Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 17.djvu/815

* SEAMEN. 737 SEARCH. wages be added to any other form of coriwral puiiislmieut. A seaman is entitled to medical attendance and aid without deduction from his wages, and if he dies on a voyage his heirs re- ceive his full wages for the entire voyage. The rights of seamen are within the jurisdic- tion of tiie admiralty courts when they arc en- gaged in trade or coniuierce on tide water or on the high seas; but for the purpose of this juris- diction persons who do not contribute to the aid of the navigation of the vessel, or to its preserva- tion in the course of their occupation, are not to be considered seamen; and, on the contrary, any person whose regular occupation would not inijiose these duties upon him ma.y get the rights of a seaman by temporarily assuming the duties of one. See Au.miuai.ty Law; Maritimk Law: and consult the authorities there referred to, and the statutes of the various nations. SEA-MOUSE. A sea-worm (see Axnelida) of the genus Aphrodite. It is broad, short, sonie- %hat tlattencd, and so densely covered with long line setie, or bristles, as to resemble a mouse. It grows to the length of about two inches, and is not uncommon in the North Atlantic at a depth of from five to twenty fathoms. SEA-OTTER. A marine otter (Enhydns or Latax Muriiiu) of the North Pacific shores and islands. It yields the most valuable of furs. It is about three feet long from nose to root of tail, and the tail is about 10 inches long. Its form is robust, the head massive, the color dark liver brown, paler on the head, and the tail is terete and obtuse. The hind feet are very broad, forming swimming organs like a seal's llippcrs, but with furry soles; the fore paws are small and cat-like, and their palms are naked. The den- tition resembles that of the otters (Lutra), but a pair of incisors in each jaw is lacking, and the molars have lost the sharp points seen in other Mustelid,-!!, in accordance with its peculiar diet. When Alaska was first visited by Russian traders they found this animal numerous on all the coasts of Alaska and of the Aleutian chain and other islands of Bering Sea, and as far south as Puget Sound, and secured thousands of their valuable pelts; but the onslaught made upon the race by Russian and Hudson Bay fur traders and the Indians reduced it so rapidly that the otter soon became rare except upon the most re- mote and difficult islands, where it would long ago have become extinct had not rude measures been taken for its preservation. In spite of all attempts at protection, however, fewer skins are obtained anniially, and the price of the fur has correspondingly increased, imtil now a fine skin is worth in Liverpool $.500. and even .$1,500 has been paid for special examples. One reason for the modern scarcity of the fur is the fact that the animal has changed its habits somewhat tinder the influence of man's persecution, and now spends much more of its time in the sea, and seeks its food more constantly in deep water than formerly. Its food consists mainly of crabs and sea-urcliins with .some fish. It has been most extensively studied and described by H. W. Elliott, whose many observations and statistics are summarized by Cones in his monograph Fur- Bearing Aiiinifilf:' (Washington), where refer- ences to many other authorities will be foimd. See Plate of Fur-bearing Anim.ls. SEA-PEN. An alcyonarian (q.v.) coral of the family rcnnatuliche, in which the colony is bare of polyps at its base, while the lateral branches nearer the tip bear them in large num- Ijers. These branches are arranged in series on opposite sides of the central shaft ho that the entire colony looks something like a rather stllT feather or <|nill pen. Sea pens occur in saler of nmderate dei)th, on sandy or mutldy Ixitlonis, where they are only lightly attached by the bare end of the shaft. They ordinarily reach a length of several inches, but an .rctic species of deep water (Unihcllularia tiruiiliiiiilird) may be four feet long. Some of them are richly colored, and some are highly phosphorescent. SEA-PERCH. See Ba.s.s ; Ska-Ba.sS. SEA-RAVEN, or Deep-Wateb Set li-in. A large, reddish-brown, nmch variegated sculpiu [llcmitriiilcriis [mcricaniis) of the coast of New England and Canada, which has a great number of spiny cirri, and dangling lleshy appendages, a spinous dorsal fin of great length, and generally extraordinary aspect. See illustration under .Sill.l'lX. SEARCH ( fnnn OF. crrclur, ccrchicr, Fr. (iicrrlirr, to search, from Lat. circarc, to go around, traverse, from circus, ring, circus, Gk. KtpKot, /I'ir/ios, Kplxot, Ari/.o.s. circle). Ku;iir of. As a part of the law of nations, the right of a l)clligerent to stop neutral merchant vessels on the high seas for the purpose of ascertaining their nationality and destination, and the char- acter and ownership of their cargoes, with a view to determining their liability to capture. This right follows as a necessary incident of the belligerent right of capturing an enemy's prop- erty at sea, of seizing contraband of war, and of blockading an enemy's coast, since liability to capture cannot be determined initil a searcli has been made. But the right of search in such cases is restricted to mercliant vessels only, and has no application to the public armed vessel of a neutral or the merchant vessel of a belligerent. This somcwliat extraordinary usage is strictly a belligerent right, comes into exist- ence at the outbreak of war and ends with the conclusion of hostilities. All neutral vessels of whatever character are lial)le to search by a properly documented armed vessel of either belligerent and arc subject to seizure and con- demnation upon refusal to sid)mit. although they may have been engaged in innocent trallic. But the belligerent whose vessel makes the search may be held responsible to the neutral con- cerned if the search is not conducted in a man- ner warranted by the law of nations. Thus any injury done to the cargo or any oppressive or in- sidting conduct during the search W(nild he suf- ficient ground for comjdaint. Unless regulated by treaty the manner in which the search is to be c(in(luct<'d is ilctermined by the usage of nations. This matter is now freciuently the subject of treaty regulation, and where so regulated the dis- tance at which the searching vessel shall re- main from the vessel to be visited, the number of persons permitted to take part in the search, and the amoimt of evidence necessary to .satisfy the belligerent of the innocent character of the vessel are all specified. The notification of intent to visit a neutral vessel is usually given by firing an unshotted gun, which should be followed by