Acta Societatis pro Fauna et Flora Fennica, XV, n:o 7. 41 



ren gehort haben iind die Zahne ziemlich abgenutzt sind, ist 

 es mir unmoglich gewesen zu nrtheilen, ob nicht vielleicht 

 einige von den Backenzalmen eine grossere Zahl von Spitzen 

 gehabt haben. 



Aussere Kennzeiclien. Nilsson ^) beschreibt die kaspische 

 E/Obbe folgenderweise : 



„Eucken mid dessen Seiten graubrann, mit unregelmas- 

 sigen dicken gelblichen Eingen gezeiclinet; die Baiichseiten 

 allmalich blasser gelblich. Barthaar dick, blass. Lange 4 

 Fuss." 



Grimm ^) sagt von dieser Robbe : 



„Tlie Caspian seal (Phoca caspica) is found in all parts 

 of the Caspian, but chiefly inhabits the north-east corner, 

 where the sea is covered with ice in winter, and, what is of 

 greater consequence, more of the smaller kinds of fish are to 

 be found, on which the seal feeds. However, seals are also 

 killed along the south-west coast of the Caspian, where there 

 is plenty of fish." 



„The chief hunting-ground is the island of Soolsma." 



„Seals whelp about the 10-th of January; and for this 

 reason it is forbidden to kill seals from the 15-th of Decem- 

 ber till the 15-th of February." 



,,The Caspian seal is from 3 to 6 feet long, weighs about 

 2—4 poods and gives some 27 lbs of blubber." 



„Like all other hunting and trapping, seal-hunting in 

 the Caspian is subject to considerable fluctuations. In 1871, 

 about 79,442 seals were taken, and in 1872—159,479. There- 

 fore one must judge by the average of a considerable length 

 of time. According to Sokoloff, from the year 1867 till 1873, 

 about 958,959 seals were brought to Astrakhan, which makes 

 the average of 136,994 seals a year. During the same time 

 634,025 poods 30 pounds of seal-blubber were exported, ma- 

 king it about 92,008 yearly." 



Nilsson, Entwurf einer system. Eintheilung und speciell, 

 Beschr. d. Phoken, p. 313. 



2) Grimm, "Fishing and Hunting on Russian waters, p. 45. 



