NATURE'S REALM. 
group. Péron had voyaged in the South Seas, 
and had noted the presence of an outer ear in 
the sea lions—a character which, as we have 
seen, is still used in zoélogy to indicate the 
sealskin bearers. Before the days of Péron 
other voyagers had described the eared seals. 
They were also called ‘sea lions” and ‘‘sea 
bears.” As regards the different animals in- 
cluded in the sea lion tribe, it may be said that 
from eight to ten species are well known. 
These, it need hardly be added, vary greatly, 
both in size and other physical features, as well 
as in the degrees of commercial importance 
with which they are regarded. 
Concerning the quarters of the world in 
which fur seals are found, we discover that 
they are more limited in range than are the 
ordinary seals. Thus, it may be said that they 
are found on the Pacific Coast of South America, 
although they also extend their peregrinations 
as far north on the Atlantic Coast as the River 
Platte. They are met with on the Calitornian 
Coast, and can be’ traced to the Aleutian 
Islands and to Japan itself. Southwards, they 
occur on the New Zealand shores, Tasmania, 
and the southeast shores of Australia. Ker- 
guelen’s Islands numbers them among its pop- 
ulation, and an odd species has made its habitat 
at Cape Town ; although it must be confessed 
this latter form must be regarded rather as a 
stragglerthan otherwise. The Prybilov Islands 
to the north may be cited as their limit of dis- 
tribution in that special direction, and one 
species, the so-called ‘‘sea bear,” has its chief 
quarters in these islands, and has furnished an 
immense number of skins to commerce for well 
nigh a century at least. It is certain that all 
the species of sea lions known are by no means 
equally valuable when regarded from the point 
of view of the fur trade. The skin of certain 
forms is more valuable than that of others. It 
is to be noted that it is the soft, silky under fur, 
147 
which may be compared to the down ina bird, 
that is valued as sealskin when dressed and 
submitted to the other operations of the fur- 
riers. 
Doubtless it is the extent of this under fur 
which constitutes any one species of sea lion 
valuable from the commercial standpoint, and 
there seems to be a consensus of opinion that 
this fur varies considerably in amount at differ- 
ent seasons of the year. The seals are killed 
usually by a blow from a wooden club, and are 
then skinned. The fat is also an article of 
commercial value, for, like the whales, the sea 
lions possess an ample coating of fatty tissue, 
which, in addition to lightening the body, pre- 
serves an equable degree of warmth. Pre- 
served by a salting process, the skins are sold 
to the furrier with the original and outer coarse 
hair still present, the soft under fur being con- 
cealed by the shaggy outer coat. The method 
by which the sealskin or under fur is left and 
the coarse hair removed is said to have been 
the result of an accidental observation. In 
olden days the hairs of the outer coat were 
simply pulled out singly, so as to leave the 
under coat or true seal fur. It was noticed, 
however, that the hairs of the outer coat were 
more deeply implanted in the hide than those- 
of the under fur. This discovery, therefore, 
made it possible for the furrier simply to shave 
the skin from the inside. so as to divide and 
separate the coarse outer hairs from the skin, 
and these hairs can therefore be washed off,. 
leaving the rich under fur untouched, and 
ready for the dyeing operations to which it has. 
to be subjected. A sealskin jacket or cape is. 
thus really composed of seal’s ‘‘down,” as it 
were, dyed and dressed, and under the latter 
procedures the under fur becomes smooth and 
destitute of the somewhat curly structure it ex- 
hibits in the rough. 

