180 



THE BEASTS OF PREY. 



lend it a grizzled appearance. The under fur is of 

 a fine, woolly texture. Young animals have a long, 

 coarse, white or grayish brown fur, entirely covering 

 the under fur. Adult Sea Otters are at least sixty 

 inches long, about twelve of which go to the tail. 

 Their weight is from sixty to eighty pounds. 



The Sea Otter is indigenous to the North Pacific, 

 extending as far north as the chain of the Aleutian 

 Isles. It extends farther south on the American 

 than on the Asiatic coast, being confined by the 

 twenty-eighth degree of north latitude, but each 

 year shows a decrease in its numbers. 

 Steller's Account We owe the best description of the 

 of the animal to Steller, who was ship- 



Sea Otter. wrecked in 1741, with Bering, and 

 had abundant opportunities for observing the animal. 

 "The fur of the Sea Otter," says he, "whose skin 

 lies loosely on the body and moves all over in run- 

 ning, exceeds that of all Beavers in length, beauty, 

 and in the intense black color of the hair. The best 

 pelts sell for thirty roubles in Kamchatka, forty in 

 Irkutsk, and one hundred at the Chinese boundary, 

 if one takes merchandise in trade. The flesh is 

 tender and savory. The Sea Otter is a beautiful 

 and pleasing animal, merry and playful, kindly and 

 affectionate in disposition. When one sees it run, 

 the lustre of its black hair is superior to that of the 

 finest velvet. Otters usually live together in fami- 

 lies, male, female, half-grown and little children. 

 The love of the parents for their offspring is so great 

 that they brave death in defending them and at their 

 loss cry very much like human beings. They grieve 

 so that in ten or twelve days they lose all their flesh, 

 become weak and sick and remain dejectedly in one 

 spot. These animals have no special breeding sea- 

 son, but are seen with their young ones all the year 

 round. The female carries her little ones in her 

 mouth, but in the water lies on her back and holds 

 the young one in her fore-paws as a mother holds 

 her child. She also fondles it affectionately, plays 

 'toss and catch' with it, pushes it into the water to 

 teach it how to swim, and takes it up and kisses it 

 when it is tired. 



"The food of the Sea Otter consists of Crabs, shells, 

 small fish, and to a less extent of sea-weed and meat. 

 I do not doubt that if one cared to go to the expense 

 of importing specimens into Russia, they could there 

 be domesticated; they even might breed in a pond or 

 river. In reality they care little for salt water, for I 

 have seen them spend days on islands and in rivers. 

 This animal deserves the greatest consideration of our 

 crew at least, for we had scarcely any other food but 

 its flesh for six months, and it was also the only cure 

 for those suffering from scurvy. 



"The Otters are very graceful and quick in their 

 movements ; they swim well and run rapidly. One 

 cannot imagine anything more beautiful than this 

 animal running along, clothed in its silk}', glossy 

 black fur. It is remarkable that the more beautiful 

 their fur is, the more lively and cunning they are. 

 Those that are perfectly white are probably very old 

 and can be caught only with great difficult}-, they 

 are so wary. When they sleep on land, the}- curl 

 up like Dogs. When they emerge from the water, 

 they shake themselves and dress their fur with the 

 fore-paws, like Cats. In running the}- proceed at a 

 rapid pace, but make many detours. If a Man bars 

 the way, they stop, arch their backs, hiss and threaten 

 to attack him. One blow on the head is sufficient to 

 make them drop down as if dead and cover their 

 eyes with their paws. 



"In July and August Sea Otters change their coats, 

 but only to a slight extent, and their color becomes 

 browner. The best pelts are taken in March, April 

 and May; the greatest number are shipped to China. 

 In Kamchatka the most gorgeous apparel is sup- 

 posed to be a dress made from white Reindeer skins 

 and trimmed with Otter. A few years ago, every- 

 body was wearing Sea Otter furs, but this custom has 

 gone out since they have become so dear; besides, 

 Dogs' skins are now thought to be finer, warmer and 

 more durable in Kamchatka." 



Hunters Have In modern times this valuable fur- 

 Made Sea Otters producing animal is very rare and 

 Scarce. has become so shy that it is ap- 



proached with the greatest difficulty. Pechuel- 

 Loesche, who observed and occasionally hunted the 

 Sea Otter twenty-five years ago near the Aleutian 

 Isles, says that the wary animal rarely suffered a 

 sailing vessel or boat to approach within gunshot. 

 Animals that do not succumb to the first shot are 

 always lost to the hunter, unless he can shoot them 

 again when they come to the surface. A single 

 boat stands little chance of success, as the animal 

 can easily remain a quarter of an hour under water 

 and often reappears at a place quite distant from 

 that expected. 



How the The Otter is hunted in many different 



Sea Otter is ways. When the sea is calm the peo- 

 Hunted. p] e g ou t [ n boats, and as soon as 

 they notice an Otter they surround the place with 

 their boats and keep a sharp lookout. When the 

 animal reappears it is immediately frightened back 

 into the water by spear-thrusts, shots and yells, and 

 a new circle is formed around the point where it dis- 

 appeared, and so on, until the Otter, which is not 

 allowed sufficient breathing time, wearies and falls 

 a prey to the nearest hunter. Such a hunt may be 

 prolonged for two or three hours unless a well- 

 timed spear ends the chase. In this way the hunt- 

 ers, if they have good luck, may kill from forty to 

 fifty Otters in three months, every pelt bringing a 

 price of at least fifty dollars. 



Senile hunters try to kill the animals from the 

 shore, fur merchants providing them with excellent 

 guns for the purpose. When the sea is rough the 

 hunter wanders around on the cliffs and tries to 

 shoot the Otters (which appear beyond the surf, in 

 the more quiet waters), aiming at their heads. The 

 roar of the waves and the flying foam prevent the 

 wary animal from recognizing the danger that 

 threatens it, and a persevering hunter may send out 

 one bullet after another. When one of . his shots 

 finally reaches its aim he sits down and waits pa- 

 tiently until wind and waves bear his precious booty 

 ashore. The most exciting method of hunting, on 

 account of the dangers which attend it, is the killing 

 of an Otter by blows from clubs. During a storm 

 the Otters are frightened by the rising fury of the 

 waves, which beat upon the nearly inaccessible cliffs 

 upon which they have taken refuge in order to es- 

 cape the pursuit of Man. The animals mount higher 

 on the cliffs to escape the wrath of the waves, and 

 there are foolhardy sportsmen who will risk their 

 lives in order to surprise the Otters on their high 

 resting-places. If they succeed in landing on the 

 leeward side of the cliffs, they mount and kill the 

 Otters with clubs. The howling of the storm and 

 the roar of the waves deaden all sounds the hunts- 

 men may make, while the rain and fog prevent the 

 more distant animals from seeing the fate that 

 awaits them. Two men once succeeded in this way 



