San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-03-30
HERD OF SEA LIONS.
o., Attraction OF the Central Park Msna.
i'''.,.-lmusIng Efforts TO Lasso Big Seal.

..l.-lmuslng Efforts 10 Lasso q Big Seal.
New York Herald.
o,;te throng of people stood be-
~ the slender railing that incloses
M n'a nond and playground OF the sea
ms in the park yesterday afternoon,
i n sixteen fine specimens being then
so exhibition, and watched their awk-
o. ard gambols and listened to their
s w% bellowings for hours together.
~ the morning there were as many as
,%nsnty-fiye seals all told within the
:ss,osnre. but none of them, singular
- cav. belonged to the Central Park.
Twenty.one of these were the property
~ Charles Reiche, for whom they were
ought on the coast of the Santa Cruz
Islands. 400 miles north of San Fran
DISCO. and were brought to the park on
Wednesday morning to get suitable
hoard and lodging. Here they were
I;berated from the crates in which they
we're confined on their travels, and they
Immediately tumbled in for bath in
tbe pond where the four old seals, who
have been residents of the park men
aoerie for some time, where already
enioying themselves. They took no
notice of the stranger at first, but kept
on diving and spIashing about as
usual; but finally it was noticed that
friendly feelings seemed to be estab-
lished, and no collision occurred between
tbe bull seals of either party. Six of
the new arrivals were disposed of yes
terday morning to the agent OF the
ROYAL Geological Gardens, London;
two to geological collection in st.
Louis, and two to Coles Menagerie.
Il was ammusing to witness the efforts
of the men to lasso the sea lions that
we're sold and had to be delivered. To
lasso q buffalo or mustang is hard
work enough, but once the loop slips
over the head all in plain sailing. With
A seal it is different, for his neck and
head run out to point like the nose
of an anvil, land the rope could not posi-
bly, find grip there. Time and again
the lasso was flung at the head of one
robust seal and an effort made to en-
tangle one of his fore fippers in the
rope, but he was too slippery a Gus
toner to catch all at once, and before
he was finally led into captivity he had
half dozen free plunges in the pond.
Once the rope gets fairly entangled in
the fore fipper the seal throws up the
sponge. Those that were not disposed
Of yesterday will remain through the
summer in the Park, and will form the
great magnet of the geological collec-
ton. Mr.. Conklin, the Superinten-
dent, was pleased with this addition to
the seal department, as there has been
so little variety of late in the attrac.
tons Of the managerie. He gives the
Pacific sea lions each ten pounds aday..of
fish, consisting of behring's chiefly, di-
vided into two meals of five pounds
each. They belt the fish whole, but
when they are given ten OF twelve
pound Goldfish they wiring off the head
and swallow it separately from the
body. They retire to sleep in shed
near the pond, and in the morning
come out to take dip. The herd is
made up chiefly of females, and there's
is one old bull, weighing 1000 pounds.
who appears to be boss, land sails around
with an ever-watchful eye upon all
the rest