THE SEA LION. 133 



ers, and waddling up the beach with head erect, or, with seeming effort, climbing 

 some kelp -fringed rock, to doze in the scorching sunbeams, while others would lie 

 sleeping or playing among the beds of sea -weed, with their heads and outstretched 

 limbs above the surface. But a few days elapsed before a general contention, with 

 the adult males, began for the mastery of the different rookeries, and the victims 

 of the bloody encounters were to be seen on all sides of the island, with torn 

 lips, or mutilated limbs and gashed sides ; while, now and then, an unfortunate 

 creature would be met with, minus an eye, or with the orb forced from its socket, 

 and, together with other wounds, presenting a ghastly appearance. As the time of 

 "hauling up" drew near, the island became one mass of animation; every beach, 

 rock, and cliff, where a seal could find foot- hold, became its resting-place; while 

 a countless herd of old males capped the summit, and the united clamorings of the 

 vast assemblage could be heard, on a calm day, for miles at sea. The south side 

 of the island is high and precipitous, with a projecting ledge hardly perceptible 

 from the beach below, upon which one immense Sea Lion managed to climb, and 

 there remained for several weeks — until the season was over. How he ascended, 

 or in what manner he retired to the water, was a mystery to our numerous ship's- 

 crew, as he came and went in the night; for "Old Gray" — as named by the sail- 

 ors — was closely watched in his elevated position during the time the men were 

 engaged at their work on shore.'" 



None but the adult males were captured, which was usually done by shooting 

 them in the ear or near it ; for a ball in any other part of the body had no more 

 effect than it would in a grizzly bear. Occasionally, however, they are taken with 

 the club and lance, only shooting a few of the masters of the herd. This is easily 

 accomplished with an experienced crew, if there is sufficient ground back from the 

 beach for the animals to retreat. During our stay, an instance occurred, which not 

 only displayed the sagacity of the animals, but also their yielding disposition, when 

 hard pressed in certain situations, as if naturally designed to be slain in numbers 

 equal to the demands of their human pursuers. On the south of Santa Barbara 



* Kelative to the Sea Lions leaping from their own minds, that, by surprising the ani- 



giddy heights, an incident occun-ed at Santa mals, we could drive them over the cliff. This 



Barbara Island, the last of the season of 1852, was easily accomplished; but, to our chagrin, 



which we wll here mention. A rookery of when we arrived at the point below, where we 



about twenty individuals was collected on the expected to find the huge beasts helplessly mu- 



brink of a precipitous cliff, at a height at least tilated, or killed outright, the last animal of 



of sixty feet above the rocks which shelved from the whole rookery was seen plunging into the 



the beach below j and our party were sure in sea. 



