ALLEN: mammalia: otariiD/C. 139 



I found them all manned with Russians, standing ready with their rifles 

 to shoot every seal or sea-otter that showed its head above water.' (Mor- 

 rell, Voyages and Discoveries, p. 212.) Continuing southward, 'perceiv- 

 ing little prospect of taking fur-seals on any part of the coast which the 

 Russians have monopolized,' he reached Socorro Island, in latitude 18° 

 53' N. ' At 6 a. m. the boats were despatched to examine the island in 

 search of fur-seals ; but returned, after a faithful inspection, without see- 

 ing more than twenty animals of that species. They saw about 300 sea- 

 leopards and 1,500 hair-seals.'' [Ibid., p. 213.) 



"He visited Guadalupe Island earlier in the season (March 27-31), 

 and says : ' We lay here three days, during which time we took a number 

 of fur-seals.' A few days later he visited Cerros Island, and sent out 

 boats to search the island, but neither seals nor sea-elephants were seen. 

 He says : ' There are many fine fish to be caught around this island, and 

 it was formerly a great resort for sea-elephants and fur-seals ; but it now 

 appears to be entirely abandoned by these animals.' [Ibid., p. 196.) On 

 April 8 he landed at Cenizas Island, in about latitude 30°, in search of 

 fur-seals, but found only sea-leopards and sea-elephants, about 400 of 

 the former and 800 of the latter. Later (April 23 to May 5) he 'examined 

 the islands of St. Clement, St. Barbara, St. Rosa, and St. Miguel,' for fur- 

 seals, but, he says 'without much success,' although he saw a few sea- 

 elephants and many 'sea-leopards.' On May 11 he arrived at the 

 Farallon Islands, of which he says : ' Many years ago this place was the 

 resort of numerous fur-seal, but the Russians have made such havoc 

 among them that there is scarcely a breed left. On this barren rock we 

 found a Russian family and twenty-three Codiacks, or Northwest Indians, 

 with their bark canoes. They were employed in taking sea-leopards, sea- 

 horses, and sea-elephants for their skins, oil, and flesh, the latter being 

 jerked for the Russian market on the Northwest Coast.' [Ibid., pp. 108, 

 1 10.) 



"Captain Scammon refers to the former occurrence of fur-seals at San 

 Benito Islands and on the 'coast of California,' where, he says, 'many 

 beaches were found fronting gullies, where [fur] seals in large numbers 

 formerly gathered ; and as they had plenty of ground to retreat upon, the 

 sealers sometimes drove them far enough back to make sure of the whole 



' Probably Zalophus calif ornianus , which probably still occurs there in small numbers. Cf. 

 Nelson, N. Amer. Fauna, No. 14, April 29, 1899, pp. 17, 18. 



