SYNOPSIS OF PINNIPEDS. 373 



at these islands liave suffered great reduction in conseciuence of pe- 

 lau'ic sealinii- in the -North Pacific and Bering; Sea, ^ ^ .... 



p. , .,. ^,. ^ , Ti.-u.i- J-- 1 J. Extermination from 



wluch it continued must result in their practical exter- pelagic seaim;; immi- 

 niination — a fate that has overtaken' nearly all of the "®'^*- 

 many formerly populous fur-seal rookeries in the southern hemisphere. 

 For many years past the Pribilof and Commander Island rookeries 

 have furnished nine-tenths of all the fur-seal skins obtained for com- 

 mercial i3ui"poses. 



VI.— Genus ARCTOCEPHALUS F. Cuv. 

 7. California Fur-Seal Arctocephalus sp. nov. 



Habitat: Islands off the coast of Lower California, fromCerros Island 

 northward. 



Formerly large numbers of fur-seals were taken at the San Benito, 

 Cerros (or Cedros), Guadalupe, Santa Barbara, and other islands off 

 the coast of Lower California, and also on the coast of ^^^ . 

 the mainland. Though formerly abundant at all these *'^^ uu mg. 



points, they have become nearly exterminated by the indiscriudnate and 

 l)ersisteut attacks of the seal hunters. 



Until recently the fur-seals off the Lower California coast were 

 supposed to be the same as the Alaska species, but Dr. 

 Merriam has recently obtained skulls from the old kill- xRss^aSeli. ^"^^^ 

 ing grounds on Guadalupe Island which show that it is 

 not only a different, and as yet a probably undescribed species, but that 

 it is referable to the genus Arctocephalus, not previously known to 

 occur north of the equator. It is resident the whole 

 year off' the California coast, and resorts to the caves on coStTf'caiifomil!'^ 

 the islands it frequents to bring forth its young. In 

 these resi)ects it resembles the fur-seals of the Galapagos Islands, to 

 which it seems to be closely related. 



The following historical notes may be of interest in the present con- 

 nection : 



In 1825 Capt. Benjamin Morrell cruised along the west coast of Mex 

 ico and California in search of fur-seals. Under date 

 of May 20, 1825, he writes that he arrived at Cape Mlr%ii1nf823''^*^'° 

 Blanco, in latitude 42° 49' K "Between this cape and 

 that of Mendocino, which is in latitude 40° 17' N. 

 . . . there are many small islands and rocks, some cambmii^"^''*' '''"^ 

 of which lie 3 miles from the main. On these islands 

 or keys I expected to find fur-seals, whereas I found them all manned 

 with Eussians, standing ready with their rifles to shoot every seal or 

 sea-otter that showed its head above water." (Morrell, Voyages and 

 Discoveries, p. 2L2.) Continuing southward, " perceiving little prospect 

 of taking fur-seals on any part of the coast which the Eussians have 

 monopolized," he reached Socorro Island, in latitude 

 18° 53' K. "At 6 a. m. the boats were despatched to ^°«'^"» i^i'i^'^- 

 examine the island in search of fur-seals; but returned, after a faithful 

 inspection, without seeing more than twenty animals of that species. 

 They saw about 300 sea-leopards and 1,500 hair-seals." {Ibid., ]). 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 



