The San Francisco call., 1899-04-30

belly and throwing the rest OF the fish
away. Only now and then can one be
seen. but a deputy commissioner states
that few months ago he watched
sea lion in the Sacramento River play
ing with salmon like a cat with a
mouse. He was evidently not. hungry.
He would stick his head above water,
toss the fish high in the air to one side,
dive and catch the fish in his mouth
when it came down. The last time the
fish came down endwise and the lion
just held his mouth open and let it
shoot down his throat.
AS the animals are rarely observed
it Is circumstantial evidence that is
largely relied upon by the salmon
fishers This is presented in part by
their nets. Nets costing from 800 to
s400 are constantly found destroyed.
The sea lions find a net full of fish
and naturally presume that the provi-
dence which provided them salmon
took the trouble to catch some for
them. When the big dinner of fish is
gone the nets are gone too, and the
fishers loudly curse the sea lion.
This indicated sea lion is the best
known member of an interesting fam
lily. What are populary known as seals
are the genus otariidae. They are of
two classes-the hair seals, known as
sea lions, and the fur seals, the latter
being of smaller size. There are five
recognized species of hair seals or
sea lions and four of the fur seals. The
hair seal has no soft fur under his
coarse, hard, hairy covering, and is of
small economic Importance. For this
reason largely the sea lions have never
been carefully studied by scientists.
and indeed it is only in quite recent
wears that the fur seal has been so
studied.
The sea lion occurs throughout the
Pacific Coast from Cape Horn to Bering
Sea and along the Asiatic Coast. The
we'll known California sea lion has been
observed and written about more than
any other species, mainly because it
has been more convenient to those who
cared to observe sea lions. Because it
has been a more convenient victim of
capture it has also been the one gen
orally exhibited in geological gardens
everywhere and there studied and pic
tured. 1t is the California sea lion that
has been exhibited at Central Park,
New York, at the geological gardens of
Philadelphia and other Eastern cities,
and in the geological collections Of
Paris, London and other capitals.
The California sea lion occurs from a
point southwark variously placed at
Lower California and the Mexican
coast to half way to Bering Sea. AS
large and magnificent as is the Califor-
MIA sea lion, he is smaller than the
species that populates the northern re-
sorts, and especially the Pribylof and
Aleutian islands, where his Importance
is lost in that of the fur seal. 1t is re-
ported that 10000 sea lions permanently
inhabit the Pribylof Islands. All sea
lions display a considerable range of
yellowish or reddish brown color and
the male is always of two to three times
the size of the female. The Farallon
Islands are given as the southern limit
at which the northern sea lion occurs,
and breeds so that the two species min
gle here somewhat.
While the California sea lion is the
predominating species at the California
seal resorts, there are others, and the
average observer will fail to detect the
different species. The true fur seal was
formerly quite abundant along the Cali
fornia coast between the Bering Sea
breeding seasons, and since its practical
determination a few stray ones are
often present here. The spotted or bar
Der seal and the gray seal also frequent
the California resorts of the otaries.
The sea elephant, formerly fairly
abundant. is also an occasional visitor.
These other species have their stories,
but the California sea lion is the main
character at present, and when DR..
Jordan put in plea of guilty in behalf
of the sea lion as fish destroyer he
acquitted the others.
A good specimen of bull will weigh
a ton, and some are judged to reach 5000
pounds. Their lengths are from IA to 20
feet. Though so clumsy on land, they