62 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



bulky literature which spraii}! up as part of the ''Fur Seal Arbitration" case, are too 

 well kuown to ueed any further comment iu this i)lace. 



The natural history of the eonunander Islands seal is essentially that of the 

 I'ribylof Islands seal. Even their niigrations, although along entirely different and 

 distiu('t routes, show parallel phenomena. The route of the Commander Island herd, 

 as we have seen, was known to Steller in a general way, but it is only recently, since 

 the pelagic sealers are following the migrating herds, that the routes have become 

 known in detail. Mr. C. II. Townsend, the naturalist of the United States Fish Com- 

 mission steamer Albatro,ss,\u\s made a sjjecial study of this branch of the suT>ject and 

 has kindly furnished me with the following notes relating to the migrations of the 

 Connnander Islands herd as shown by the records of the pelagic sealers: 



Pelagic sealing oft' the coast of Japan usually commences about the miiUlIe ot iMaicli and lasts 

 until the middle of June. The seal herd appears to he massed oft' the coast between the latitudes of 

 Yokohama and Cape Noishap (the eastern point of Yezo Island) in March, Ajiril, and May. In March 

 sealing commences off" Hondo Island (N'ipon) ; in latitude 36^^, where seals are alsojof common occur- 

 rence in April, but they are then moving slowly northward. In May the best sealing is found south 

 and east of Yezo Island, Cape Yerimo (the southeast point of Yezo) being a favorite sealing-ground. 

 In ,Iune they are usually a little farther north, being taken generally oft' the eastern coastof Yezo and 

 the most southerly of the Kurils. They are also taken in .Inne ofl' the more northerly Kurils, but the 

 herd is then farther off' shore and more scattered. 



In the Japan region proper, sealing is carried on from the coast out to a distance of about 300 

 miles, while in February straggling seals have been taken as far south as the Bonin Islands. Seals 

 occur in the Sea of Japan, catches having been made at several points there and in La I'ei ouse Straits 

 by the schooner Penelope, in a voyage around Yezo Island during the past season. 



Se.'ilcrs crossing the Pacific in the latitude of Yezo Island pick up seals at many points between 

 Ja]>an and the longitude of 180^\ In June and July scattered bands of seals, presumably of the 

 C<mimauder Isl.ands herd, occur 500 or 600 miles south of the western Aleutian Islands. 



The charts accompanying my report on the fur-seal fishery for 1895 (Senate Docnuu'ut 137, part 

 It, Fifty-fourth Congress) show the positions where seals were taken by 20 vessels sealing off the 

 coasts of Japan and Russia during the i)ast four years. 



LATITUDE IN THE PHENOMENA OF SEAL LIFE. 



It can be safely said that most of the points in the life-history of the fur-seal 

 have been cleared up, in so far as they can be cleared up by direct observation, but 

 the recent activity tor informatitm in this matter resulted also in a vast accunuilatiou 

 of misinformation gathered by and from ])ers()ns either untrained in scientilic methods, 

 inex])erienced in this particular subject, or prejudiced iu favor of some pet theory, 

 or biased by political considerations. This iinnaturiil history of the fur-seal has caused 

 doitbts and confusion iu the minds of those who have to trust to the literature for 

 their information as to the truth of even some of the most easily observed and most 

 lirndy established facts. Kenewed investigations have, therefore, become desirable. 



Aside from the mass of downright misinformation, a good deal of harm has been 

 done by the often too sweei>ing generalizations based upon a few isolated facts and 

 caused by ignorance of the true relations of the latter as exceptions and not as rules. 



It must not for one moment be imagined that the lines are as tightly drawn in 

 nature as in many books and reports. It will probably be possible to cite more or less 

 isolated occurrences contrary to nearly every habit of the seals as generally outlined. 

 These exceptions are not frequent enough nor important enough to affect the general 

 result, ;ind it may be coufideutly assi^rted that the investigations which have of late 

 been carried on by the American Bering Sea Commission and quite recently by the 



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