2 4 HUNTING THE SEA OTTER. 



sounding flap, flap, our kraken vanished, to appear the next 

 moment in the shape of a dozen large fur seals, craning 

 their heads and necks out of the water, gazing at us in 

 astonishment with their great round eyes. One of them, a 

 fine big fellow, received the contents of my rifle, but, 

 unfortunately, sank before a boat could be lowered. This 

 was the first time we had seen the fur seal sleeping ; they 

 were all in a row, and seemed to be lying on their sides 

 with the flippers bent back to the head, assuming very 

 much the position of the homely whiting when served for 

 breakfast. The body curved, and the flippers, resting on 

 the head, showed daylight underneath, giving the exact 

 representation of a huge, basking snake. 



Both the skipper and myself came to the conclusion 

 that, though incredulous as to the existence of the renowned 

 kraken, if we had not seen the denouement we should 

 hereafter have been inclined to agree with Sir Roger de 

 Coverley, " that a good deal could be said on both sides." 



We saw no sea lions (Eumetopias stelleri], although 

 there is generally a colony of these monsters on the reef. 

 . Yerimo seems to be the western limit of both the fur 

 seal and sea lion, a young one of the former kind has 

 been killed in Hakodate harbour earlier in the year, but 

 whether, as is probable, it came down from the Okhotsk or 

 found its way from Yerimo round Cape Yesan it is im- 

 possible to say. On account of the interest attaching to 

 the subject, no excuse may be needed for introducing here a 

 short account of the fur seal industry, taken from the final 

 report on the tenth census of the United States, giving, as 

 it does, not only a description of the capture of the animal, 

 but of the different processes through which each skin has 

 to pass before it is fit for wear. 



"The killing of fur seals is accomplished entirely on land, 

 and the able-bodied Aleuts who are settled upon the two 

 islands of St. Paul and St. George are, by the terms of the 

 agreement between them and the lessees, the only indi- 

 viduals permitted to kill and skin the seals. For this labour 



