﻿LXX 
  EEPOET 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHEEIES. 
  

  

  tude 
  and 
  longitude. 
  The 
  Kowak 
  flows 
  through 
  a 
  well-wooded 
  country, 
  

   the 
  forests 
  frequently 
  being 
  separated 
  by 
  long 
  stretches 
  of 
  open 
  tun- 
  

   dra 
  land. 
  We 
  saw 
  a 
  few 
  reindeer, 
  and 
  had 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  

   many 
  kinds 
  of 
  fur-bearing 
  animals. 
  Birds, 
  53 
  species 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  found 
  

   along 
  the 
  river, 
  were 
  numerous, 
  and 
  we 
  fared 
  well 
  on 
  the 
  abundant 
  fish 
  

   and 
  wild 
  fowl. 
  Nearly 
  every 
  day 
  we 
  passed 
  camps 
  of 
  natives 
  engaged 
  

   in 
  fishing, 
  by 
  whom 
  we 
  were 
  always 
  kindly 
  received. 
  The 
  Kowak 
  teems 
  

   with 
  fish, 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  secured 
  18 
  species, 
  including 
  a 
  few 
  salt-water 
  forms 
  

   from 
  Kotzebue 
  Sound. 
  

  

  We 
  joined 
  the 
  Corwin 
  at 
  Kotzebue 
  Sound 
  on 
  September 
  1, 
  having 
  

   passed 
  Lieutenant 
  Stoney's 
  party 
  late 
  in 
  August 
  as 
  we 
  descended 
  the 
  

   river. 
  Another 
  party 
  sent 
  out 
  from 
  the 
  Corwin, 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  Engineer 
  

   McLenegan, 
  had 
  in 
  the 
  mean 
  time 
  explored 
  the 
  Noiitak 
  Eiver, 
  which 
  

   also 
  flows 
  into 
  Kotzebue 
  Sound. 
  

  

  At 
  Hall 
  Island, 
  in 
  Behring 
  Sea, 
  on 
  our 
  return 
  trip, 
  I 
  killed 
  an 
  im- 
  

   mense 
  polar 
  bear, 
  which 
  I 
  succeeded 
  in 
  preserving 
  in 
  good 
  condition 
  

   for 
  the 
  national 
  collection, 
  with 
  the 
  help 
  of 
  the 
  sailors 
  Captain 
  Healy 
  

   kindly 
  sent 
  to 
  me. 
  

  

  Ou 
  September 
  10 
  I 
  disembarked 
  at 
  Saint 
  Paul 
  Island, 
  where 
  I 
  spent 
  

   a 
  month 
  collecting 
  and 
  studying 
  the 
  fur 
  seals. 
  From 
  there 
  I 
  went 
  to 
  

   Oonalaska, 
  where 
  I 
  spent 
  two 
  weeks 
  with 
  the 
  birds 
  and 
  the 
  fishes, 
  and 
  

   returned 
  to 
  San 
  Francisco 
  by 
  the 
  Alaska 
  Commercial 
  Company's 
  steamer 
  

   Dora, 
  arriving 
  on 
  November 
  8. 
  

  

  My 
  entire 
  Alaskan 
  collections 
  are 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  Mammals, 
  3G 
  specimens 
  (19 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  fur 
  seals), 
  the 
  rest 
  mostly 
  

   small 
  animals, 
  representing 
  12 
  species; 
  birds, 
  2G8 
  specimens, 
  embrac- 
  

   ing 
  80 
  species 
  ; 
  fishes, 
  a 
  collection 
  representing 
  18 
  species. 
  One 
  bird 
  

   from 
  Otter 
  Island 
  (Tringa 
  damascensis) 
  is 
  new 
  to 
  the 
  fauna 
  of 
  North 
  

   America. 
  

  

  My 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  natural 
  history 
  and 
  ethnology 
  of 
  Northern 
  Alaska 
  

   is 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  the 
  Public 
  Printer. 
  

  

  From 
  San 
  Francisco 
  I 
  proceeded 
  to 
  Humboldt 
  Bay, 
  Northern 
  Cali- 
  

   fornia, 
  where 
  I 
  remained 
  until 
  December 
  17, 
  gathering 
  statistics 
  relat- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  the 
  fishes 
  of 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  coast, 
  and 
  where 
  I 
  also 
  obtained 
  

   150 
  birds 
  and 
  11 
  mammals. 
  I 
  then 
  spent 
  a 
  month 
  visiting 
  the 
  whaling 
  

   stations 
  along 
  the 
  southern 
  coast 
  of 
  California 
  and 
  making 
  inquiries 
  

   respecting 
  the 
  present 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  gray-whale 
  fishery. 
  Owing 
  to 
  

   stormy 
  weather 
  I 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  obtain 
  a 
  skeleton 
  of 
  this 
  whale. 
  My 
  

   studies 
  of 
  this 
  once 
  valuable 
  and 
  now 
  somewhat 
  rare 
  whale 
  indicate 
  

   that 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  gradually 
  re-establishing 
  itself, 
  now 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  undis- 
  

   turbed 
  in 
  its 
  breeding 
  resorts 
  in 
  the 
  lagoons 
  of 
  Lower 
  California. 
  

  

  26. 
  — 
  TREATY 
  RELATIONS 
  WITH 
  GREAT 
  BRITAIN. 
  

  

  As 
  is 
  well 
  known, 
  the 
  provisions 
  of 
  the 
  treaty 
  of 
  Washington 
  relative 
  

   to 
  the 
  situation 
  of 
  Americans 
  in 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  Canada 
  terminated 
  on 
  

  

  