288 



THE FIN-FOOTED ANIMALS. 



ful male Sea Lion, enthroned on the highest part and 

 well known, to all inhabitants of San Francisco under 

 -the name of "Ben Butler." From time to time he 

 lifts his head, inflates his thick neck to a wonderful 

 extent and utters a deep bark, which is joined not 

 ,only by the weaker, finer, and higher voices of all his 

 mates, but also by the hoarse shriek of the numerous 

 Sea-gulls and the croaking of other aquatic birds 

 which sit in long rows on the rocky ledges and single 

 tops and points of the cliffs, as well as by the dull 

 bass voice of the brown Pelicans. Fascinated by the 

 striking spectacle, even the most indifferent visitor 

 observes the different animals for some time and soon 

 sees to his astonishment how these giants, which 

 are apparently so clumsy and unwieldy, climb to the 

 highest tops of the cliff. Frequently one sees them 

 throwing themselves into the ocean, simply by slid- 

 ing down the gentle incline of the rock or leaping 

 from some higher point. Dolphin-like they then 

 play about in the water, sometimes literally jumping 

 out of it, pursuing each other and making pretense 

 of being engaged in a furious fight, though in reality 

 these encounters are nothing but mere sham and 

 play. In a seemingly great rage two of them may 

 open their huge mouths and roar at each other as if 

 preliminary to the most earnest combat, but soon 

 they peacefully lie down side by side and perhaps 

 even begin to lick each other. For hours one may 

 watch the ever varying spectacle, and still continue 

 to observe and find something new." 



Sea Lions are easily kept in captivity, are capable 

 of becoming very tame and if taken young they ex- 

 hibit an extra,ordinary degree of affection for their 

 keepers. 



The Northern Fur The Northern Fur Seal, Sea Bear or 

 Seal or Sea Ursine Seal {Otaria ursina), is of 

 Bear. srnaller dimensions than the Sea 



Lion, the largest males measuring not over six feet 

 or six feet six inches, and the females seldom ex- 

 ceeding the half of this. The hair is perceptibly 

 longer on the neck and the fore part of the body 

 ■and somewhat longei' along the spine; it consists of 

 an outer fur which is not very stiff and a close inner 

 woolly fur of exceeding softness and delicate, silky 

 texture. The ground color is dark brown, merging 

 into brownish black in some individuals, having a 

 mottled appearance on the head, neck and fore part, 

 "but assuming a lighter tint on the under and inner 

 sides of the limbs. The older females are of a sil- 

 very gray tinge and young animals of both sexes 

 have a fur of silvery hue. 



Range, Haunts Few Seals have SO wide a distribu- 



and Habits of tion as the Fur Seals, as they are 

 Fur Seals. found on the coasts of Patagonia and 

 southwestern Africa, on the Falkland Islands, off 

 southern Nova Scotia, on the St. Paul Islands in the 

 Indian Ocean, and the Pribyloff Islands in the Beh- 

 ring Sea. In their natural history the attractive 

 picture Steller drew of them has been greatly added 

 to in recent times. 



The observations of all sailors, who know the Fur 

 Seals, tend to show that they visit the islands and 

 rocks on which they appear at regular intervals, for 

 the sole purpose of breeding, and during the other 

 months they live exclusively in the ocean, undertak- 

 ing very extensive wanderings. Still, as the obser- 

 vations of several consecutive years show, they 

 always return to the same known breeding grounds 

 or "rookeries." When the season of their landing 

 4raws nigh, one first sees a few old males arrive. 



■(yhich seem to do service as explorers. The others 

 follow them, a few at a timie. They exhibit great* 

 circumspection in selecting their sites, perhaps.only . 

 because experience has taught them the necessity 

 of guarding as much as possible against their worstj 

 enemy, Man. In general they select islands, or 

 stretches of coast on larger islands, against which 

 the surf dashes with special violence, and then they 

 choose the least accessible rocks lying immediately 

 above high-water level, as temporary habitations. ■ 



Two or three days after landing each female gives 

 birth to one, some of them, perhaps, in very rare 

 cases, to two, young ones. The little Sea Bear, 

 like all Seals, very fully developed and with his 

 eyes open, is about fourteen inches long at birth. 

 During the first weeks after birth, the cubs are left 

 by their mothers only for a few minutes at a time 

 at the most, but after awhile they go into the water , 

 for a longer time in search of food. Up to that time \ 

 the cubs follow every movement their mothers make j 

 on land, but are entirely incapable of swimming dur- ; 

 ing the first four or six weeks, and are sure to drown ! 

 if by any accident they fall into the water. After ' 

 these early weeks of their lives they gradually and 

 awkwardly learn how to swim, trying to imitate the 

 old ones, but always scrambling back to the shore 

 in a hurry during the first attempts. In time they 

 gain confidence and go farther out, and become 

 quite skillful swimmers by the middle of September. 



Great Value of The Sea Bear is a still more valuable 

 the Furs of animal than any of the other mem- 

 Sea Bears. ^gj-s of his tribe, on account of his 

 excellent fur. The natives of the islands which he 

 frequents also kill-him for his flesh, which forms an 

 important part of their sustenance and is held to be 

 savory even by Europeans. The main profit of the 

 chase has always accrued from the fur of the young 

 animals; but people have acted in as improvident 

 and senseless a manner in the chase of the Fur Seals 

 as they have in the hunting of other marine animals 

 in general, and within a few decades such extraordi- 

 nary numbers of them have been exterminated, that 

 some islands which were formerly populated by 

 them have gradually become deserted. The furs of 

 this species form the most valuable commodity of 

 the entire fur trade. 

 The Southern Sea The Southern Sea Lion {^Otaria jubatd^, 



Lion an Antarc- has a very noticeable distinguishing 

 tic Variety. mark in the smallness of its ears.' 

 Full grown males attain a length of seventy-eight 

 inches from the tip of the nose to the end of the 

 short tail. The females are distinguished from the 

 males by their darker coloring and considerably 

 smaller size, which in the majority of cases is not 

 more than half that;, of the males, the weight being 

 in proportion. These animals are found on the 

 coasts of the southern portion of South America 

 and islands in the same latitudes and south^to 

 Graham Land. They are most numerous on the 

 coast of Terra del Fuego and on the Falkland. 

 Islands. Their habits and modes of life are similar 

 to those of the northern Sea Lion: Like the latter 

 tliey undertake extended migrations, and have regu- 

 larly selected haunts where they make their home 

 until the young have been born and trained to swim 

 and to provide for themselves. During such a so- 

 journ, strange to say, these animals enter the water 

 very reluctantly, for Abbott says that although he 

 threw stones at a family of these Sea Lions, he could 

 not drive them into the sea. 



