4 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[July 25, 1889. 



TILE CALIFORNIA^ SEA LION. After Elliott. 



Copy life size, Plate 14, of the "Fishery Industries of the United States" (G. B. (xoode). Sect. I., "Hist, of Aquatic Animals" Plates. 



Passing nest to the habits of these truly interesting 

 animals, we find one of the best accounts of their be- 

 havior in captivity published in Forest and Stream, by 

 Mr. F. J. Thomson, in a contribution entitled "The 

 Habits and Breeding of the Sea Lions in Captivity" (For- 

 est andJStream, Vol. XII. , pp. 65, Feb. 23, 1879). That 

 paper will well repay a second reading and obviate the 

 necessity of my adding anything further on that part of 

 the subject here. 



One of the best descriptions of the habits of the sea lion 

 is given by Capt. Scammon and quoted quite fully in 

 Allen's Pinnipeds. The work to which I refer is entitled 

 by Scammon a "Sketch of a Sealing Season upon Santa 

 Barbara Island," and occurred in 1853. He states that 

 "On approaching an island or point occupied by a numer- 

 ous herd [of these sea lions] one first hears their long 

 plaintive nowllnga, as if in distress, but when near them 

 the sound becomes mote varied and deafening. The old 

 males roar so loudly as to drown the noise of the heavi- 

 ' e*st surf among the rocks and caverns, and t e younger 

 cf both sexes, together with the 'clapmatches,' croak 

 hoarsely or send forth sounds like bleating of sheep or 

 the barking of dogs; in fact their tumultuous utterances 

 are beyond description.* 



"A rookery of matured animals presents a ferocious and 

 defiant appearance; but usually at the approach of man 

 they become alarmed and, if not opposed in their escape, 

 roll, tumble, and sometimes make fearful leaps from 

 high, precipitous rocks to hasten their flight. Like all 

 the others of the seal tribe, they are gregarious, and 

 gather in the largest numbers during the 'pupping' sea- 

 son, which varies in different latitudes. On the Califor- 

 nia coast it is from May to August, inclusive, and upon 

 the shores of Alaska it is said to be from June to October, 

 during which period the females bring forth their young, 

 nurse them, associate with the valiant males, and both 

 unite in the care of the little ones, keeping a wary guard, 

 and teaching them, by their own parental actions, how to 

 move over the broken, slimy, rock- bound shore, or upon 

 the sandy, pebbly beaches, and to dive and gambol amid 

 the surf and rolling ground swells. At first the pups 

 manifest great aversion to the water, but soon, instinct- 

 ively, become active and playful in the element; so by 

 the time the season is over the juvenile creatures disap- 

 pear with the greater portion of the old ones, only a few 

 of the vast herd remaining at the favorite resorts through- 

 out the year. During the pupping season, both males and 

 females, so far as we could ascertain, take but little, if 

 any, food, particularly the males, though the females 

 have been observed to leave their charges and go off, 

 apparently in search of subsistence, but they do not ven- 

 ture far from their young ones. That the sea lion can go 

 without food for a long time is unquestionable. One of 

 the superintendents of Woodward's Gardens informed 

 me that in numerous instances they had received sea 

 lions into the aquarium which did not eat a morsel of 

 nourishment during a whole month, and appeared to suf- 

 fer but little inconvenience from their long fast. 



"As the time approaches for their annual assemblage, 

 those returning or coming from abroad are seen near the 

 shores, appearing wild and shy. Soon after, however, 

 the females gather upon the beaches, cliffs or rocks, when 

 the battles among the old males begiu for the supreme 

 control of the harems; these struggles often lasting for 



* Mr. Elliott, in referring to the differences between the Cali- 

 fornian and Alaskan s< a lions, calls attention to the dissimilarity 

 of tbeir voices. The Northern sea lion, be says, "never barks or 

 howls like the animal at the Farallones or Santa Barbara. Young 

 and old, both sexes, from one ytar and upward, have only a deep 

 bass growl, and prolonged, steady roar; while at San Francisco 

 sea lions break out incessantly with a 'honking' bark or howl and 

 never roar." (Allen, N. A. Pinnipeds, pp. 305.) 



days, the fight being kept up until one or both become 

 exhausted, but is renewed again when sufficiently recu- 

 perated for another attack; and, really, the attitude 

 assumed and the passes made at each other equal the 

 amplification of a professional fencer. The combat lasts 

 until both become disabled or one is driven from the 

 ground, or perhaps both become so reduced that a third 

 party, fresh from his winter migration, drives them from 

 the coveted charge. The vanquished animals then slink 

 off to some retired spot as if disgraced. Nevertheless, at 

 times, two or more will have charge of the same rookery; 

 but in such instances frequent defiant growlings and 

 petty battles occur. So far as we have observed upon the 

 sea lions of the California coast, there is but little attach- 

 ment manifested between the sexes; indeed, much of the 

 Turkish nature is apparent, but the females show some 

 affection for their offspring, yet, if alarmed when upon 

 the land, they will instantly desert them and take to the 

 water. The young cubs, on the other hand, are the most 

 fractious and savage little creatures imaginable, especi- 

 ally if awakened from their nearly continuous sleeping: 

 and frequently, when a mother reclines to nurse her 

 single whelp, a swarm of others will perhaps contend for 

 the same favor. 



"To give a more detailed and extended account of the 

 sea lions, we will relate a brief sketch of a sealing sea- 

 son on Santa Barbara Island. It was near the end of 

 May, 1852, when we arrived, and soon after the rookeries 

 of 'clapmatches,' which were scattered around the isl- 

 and, began to augment, and large numbers of huge 

 males made their appearance, belching forth sharp, ugly 

 howls, and leaping out of or darting through the water 

 with surprising velocity, frequently diving outside the 

 rollers, the next moment emerging from the crest of the 

 foaming breakers, and waddling up the beach with head 

 erect, or, with seeming effort, climbing some kelp- 

 fringed rock, to doze in the scorching sumbeams, while 

 others would lie sleeping or playing among the beds of 

 seaweed, 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 

 encounter 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 foothold, became its 

 resting-place, while a countless herd of old males capped 

 the summit, and the united clamorings of the vast as- 

 semblage could be heard, on a calm day, for miles at 

 sea. The south side of the island is high and precipi- 

 tous, with a projecting ledge hardly perceptible from the 

 beach below, upon which an immense sea lion managed 

 to climb, and there remained for several weeks— until 

 the season was over. How he ascended, or in what man- 

 ner he retired to the water, was a mystery to our numer- 

 ous ship's crew, as he came and went in the night; for 

 'Old Grey,' as named by the sailors, 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 dis- 

 positions 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 Island was a plateau, elevated less than a 

 hundred feet above the sea, stretching to the brink of a 

 cliff that overhung the shore, and a narrow gorge lead- 

 ing up from the beach, through which the animals 

 crowded to their favorite resting place. As the sun 

 dipped behind the hills, fifty to a hundred males would 

 congregate upon the spot, and there remain until the 

 boats were lowered in the morning, when immediately 

 the whole herd would quietly slip off into the sea and 

 gambol about during the day, returning as they saw the 

 boats again leave the island for the ship. Several unsuc- 

 cessful attempts had been made to take them; but at 

 last a fresh breeze commenced blowing directly from 

 the shore, and prevented their scenting the hunters, 

 who landed some distance from the rookery, then cau- 

 tiously advanced, and suddenly yelling, and flourishing 

 muskets, clubs and lances, rushed up within a lew yards 

 of them, while the pleading creatures, with lolling ton- 

 gues and glaring eyes, were quite overcome with dis- 

 may, and remained nearly motionless. At last, two 

 overgrown males broke through the line formed by the 

 men, but they paid the penalty with their lives before 

 reaching the water. A few r moments passed, when all 

 hands moved slowly toward the rookery, which a3 slowly 

 retreated. This maneuver is termed 'turning them,' and, 

 when once accomplished, the disheartened creatures ap- 

 pear to abandon all hope of escape, and resign themselves 

 to their fate. The herd at this time numbered 75, which 

 were soon dispatched, by shooting the largest ones, and 

 clubbing and lancing the others, save one young sea lion 

 which was spared to see whether he would make any 

 resistance by being driven over the hills beyond. The 

 poor creature only moved along through the prickly 

 pears that covered the ground, when compelled by his 

 cruel pursuers; and, at last, with an imploring look and 

 writhing in pain, it held out its fin-like arms, which were 

 pierced with thorns, in such a manner as to touch the 

 sympathy of the barbarous sealers, who instantly put 

 the sufferer out of its misery by a stroke of a heavy 

 club. As soon as the animal is killed, the longest spires 

 of its whiskers are pulled out, then it is skinned , and its 

 coating of fat cut in sections from its body and trans- 

 ported to the vessel, where, after being 'minced,' the 

 oil is extracted by boiling. The testes are taken out. 

 and, with the selected spires of whiskers, find a market 

 in China— the former being used medicinally and the 

 latter for personal ornaments. 



"At the close of the season — which lasts about three 

 months on the California coast — a large majority of the 

 great herds, both males and females, return to the sea, 

 and roam in all directions in quest of food, as but few of 

 them could find sustenance about the waters contiguous 

 to the islands, or points on the mainland, which are their 

 annual resorting places. They live upon fish, mollusks, 

 crustaceans and seafowls; always with the addition of a 

 few pebbles or* smooth stones, some of which are a 

 pound in weight. * 



"Their principal feathery food, however, is the penguin 

 in the southern hemisphere and the gulls in the northern; 

 while the manner in which they decoy and catch the 

 Gaviota of the Mexican and California coasts display no 

 little degree of cunning. When in pursuit the animal 



♦It is said that in captivity these animals will devour from forty 

 to fifty pounds of fresh fish in the course of a single day. 



