The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-24
WOLVES OF THE SEA
 BATTLE SEA LION

R. Armstrong and Gordon Graham, of
 Armstrong Bros, of Kingston street
 tell very interesting story of fight
 which they witnessed between two kill CT whales and sea lion off the mouth
 of the harbor, says the Victoria Colo hist
 MT. Armstrong and Mir Grahame were taking a pilot, Captain Johnson, on board the outgoing Washtenaw, at about S:30 o'clock in the morning when, off the mouth of the harbor they ob- served great disturbance in the water. As they approached the commotion re- solved itself into murderous attack k by two killer whales on a sea lion. The pilot was put on board and the launch returned to the scene of the fight About 9;30 o'clock the sea lion was
 found floating in the water. evidently sorely battered, but still alive.
 MT. Graham threw a moose over It's head. and the launch began to tow the huge animal toward the shore. This
 was not accomplished. however, with out considerable difficulty, as the beast had still energy enough left to slew the
 boat about in all directions After covering about a mile and the moose slipped and they thought the lion had escaped, but in diving under the boat 1t was struck by the propeller and this
 put the finishing touch to the wounded
 beast. It's tall came out of the water for one instant before 1t sank, and Mir Grahame with good shot again placed the moose around it. It was then lowed ashore to the wharf on Kingston street Its captors at once offered it to MT. F. Kermode for the Provincial Museum
 and after photograph had been taken the curator had the sea lion skinned and the remains were lowed out to sea again yesterday morning. It weigh ed 2200 pounds. and the circumference
 round the neck was feet inches. It measured II feet in length.
 MT. Kermode says that killer whales range from 16 to 27 feet in length.
 They are remarkable for and easily identified by the 6-foot high black fn
 standing right up from the water when
 they are swimming. He himself has studied the habits of the sea lion on their rookeres on Pearl Island, in
 Queen Charlotte Sound where he took a photograph showing some 1,50O on one comparatively small rock island. A report on these mammals is being pre- pared at the present time by the gov ernment in response to requests re- ceived year ago from fishermen. Tho anglers stated that the numbers of sea lions might be reduced to prevent in- |juries to nets and the fish supply
 Mir. Hornaday, in his American Nat ural History" speaks of the killer
 whale as "the demon of the seas," and he quotes Captain Scammon as fol- lows Three or four of these ferocious animals do not hesitate to grapple with the largest baleen whale. The attack of these wolves of the seas on their gi- gantic prey may be likened to a pack of hounds holding and sticking to their quarry. They cluster about the ani- mafs head, some of their number preaching over 1t, while <thers seize 1t by the lips and draw the bleeding monster under the water"
 MT. Armstrong stated that both the killers would hurl themselves out of the water at once and come down with |resounding blows from their tails on the sea lion, which was evidently head
 ing for shallow water and the shore at Macaulay Point.