THE NATURAL HISTORY OF ALASKA. 13 



marmots, martens, mink, and ermine are amongst the most 

 highly prized for their skins. The sea otter, although almost 

 exterminated, is still found in small numbers along the coast, 

 but I fear that a few more years will see the utter destruction of 

 these valuable fur-bearing animals. The natives of Alaska are 

 to-day as well posted in the latest market value of furs as any 

 London fur dealer. This was brought vividly to my notice on 

 one occasion when I encountered a party of natives who had 

 been fortunate enough to kill a very fine specimen of the sea 

 otter, and I offered the chief 7$ for the skin. I had reason to 

 suppose that this sum (a small fortune to a native), would be 

 accepted, but my surprise was great on being told that they 

 knew, if they could get this skin sent to San Francisco or 

 Chicago, that it would probably bring them ^"150 or more ; and 

 such was undoubtedly the case. 



I was equally unsuccessful in my attempts to purchase a pair 

 of black fox skins from a half breed in Cook's Inlet. My offer 

 in this case was 100, but I did not attempt further negotiations 

 on being informed by the owner that four years ago he had sent 

 two similar black foxes to London and they were sold for $3,300, 

 or 660. This I afterwards ascertained to be a fact. 



The Fur Seals are now confined to the Pribiloff Islands, in 

 the Behring Sea. Here is their great breeding ground, and these 

 islands are rented from the American Government, for a large 

 sum of money, by the North American Commercial Company, 

 for the purpose of killing the seals for their fur. 



Hair seals are very numerous all along the coast, and a variety 

 of this seal is found in Lake Iliamna on the Alaskan Peninsula. 

 This lake is a great distance from the sea, and it is believed by 

 the natives that the seals found there remain and breed inland, 

 without ever going to the sea. As far as I am aware, there is 

 only one other instance known in the world of such an occurrence. 

 This is in lake Baikal,, in Siberia ; and a further study of these 

 animals would be interesting. 



Perhaps the most interesting animal found in Alaska, and 

 certainly the most highly prized, from a sportsman's point of 



