GENEEAI. HISTORY. 335 



appeired there, however, only in spring and in September, none 

 being seen there from the beginning of June till the end of 

 August, at which time he says they return from the south with 

 their young. Yon Schrenck speaks of their occurrence in the 

 Ochotsk Sea and the Tartarian Gulf as far south as the 46th 

 degree of latitude, or to the southern point of Saghalien Island. 

 The natives reported to him the occurrence of great numbers 

 of the animals on the eastern coast of that island. Captain 

 Scammon also refers to their abundance twenty years since on 

 the eastern side of Saghalien.* 



Except during the season of reproduction, these animals ap- 

 pear to lead a wandering life, but the extent and direction of 

 their migrations are not yet well known. Steller spoke of their 

 migrations as being as regular as those of the various kinds of 

 sea-fowl, and they are recorded as arriving with great regularity 

 at the Prybilov Islands, but where they pass the season of 

 winter is still a matter of conjecture. 



General History. The Xorthern Fur Seal was first made 

 known to science by Steller in 1751, under the name Urstis 

 marinus. During his visit to Kamtschatka and its neighboring 

 islands, in 1742, he met with these animals in great numbers 



* Captain Scammou relates in an oif-hand way, merely as an interesting 

 incident of sealing life, the following : "In the midst of the Crimean War, 

 an enterprising firm in New London, Connecticnt, fitted ont a clipper bark, 

 which was officered and manned expressly for a sealing voyage in the 

 Okhotsk Sea. The captain was a veteran in the business, and many thonght 

 him too old to command, bnt the result of the voyage proved him equal to 

 the task. The vessel proceeded to Robin Island a mere volcanic rock, situ^ 

 ated on the eastern side of the large island of Saghalien. Many outlying 

 rocks and reefs are about it, making it dangerous to approach, and affording 

 but slight shelter for an anchorage. Here the vessel (of about three hun- 

 dred tons) lay, with ground-tackle of the weight for a craft of twice her 

 size. Much of the time fresh winds prevailed, accompanied by the usual 

 ugly ground-swell ; and, in consequence of her being long, low, and sharp, 

 the deck was at such times frequently flooded ; nevertheless, she ' rode-out 

 the whole season, though wet as a half-tide rock,' and a. valuable cargo of 

 skins was procured, which brought an unusually high price in the Etiropean 

 market, on account of the regular Russian supply being cut off in conse- 

 quence of the war. This is only given as one of the many that may be re- 

 lated of sealing life." Marine Mammalia, pp. 150-152. In this connection 

 I can hardly help adding that it is to be regretted that Captain Scammon 

 has not favored us with more of these "incidents," from the important bear- 

 ing they have upon the former distribution and abundance of this and other 

 species of Seal, and that he has not given more explicit references to the 

 localities at which the Fur Seals were formerly hunted on the southern por- 

 tion of the North American coast and elsewhere. 



