Page 90
An. 1683
The Sea Lion.
and nimble ; tho' on shore they lye very sluggishly, and will not go out of our ways unless we beat them, but snap at us. A blow on the Nose soon kills them. Large Ships might here load themselves with Seals skins, and Trane-oyl ; for they are extra- ordinary fat. Seals are found as well in cold as hot Climates ; and in the cold places they love to get on Lumps of Ice, where they will lie and sun them- selves, as here on the Land: They are frequent in the Northern parts of Europe and America, and in the Southern parts of Africa, as about the Cape of Good Hope, and at the Streights of Magellan. and though I never saw any in the West Indies, but in the Bay of Campeachy, at certain Islands called the Alceranes, and at others called the Desartes; yet they are over all the American Coast of the South Seas, from Terra del Fuego, up to the Equinoctial Line: but to the North of the Equinox again, in these Seas, I never saw any, till as far as $21$ North Lat. Nor did I ever see any in the East Indies. In general they seem to re- sort where there is plenty of Fish, for that is their food: and Fish, such as they feed on, as Cods, Groopers, &c. are most plentiful on rocky Coasts : and such is mostly this Western Coast of the South America ; as I shall further relate.
The Sea Lion is a large creature about $12$ or $14$ foot long. The biggest part of his body is as big as a Bull: it is shaped like a Seal, but $6$ times as big. The Head is like a Lion's Head; it hath a broad Face with many long Hairs growing about its Lips like a Cat. It has a great goggle Eye, the Teeth $3$ inches long, about the bigness of a Mans Thumb. In Capt. Sharp's time some of our Men madeDice with them. They have no Hair on their Bodies like the Seal, they are of a dun colour, and are all extrapr- dinary fat; one of them being cut up and boil'd will yeild a Hogshed of Oil, which is very sweet and wholesome to fry Meat withal. The lean Flesh is