions of winds and waves by drawing a string of 
kelp across his breast, just below his fore-legs. When discov- 
ered in this position, they are often approached very near, by 
the hunters. They are very buoyant in the water, but when 
the chase has been long continued, and the blood of the otter 
becomes heated by the exercise, on being shot the body sinks 
rapidly to the bottom, and never rises. More than half the 
otters shot are lost in this way. 
“Once a day the otter comes near the shore for food. He 
eats every thing that grows in salt water, and is particularly 
fond of abelones (haliotus), mussels, and sea-eggs. At high 
water the abelone loosens its shell from the rock, to receive 
the nourishment which the overflowing waters bring to it, and 
it is then easily taken from the rock and removed from its 
~ shell. The otter is well acquainted with all the peculiarities 
of this fish, and this opportunity to capture it for food.” 
The common seal, a species of phoca, is abundant along the 
coast. 
The sea-lions, of the Otaria genus, frequent the coast from 
May to November, making their homes during the winter in 
some other clime, but where is not known. .They delight to 
collect on clear summer days on rocks near the water’s edge, 
and bask in the sun. They may often be seen on the rocks 
near the Golden Gate, and heard too, for they keep up a kind 
of barking or growling in chorus, which grows louder as they 
see any one approaching. They do not wait, however, to let 
aman come near, but pitch off into the sea before he is within 
