THE RUSSIAN FUR-SEAL ISLANDS. 19 



FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE COMMANDER ISLANDS. 



The animals and plants of tlie Commander Islands have been studied since Steller 

 set foot on the virgin ground of Bering Island in 1741. He collected and described 

 all the new things he saw, and if he had lived to elaborate his collections and finish 

 his work, but little would have been left for his successors. Since then Vosuessenski 

 has been on the island; Ur. Dybowski collected during various visits between 187!) 

 and 18S3; Nordeiiski(eld's Vega expedition, with his admirable staff of scientists, 

 Nordquist, Kjellman, vStuxberg, and Almquist, used their five days' stay in 1879 

 exceedingly well ; and, above all, Mr. Grebuitski has devoted work, time, and money 

 during nearly twenty years to enrich the Kussian museums, particularly that of tlie 

 Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, with extensive and costly collections 

 of natural history. The United States National Museum is also indebted to Iiim for 

 valuable materi.al. Finally, during my stay in 1882-83, and to a less extent in 189.5, 1 

 myself have l)een able to add my mite to our knowledge of the flora and fauna of these 

 islands, nearly all my collections being now in the United States JSTational JMuscum. 

 Yet the subject is not exhausted; many animals and plants occurring there remain 

 uncollected, while many of the collections in the museums await the arrival of the 

 specialist to work them up. 



Lack of time and sjiace prevents more than the briefest possible rcisume of the sub- 

 ject in the present connection; a more exhaustive treatise would make a book in itself. 

 There is abundant evidence in the material at hand to show that the islands during 

 the period previous to which they received their present fauna and flora were totally 

 covered by the sea, and tliat since that time they have not been connected with the 

 mainland on either side. From this it follows that the animals and ])lants are not truly 

 indigenous, though I have no doubt that many of the numerous species described as 

 new from these islands are really peculiar, and not found elsewhere; but in that case 

 their origin on the islands is undoubtedly duo to comparatively recent isolation. The 

 sporadic character of the fauna and flora as shown in the great number of genera 

 in proportion to the species, as well as the absence of many forms which, from their 

 general distribution, would be expected to occur, isclearly indicative of the accidental 

 immigration of the component species. They evidently immigrated, especially and 

 more regularly from the west, from Asia, by means of prevailing winds — currents 

 and driftwood carried by these — and more seldom from the east, from America. That 

 such inhabitants as are more independent of the above agencies likewise show nearer 

 relationship to the Asiatic fauna is partly due to the shorter distance and i)artly to 

 the well-known effort of the Asiatic fauna- to extend beyond its own limits. 



As might be expected from their location, the islands are chiefly pala?arctic in 

 their bio-geographical relations, with a fair sprinkling of circumpolar, American, and 

 North Pacific forms. The marine fauna and flora partake more particularly of this 

 latter character, and it is i)robable that Dr. W. H. Dall's conclusions, derived from a 

 study of the mollusks, applies to most of the other marine animals, viz : 



The fauna of t'ommander I.slaiids, as far as known, is intimately related to the geuer.al Arctic 

 fanna and especially to the Aleutian fauna, somewhat less so to the Kamchatka fauna, but presents 

 in itself nothing distinctive. While the faunal aspect of the mollusca is boreal, there is a number 

 greater than might be expected of species common to .lapan and California. 



To this statement he afterwards added the note : 



The connection with .lapau is rather that the northern forms extend southward into Jap.an than 

 that any characteristic Japanese forms extend north. (Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., ix, 1886, p. 219.) 



