618 'REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1889 



By 1860, sea-elephants bail become so scarce that their pursuit was no 

 longer profitable, and from that time up to 1SS0 so few stragglers were 

 seen about Guadaloupe and San Benita Islands that the animal was 

 currently regarded as extinct. In 1880 the schooner iSan Diego killed 

 thirty sea-elephants at the Elephant Beach, San Cristobal Bay, on the 

 main laud of Lower California, 50 miles south of Cerros Island. In 

 1882 forty were killed, and six young ones brought alive to San Fran- 

 cisco, oue of which found its way to the National Museum by way of 

 the Philadelphia Zoo. (Plate XC VI.) In 1883 one hundred and ten 

 sea-elephants over a year old were taken, at least fourteen being bulls 

 of large size. In 1884 ninety-three animals were taken by the sloop 

 Liberty, a few females and young being left undisturbed, which were 

 unfortunately all killed later in the season by the crew of the City of 

 San Diego. In October of the same year Mr. Townsend, with the schooner 

 Laura, visited the locality in the interests of the IT. S, National Museum; 

 but although three young were seen they were spared in the hope that 

 their presence might induce larger animals to haul out later on. Con- 

 tinuing the search southward the Laura visited all localities in Lower 

 California formerly iuhabited by the sea-elephant, and finding none, 

 returned to San Cristobal in December and took fifteen whose skins 

 and skeletous made their way to the National Museum at Washington. 

 It is quite possible that this is the end of the California sea-elephant 

 although a few may still exist to be slaughtered later on. It is greatly 

 to be deplored that this animal should have beeu exterminated, when 

 it could so easily have been preserved by each year sparing the young 

 and a few adults/ But it is a curious fact that those most interested in 

 the preservation of any animal are not only indifferent on that point, 

 but are the most strenuous opponents of any measure to effect such a 

 result, and even were it not too late to endeavor to protect the sea- 

 elephants it is not to be supposed that they could be saved from ulti- 

 mate destruction. 



AUTHORITIES. 



Marine Mammals of tins Northwestern Coast of North America. Charles M. Scam- 

 mou, San Francisco, 1870. 



History of North American Pinnipeds. J. A. Allen, Washington, 1880. 



An Account of the Recent Capture of the Californian Sea Elephant, and Statistics 

 Relating to the Present Abundance of the Species. Charles H. Townsend, Pro- 

 ceedings U. S. National Museum. 1885, pp. ;)0-'J:'.. 



THE ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC WALRUSES. 



The walrus is too well known to require even a passing description, 

 but it may be said that although very similar iu appearance the walrus 

 of the Atlantic and that of the Pacific are distinct species, respectively 

 known as Odobcenus rmmarus and Odohcenus obesus. The scarred and 

 wrinkled appearance, so characteristic of these animals, is well exhib- 

 ited bv the head of the Pacific walrus shown on Plate XCVII. Al- 



