The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-05-01

permanent because men are as a rule mentally
inert, initiative and unobservant and would
prefer to accept any Feady-made name rather
than take the trouble Of inyenting one for
themselves. IL is true that Otariidse have heavy
folds of skin about the base Of the neck. and
that the hair upon that part Of the body is
somewhat longer than elsewhere; and these
features, together with the animals voice.
which can be raised into a deep. grand roar"
may serve to justify an appellatiye otherwise
inappropriate.
Hair seals are as essential to the Aleuts az
the carless and furTed family are 10 the Eski-
mos, as they call themselves, the Iuuits.
They eat its flesh light their semi-sUbterraGean
houses and cook with its oil, make thread OF
its sincYs, boats Of the internal membrane OF
its throat snd skin Of the hippers, and wear it's
intestIBes for clothes. As was before said. the
creature is timid, aud easily frightened by any
unusual appearance out Of that mOdi cum Of in
tel!igence with which il may be naturally
endowed IL is true that sea lions belong to
the highest class in the animal kingdom; that
they are commonly reekOned among the Eduea-
biia, and that they possess TO some extent, the
complex brain upon which this title which i'm
plies a certain power Of acquisition is based
Various scattered notices, not always reli-
able, by any means. also exist which seem to
warrant assent To their sagacity. Capt. Scam
mon, for example, high authority upon
Oceanic, and particularly the Pacific, fauna,
/ ingenious device for catching sea guils. They
sink below the surface leaving exposed TO the
/ AIR but the tip Of the nose. This being very
mobile,
| THE CREATURE wRIGGLEs ISCEssANTLY
until the attention Of some hungry bird is at
/ tTaCted, who, mstaking it for something in the
| way Of legitimate prey, swoops down upon 10
/ and is instantly caught and deyoursd. This
/ is the way in which the process is described
4 n ha vur7fo h1u
| great numbers Of ZaIophus (tha seals in
/ question: with only their noses above water,
| and likewise many sea-biFds flying in the
vicinity, but has not observed thar any Of them
| were caught. Sea lions themselves, how
| ever, are taken in a manner which does little
credit 20 the intelligence often attributed to
them. Their usual resorts are rocky and surf
| beaten shores and when found In such situa-
tons, the AieutIan Islanders, by means Of de-
/ vices the most simple, cut them OF from the
ocean and drive them 20 their villages in the
| interior in small parties and by short stages.
Wet weather IS requisite for this undertaking,
az the heritage must be saturated in order thas
Oteriid8 should be ale to traverse it az all
In those ATTITUDES, however, there is 10 lack OF
rainy days. and during seasons driving these
natives accumulate sea lions By hundreds.
They are then slaughtered with the usual bru-
tally, waste and excess which everywhere dis
tinguish the noble savage" and their bodies
applied TO those purposes which have been
already enumerated.
No detailed account of the different genera
and species of cared seals can be given here.
They are widely scattered from the islands
and continental shores that border upon tho
Antarctic Ocean 70 Australia, Eastern Asia and
Japan, whence they extend through the Archi-
pelagO which lies between the Eastern and
Western Continents. and are distributed south
ward upon orr own coast to San Francisco. For
the most part, those who have come in contact
with these animals have been united to Oh
serve accurately and incapable Of recording
with precision that which they actually saw,
so that the descriptive zoology Of the sea lions
Is yet incomplete, and much remains TO be
learned concerning their habits, character and
capacity.
tn n -o1FfBr,sFl