The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1894-09-29
Pacific Coast WaIrus,

their capture thought that by sur
prising them they could drive the
lions over the cliff, and that the ire
mendous fall upon the sharp rocks
below would kill every one of the
animals. The surprise was successful.
Every lion jumped to what seemed
certain death, but to the chagrin Of
the hunters when they arrived at the
foot of the cliff where they expected
to find the lions either helplessly mutt
lated or dead, the last animal of the
herd was seen ~plunging into the sea.
The California sea lion is a tough Gus
toner.
To kill a sea lion the bullet must hit
him in or near the ear, for a ball in
any other part of the body has no
more effect than it would in a grizzly
bear. Sea lions can scent a man as
readily as do deer, so that great eau
ton is necessary when approaching
within shooting distance. The profess
sional lion hunter is Il skilled marks
man, and in emptying the sixteen
shots from his rifle into q fleeing herd
he can usually shoot twelve of the
beasts through the head, killing them
instantly. If wounded the lion reaches
water and escapes.
The sea lion eats fish, mollusks, and
sea fowl. Their principal feathery
food in northern waters is the gull.
and their of d~ecoying and
catching these birds displays no little
degree of cunning. When in pursuit
the animal dives deeply under water
and swims some distance from where
it Disappeared; then rising cautiously
it exposes the tip of it's nose above the
surface, at the same time giving it a
rotary motion like that of Il water
bug at play. The unwary bird on the
wing, seeing the object neal by,
alights to catch it, while the sea lion
settles beneath the waves and at one
bound, with extended jaws. seizes its
screaming prey and instantly devours
it. 1t is estimated that IL sea lion eats
twenty-five to forty pounds of fish
daily. He takes Il large fish in his
mouth, gives it a shake, bites out Il
large piece, drops it, and then diving
again. catches it, and rising to the
surface takes another nibble, until it
is consumed. At one time there were
$4,000 sea lions living in one of the
large California bays. They ate more
fish than the fishermen caught, and an
effort was made to have the lcgisla-
ture offer Il bounty of 81 Il skin for
the hides of these lions. Instead of
that Il law was passed to protect the
animals in the harbor of San Fran
cisco, and fishing Industries have suf-
fered i'll consequence. The lion can go
for q month without food.
Hunters use the hides of the lions for
leather and glue. The bristles or
whiskerS are sent to China. The Mon
golians use these hairs for ornaments.
mounting them with gold. Lion livers
are used as medicine by the Chinese
and are considered Il radical cure for
many acute diseases.
Farther. north the waIrus thrives.
The chief use Of the great tusks of
the walrus is to aid in landing upon a
rocky shore and help in its clumsy
lOcOmotion. A walruS makes a ter
rife noise. His roar can be heard for
several miles. The animal, though say
age in appearance, is harmless and in
offensive. If attacked or cnraged he
is Il terrible fighter, especially when
defending the young, toward which the
walrus exhibits much affection. A fair
sized walrus has Il girth of 10 to II
feet and weighs 1000 pounds, the skin