KAMTSCHATKA. 307 



waters swarm with animal life, though all aquatic 

 animals seem to remain in a lower scale than their 

 relatives of the same class on land. The Medusae 

 and Zoophytes, Molusc(V and Onistacea'y innumer- 

 able species of fish, in incredibly crowded shoals, 

 the gigantic swimming mammalia, whales, phy- 

 seters, dolphins, morse and seals, fill the sea and 

 its strand, and countless flights of water-fowls 

 rock themselves on the bosom of the ocean, and, 

 in the twiliglit, resemble floating islands. 



The sea-otter does not seem to penetrate to the 

 northward beyond the chain of the Aleutian 

 islands, and begins to become scarce after it has 

 caused the destruction of the native tribes. The 

 sea-lion and the sea-bear appear to keep in about 

 the same limits j other seals, more resembling the 

 Phoca vitiilinat are found more frequently to the 

 north. Countless herds of morse are met with 

 in Beering*s Straits, and the teeth of these animals 

 seem to form a considerable branch of trade with 

 the natives of St. Lawrence Island. We heard 

 only corrupted traditions at Oonalashka, which 

 seemed to refer to the Manatus borealis. A Phy- 

 seter, a sea-wolf, six different species of whale, 

 Delphbms area, and two other dolphins, are found 

 round the Aleutian islands ; and, besides this, the 



perhaps, mark the extreme progress of this formation to the 

 limits of the monsoon. To this is added the Fucus buccinalisy 

 which occurs at the Cape of Good Hope. 



X 2 



