332 CALLORHINUS URSINUS NORTHERN FUR SEAL. 



GEOGRAPHICAL, DISTRIBUTION AND MIGRATION. The Fur 

 Seal is well known to have been formerly abundant on the 

 western coast of North America, as far south as California, but 

 the exact southern limit of fcheir range I have been unable to 

 determine. Captain Scarnmon speaks of having seen them " on 

 one of the San Benito Islands, on the coast of Lower Califor- 

 nia," and again says, "On the coast of California many beaches 

 were found fronting gullies, where [Fur] Seals in large numbers 

 formerly gathered ; and, as they there had plenty of ground 

 to retreat upon, the sealers sometimes drove them far enough 

 back to make sure of the whole herd, or that portion of them 

 the skins of which were desirable."* He also states that the 

 u Fur Seal and Sea Elephant once made the shores [of Guadalupe 

 Island] a favorite resorting-place," and refers to their former 

 occurrence on Cedros Island, in latitude 28.t Although at 

 one time abundant on the California coast, they are by no means 

 numerous there now, having been nearly exterminated by un- 

 restricted destruction by the sealers. The writer above cited 

 refers also to their capture by the Indians at the mouth of the 

 Strait of Juan de Fuca. The Seals appear here and on the 

 neighboring coast, he adds, '" some years as early as the first of 

 March, and more or less remain till July or August ; but they 

 are most plentiful in April and May. During these two months 

 the Indians devote nearly all their time to sealing when the 

 weather will permit." He reports their increase there in later 

 years, and that while only a few dozens were annually taken 

 there from 1843 to 1864, fully five thousand were taken in 1869.J 

 Captain Bryant has given a similar report, referring especially 

 to their abundance along the coasts of Oregon, Washington 

 Territory, and British Columbia in 1869, as compared with for- 

 mer years. He says those taken "were mostly very young 

 Seals, none appearing to be over a year old. Formerly in 

 March and April the natives of Puget Sound took large num- 

 bers of pregnant females, but no places where they have 

 resorted to breed seem to be known off this coast." He thinks 

 it probable, however, that they may occupy rocky ledges off 



* Marine Mamm., pp. 152, 154. 



t J. Ross Browne's Resources of the Pacific Slope, second part, p. 128. 



$ Marine Mamm., p. 154. 



There are six skulls in the National Museum from Puget Sound and the 

 neighboring coast (collected at several different points by Messrs. Scammon 

 an Swan), all of which are females. 



