﻿REPORT 
  UPON 
  THE 
  INQUIRY 
  RESPECTING 
  FOOD-FISHES 
  AND 
  

   THE 
  FISHING-GROUNDS. 
  

  

  By 
  RiCHAun 
  Kathbun, 
  Assistant 
  in 
  charye. 
  

  

  FUR-SEAL 
  INVESTIGATIONS. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1895 
  the 
  investigations 
  respecting 
  the 
  natural 
  

   history 
  of 
  the 
  fur-seal 
  and 
  the 
  changes 
  in 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  its 
  rookeries 
  

   or 
  breeding-grounds, 
  which 
  devolve 
  upon 
  the 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  by 
  act 
  

   of 
  Congress, 
  were 
  prosecuted 
  upou 
  a 
  much 
  larger 
  scale 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  

   previous 
  year. 
  The 
  plans 
  for 
  this 
  work 
  were 
  brietiy 
  outlined 
  in 
  the 
  

   last 
  report. 
  The 
  regular 
  annual 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  rookeries 
  on 
  the 
  

   Pribilof 
  Islands, 
  including 
  their 
  delineation 
  and 
  photographing, 
  was 
  

   made, 
  as 
  heretofore, 
  by 
  Mr. 
  C. 
  H. 
  Townseud, 
  naturalist 
  of 
  the 
  steamer 
  

   Albatross, 
  aided 
  by 
  Mr. 
  N. 
  B. 
  Miller, 
  the 
  general 
  assistant 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  

   vessel. 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  B. 
  Alexander, 
  fishery 
  expert 
  of 
  the 
  Albatro.ss, 
  was 
  

   attached 
  during 
  August 
  to 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  successful 
  pelagic 
  sealing 
  vessels, 
  

   which 
  gave 
  him 
  the 
  opportunity 
  of 
  making 
  important 
  observations 
  on 
  

   the 
  pelagic 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  seals. 
  The 
  part 
  taken 
  by 
  tlie 
  Albatross 
  itself 
  

   in 
  (connection 
  with 
  this 
  subject 
  is 
  described 
  under 
  another 
  heading. 
  

  

  Novel 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  season's 
  operations 
  were 
  detailed 
  studies 
  re- 
  

   specting 
  the 
  several 
  problems 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  welfare 
  of 
  the 
  seal 
  

   herds 
  on 
  both 
  the 
  American 
  and 
  Asiatic 
  coasts, 
  these 
  inquiries 
  hav- 
  

   ing 
  been 
  conducted 
  on 
  the 
  Pribilof 
  Islands 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Frederick 
  W. 
  True, 
  

   curator 
  of 
  mammals 
  in 
  the 
  TJ. 
  IS. 
  National 
  Museum, 
  assisted 
  by 
  Mr. 
  D. 
  W. 
  

   Prentiss, 
  jr. 
  ; 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  Commander 
  Islands 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Leonhard 
  Stejneger, 
  

   curator 
  of 
  reptiles 
  in 
  the 
  National 
  Museum, 
  and 
  a 
  well-known 
  authority 
  

   on 
  the 
  mammalia. 
  These 
  gentlemen 
  were 
  transported 
  to 
  their 
  stations 
  

   by 
  the 
  steamer 
  Albatross, 
  reaching 
  the 
  Pribilof 
  Islaiids 
  on 
  June 
  24 
  and 
  

   tlie 
  Commander 
  Islands 
  on 
  July 
  3, 
  respectively. 
  Mr. 
  True 
  remained 
  in 
  

   the 
  field 
  until 
  August 
  23, 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Stejneger 
  until 
  September 
  10. 
  

  

  The 
  results 
  of 
  this 
  season's 
  investigations 
  by 
  these 
  several 
  parties, 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  reports 
  of 
  previous 
  work 
  by 
  the 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  in 
  this 
  

   direction, 
  have 
  been 
  published 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  fiscal 
  year.* 
  

  

  ''The 
  Russian 
  Fur-Seal 
  Islands, 
  By 
  Leonhard 
  Stejneger, 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  

   National 
  Museum. 
  Bull. 
  U. 
  S. 
  Fish 
  Com., 
  xvi, 
  for 
  18;>6, 
  pp. 
  1-148, 
  pis. 
  l-fili. 
  

  

  Reports 
  of 
  the 
  agents, 
  officers, 
  and 
  persons, 
  acting 
  under 
  the 
  authority 
  of 
  the 
  

   Secretary 
  of 
  the 
  Treasury, 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  si'iil 
  liJ'c 
  on 
  tlie 
  rookeries 
  

   of 
  the 
  Pribilof 
  Islands, 
  and 
  to 
  pelagic 
  sealing 
  in 
  Bering 
  Sea 
  an<l 
  the 
  North 
  i'acilic 
  

   Ocean, 
  in 
  the 
  years 
  1893-1895. 
  In 
  two 
  parts. 
  Part 
  II. 
  With 
  maps 
  and 
  illustrations. 
  

   Results 
  of 
  investigations 
  under 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Fish 
  and 
  

   Fisheries. 
  Printed 
  as 
  Senate 
  do(!umeut 
  137, 
  part 
  2, 
  Fifty-fourth 
  Congress, 
  first 
  ses- 
  

   sion. 
  Washington: 
  Government 
  Printing 
  Ofhce, 
  1896. 
  This 
  part 
  is 
  j)ul)lished 
  in 
  

   two 
  volumes, 
  one 
  of 
  text 
  (1.54 
  pages), 
  with 
  numerous 
  maps, 
  charts 
  aucl 
  iilates; 
  the 
  

   other 
  being 
  a 
  portfolio 
  of 
  photographic 
  reproductions. 
  

  

  93 
  

  

  