FAUNA OF THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS AND ALASKA PENINSULA 305 



Family FELIDAE 



Lynx canadensis: Canada Lynx 

 Lynx canadensis mollipilosus 



Osgood (1904, p. 39) reported that lynx were scarce at the 

 base of the Alaska Peninsula, according to the natives, though 

 in 1901 (p. 67) he recorded that lynxes were fairly common 

 in the Cook Inlet region. Griggs (1922, p. 315) stated that trap- 

 pers had reported the capture of lynxes within the Katmai Na- 

 tional Monument. 



In 1911, Wetmore wrote — 



The lynx is not common in the region around King's Cove, but a few are 

 reported every year. It has been known from the region around Cold Bay 

 for as far back as the trappers could remember, but has come into the 

 region west of Nelson's Lagoon, on the Bering Sea side, within the last 

 4 or 5 years. Its food is reported to be the Arctic Hare. 



Thus, it is evident that the lynx has occurred far out on the 

 Alaska Peninsula, beyond all timbered areas. It is not reported 

 from the Kodiak-Afognak group, where varying hares were 

 introduced only recently. 



Family OTARIIDAE 

 Eumetopias jubata: S+eller Sea Lion 



Attu: Kdv-rch 



Atka: Kow'-uhh 



Aleut (dialect?) : Qa'hwax (Jochelson) 



Khawakh (Geoghegan) 

 Russian: Sivutcha (Steller) 



Sea lions are found throughout all of southwestern Alaska, ex- 

 tending to Attu Island, where we saw some at its westernmost 

 point, Cape Wrangell. There were colonies, numbering from 40 

 or 50 to several hundred individuals, at such places as Amak 

 Island, Bogoslof (the outstanding herd), Carlisle, Yunaska, 

 Chagulak, Amukta, Segula, Semisopochnoi, Ilak, and Buldir. 

 Bogoslof has by far the largest and most spectacular herd — so 

 outstanding that it deserves special consideration as an object of 

 particular scientific, as well as popular, interest. In 1938, Scheffer 

 estimated 800 sea lions were on Bogoslof. 



The Aleuts use the skin of the sea lion for leather, and find 

 the flesh very palatable. On one occasion, I ate the flesh of a 

 young sea lion and found that it was decidedly acceptable. 



