ADDENDA. 87 



and about 600 yards astern. The otter will eventually make a " back dive " and 

 come up between the boats again. To a sportsman, sea-otter hunting offers one 

 of the most exciting and fascinating of pursuits. To be a successful hunter it is 

 necessary to be a good shot. It also requires considerable judgment, a good eye, 

 smartness, patience, a cool head, a knowledge of the habits of the otter, and a 

 strong constitution. An element that tends to give extra zest to the pursuit of 

 otter-hunting is the rivalry between the boats. Each one naturallj'' likes to secure 

 the otter, but no one must go out of the proper position, and no hunter is supposed 

 to spoil the chance of another in a more favourable position by firing first. The 

 hunters are paid by a " lay," that is, a proportion of the whole catch, not according 

 to what each individual hunter kills himself. 



Since 1873 fifty-two vessels have been engaged in hunting the sea-otter on this 

 side the Pacific, chiefly in the waters adjacent to the Kuril Islands. The largest 

 number in any one year was twelve. Some of these vessels were fitted out from 

 San Francisco, and others from Japan. Of these fifty-two vessels thirteen have 

 been lost with all hands (ten on this side and three elsewhere). Seventeen others 

 (twelve on this side and five elsewhere) have been wrecked with loss of twelve 

 lives. Five have been seized and confiscated by Eussian cruisers, and fourteen 

 have left the business through want of success, leaving but three which now hunt 

 these waters. Two of these are Japanese and one foreign. The vessels employed 

 are usually schooners of 35 to 100 tons, carrying crews of twenty to twenty-five men. 



An adult sea-otter will measure about 4 feet in length, and weigh about 60 or 

 70 lbs. The skin is remarkably loose on the body, and when stretched and 

 nailed out on a wooden frame to be air-dried, will measure from 85 to 90 inches in 

 length, and from 32 to 36 inches in width. The tail is about 10 inches long. 



The Aleuts and other native hunters usually skin their otters " on the round," 

 that is, an incision is made up the hind flippers and through the anus, and the 

 skin drawn off over the head. It is then divested of fat, stuffed with something to 

 keep it stretched, and air-dried. "White" hunters skin their otters by ripping 

 them up from the end of the tail along the belly to the under lip, then up each 

 paw and flipper, so that they " stake out " perfectly flat. 



After being " staked out " the skin is " leaned," that is, the adherent fat, etc., 

 is cut cleanly off. The skin is then exposed to the sun, the pelt being scraped to 

 get as much oil out of it as possible. It is left on the frame until quite dry and 

 white, when it is taken off. The fur is then beaten up and the skin put away. 

 The skins are sent to the London market in this condition. 



The flesh of the sea-otter is very rank and unsuited to a civilized palate, but 

 many of the northern natives prefer it to any other flesh. 



In Yetorup and Kunashir the Japanese, previous to their exchange transaction 

 with Russia, already possessed the largest and most valuable of the Kuril Islands. 

 For peltries these islands are now of but little importance, a few bears and foxes, 

 with an occasional sea-otter, only being taken. Formerly otters were very plentiful 

 oft' the coast of Yetorup, and more have been taken there than from all the other 

 islands put together. They have been killed oft' and driven away by continuous 

 hunting. 



The value of these islands lies in the fisheries. All their streams and lakes 

 teem with salmon and trout, whilst off the coasts cod, herring, iwashi, halibut, and 

 other fish abound. 



