Evening star., 1901-08-10

as does the California lion The Alaskan
sea Hons. of both sexes and all ages, have
deep, base growl and prolonged. steady
roar, while those OF the coast OF the Col
barks or howls. and never give call that
could be mistaken for the roar of one OF
their northern brethren. The old males
often roar so loudly as to completely
drown the sound Of the surf, and the
sounds given forth by the pups might we'll
be compared to the barking of dogs.
Timid and Fearful.
The California lions are very timid and
fearful Of human beings. AT the approach
Of man they will roll or tumble into the
sea, or, II necessary. even make frightful
leaps from high precipices. On one occa-
sion party Of hunters at Santa Barbara
Islands drove twenty sea lions from the
brink of a precfpitous cliff, and when
they went to the rocks, which shelved from
the beach sixty feet below. expecting to
find all the lions mutilated or killed out
right, they were astonished to see the last
of the animals crawling of into the water.
In the interval from May to August
males and females along the entire coast
combine their efforts to exercise q close
guard over the little pups meanwhile
teaching the youngsters how to move over
the broken, Shiny, rock-bound shore. The
pups are at first averse to the water but
after few plunges become most active
and playful in It. and take keen delight In
diving and gamboling in the surf.
Cross Babies, Too.
There Is little loyalty or self-sacrifice In
the sea lions makeup. The females do
show some affection for the young but II
alarmed on land the cows will instantly
abandon their babies and take to the wa
ter. The cubs are fractions and savage
and the males begin early training for the
great battles which will come later, when
they seek to secure harems In the "colo-
ny. Tne battles of the old males for the
control OF the harems have, in so far as
endurance and determination is concerned
Iew counterparts in the animal world
Frequently the fights will last for DAYS
the bulls desisting now and then from
sneer exhaustion, only to renew the strug-
gle as soon as they have recovered some
what The defeated animals stink off to
some secluded spot. as though disgraced
forever.
At the close Of the season, which lasts
but three months in California, the great
herds OF males and females return to the
sea and roam in all directions in search
or food. Sea gulls constitute one of the
delfcacies Of which the sea lions are very
1ond, ana the cunning and ingenuity dis
played by the lions In capturing the birds
Is little short Of marvellous. The animals,
after sighting gull. will dive deeply for
some distance under water. Rising slow
ly, the lion exposes the tip of his nose and
gives the water rotary motion, as might
be impaired by fish at play. The gun,
seeing this. alights to capture the sup
posed morsel, when the sea lion, at
bound. seizes the bird In its extended Jaws
and instantly devours it.
Little Profit In Killing.
A factor which makes the present cru
sade against the sea lions quite expensive
is found in the circumstance that there is
little profit In killing the animals They
take to the water Immediately upon being
shot. and thus many Of the carcasses are
lost altogether. whereas three or four sea
lions are required to produce a barrel of
Oil. The only market for the skins Is at
the glue factories. The national govern
ment has been drawn into the present con-
troversy in double sense, for the reason
that fishermen who are conducting the
warfare are indignant because the govern
ment lighthouse reservations have not
been thrown open to the slaughter. Seal
Rock lighthouse, near the mouth of the
Columbia river, is one Of the greatest
places of rendezvous for sea lions, and
thousands Of them gather there during the
breeding season. If the hunters can secure
permission to engage In an onslaught at
this point the massacre will reach far
greater proportions than 1t has yet at
tained.