Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-10-22
like A SUBMARINE
The Fur Seal In Many Ways Re-
sembles an Undersea Boat.
ITS HABITS IN THE WATER.

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Submerged and Must Rise to the
Surface e very Few Minutes, 1t Is .
Marvel of Speed.
We have rome to regard the soaring
albatross Or the condor as the protO
type of the aeroplane. When we Look
for a natural model for the submarine
we find it we'll made in the body of the
fur seal and fully suggested by its
method of progression in the sea. for 1t
travels there only when wholly sub
merged.
Unlike, however, the ''unterseebote,'
the fur seal is not fitted for swimming
on the surface; 1t only rises there to
survey, to breathe and to sleep. 1t
above water on any course, no matter
how short. 1t rises when undisturbsd
or not alarmed, looks about with head
and neck well stretched up above the
surface Of The sea, fills its lungs with
air Literally compressed), turns its
head down and with its powerful an
terror fippers drives itself below the
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then ahead on that level. Thus sub
merged the body of the seal glidGs
through the water as swiftly as a swal-
low in the ART is a vanishing streak
to our eyes.
How long It remains thus submerged
when travelling no one has any definite
knowledge, but the best consensus of
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every three or four minutes to breathe
that is, a pause OF less than two OF
three seconds, with barely more than
its nose and eyes above the surface,
for exhalation and renewed inhalation
when down goes the trim body 10
speed ahead again.
When ouI submarines were first
brought out a trip of more than 300
miles from base was the utmost limit
Of their cruising. Today they have
been SO perfected that they can cruise
safely more Than 5000 miles from that
base. Therefore in this connection it
is interesting to know that the fur seal
makes a submarine journey in the
north Pacific ocean of more than 5000
miles from its base on the Pribilof Is
lands, in Ber.ng sea, and then returns.
An animal which can not only make
such an extended journey, but can
steer its course over an uncharteI
waste from point to point, month By
month, with positive regularity and In
perfect time must be a fine type CT
swimming machine, and it is.
There is t. be observed a close re-
semblance between the cigar shaped
submarine loat and the body form of
the fur seal. As we view them lateral
ly, this resemblance is complete. They
are both driven ahead by feathering
screws, and they are both kept on tie
level of Their submerged course at a
given distance below the surface By
rudders.
Then W. observe that the periscop%,
to which this submarine craft owes all
Of its ef1ciency, is duplicated exactly
by the seals nose and eyes and which
are all that it ever lifts above the sur
face when startled and in fight of
passage.
Again we note that the fur seal as
a submarine has a great advantage
oYer the human boat-it has eyes that
can look ahead and around under wa
ter-how fat we do not know, but 1t
is reasonable to assume that the seals
eye can see rs far under water as the
eye of a camera can, which we have
the evidence of in good records.
Then, too, it also has an acute sense
Of hearing uader sea, for we know that
the whirriug of a propeller's screw
will drive I'll the seals away for miles
around a steamer We know that lie
u some of the early pelagic seal
ing vessels were fitted with small aux
Hilary screws, and these, when put into
use, had to be removed.
With reference to the powers of de
struction. CT course our fur seal boat
has no torI.edo tubes, but it can and
does ''shoot its mouth off" at fish with
a deadly certainty.
In this connection it is interesting 10
note that seals do not catch fish by
pursuit of them-not at all. They
shoot down from above upon the backs
OF up from below to strike at the bel,
lies of their inny prey.
How fast these phocine submarines
can speed up under the stimulus of
excitement Or fear no one knows. But
1t Is well known when a vessel is CON.
ing down lefore a gale of wind from
the islands. logging fourteen TO sixteen
knots, that a bevy of fur seals will of
ten follow the ship for hours and re-
peatedly swim by it. swim around it
and then rcnew the chase and circling
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