810113, 



116 HABITS OF THE ALASKAN SEAL. 



Feeding. pup gets oldei* aiicl Stronger tliese excursions 



lengthen accordingly until she is sometimes ab- 

 sent from the rookeries for a week at a time.^ 



Food. The food of all classes of fur seals consists of 



squids, fishes, crustaceans, and mollusks,^ but 

 squids seem to be their princii^al diet, showing 

 the seals are surface feeders.^ On account of the 

 number of seals on the islands fish are very 

 scarce in the neighboring waters ;* this necessi- 

 tates the cows going many miles in search of 

 her food. 



Feeding excur- They Undoubtedly go often from one hundred 

 to two hundred miles from the rookeries on these 

 feeding excursions.^ This fact is borne out by 

 the testimony of many experienced sealers, who 

 have taken nursing females a hundred miles and 

 over from the islands,® and Capt. Olseii, of the 

 steam schooner Anna Beck, states, through the 

 Victoria Daily Colonist, of August 6, 1887 



1 Nicoli Krukoff, Vol. II, p. 133; John Fratis, Vol. II, p. 108; Kcr- 

 rick Artomauoff, Vol. II, p. 100. 



"Keport of Anicricau Bering Sea Commissioners, Appendix E, 

 post, p. 393; W. H. Dall, Vol. II, p. 23; T. F. Morgan, Vol. II, 

 p. 62. 



^Report of Amoricau Boring Sea Commissioners, Appendix E, 

 post, p. 396. 



^S. N. Buyuitsky, Vol. II, p. 21. 



^Keport of American Bering Sea Commissioners, post, p. 329. 



fiMicliael White, Vol. II, p. 490; Alfred Irving, Vol. II, p. 386; 

 James Sloan, Vol. II, j). 477; Martin Haunon, Vol. II, p. 44.^; Chad 

 Oeorge, Vol. II, p. 306; Wilton C. Bennett, Vol. II, p. 357; Vic- 

 tor Jackobsou, Vol. II, p. 328. 



