44 THE FUR SEALS OP THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



iis many of the pelagic islands of the Antarctic regions.* Perhaps the most northern 

 extent ot this genus is the herd which formerly existed in considerable numbers on 

 Guadalupe Island, and other islands in its vicinity, where a remnant probably still 

 breed liidden in the caves and recesses of their shores. 



THE FUR SEALS OF THE NORTH PACIFIC. 



The fur seals of the North Pacitic belong to the second group, the genus Callo- 

 rhinns. It is resident upon certain barren and rocky islands in Bering Sea and the 

 Sea of Okhotsk, unknown to aboriginal man, and, so far as we are aware, never 

 visited by man before the discovery of the Komandorski Islands by Vitus Bering in 

 1741 and the Pribilof Islands by Gerassim Pribilof in 1780. In addition to the 

 Komandorski and Pribilof islands, seals of the genus Vallorhinus also occujiy certain 

 islands of the Kuril group, and also the rocky islet known as Robben Eeef, oft' the 

 coast of Sagbalin. 



STELLER'S ACCOUNT. 



Our first knowledge of the fur seals of the North comes from the account of Georg 

 Wilhelm Steller {1709-1745), a German naturalist, who accompanied Bering on the 

 voyage which resulted in the discovery of the Komandorski Islands. During the 

 winter which the survivors of the ill fated St. Peter spent on Bering Island, Steller 

 visited the south, or Poludinnoye rookery of this island and wrote an accountt of the 

 fur seals or "sea bears" as lie cnlled them. 



On Steller's description of the "sea bear" ( f"rs«.S' marinun) of Bering Island, 

 Linnreus based his description of Fhoca iirsina, or the bear-like seal. Prom the 

 Linna-an name the fur seal of the North Pacific came to be called Callorhinus ursinus, 

 the type of the species being the Komandorski herd. 



THE THREE HERDS. 



The fur .seals of the North Pacific comprise three distinct herds, which do not 

 intermingle in any way, having distinct breeding grounds, feeding grounds, and 

 routes of migration. 



THE PRIBILOF HERD. 



The mo.st important of the three herds is that which resorts to the Pribilof Islands. 

 These breed upon the islands of St. Paul and St. George during the summer, and in 

 winter pass down through the channels of the Aleutian Islands into the Pacific Ocean 

 in their migrations reaching as far south as the coast of southern California and 

 i-eturning along the west coast of North America. 



THE KOMANDORSKI HERD. 



The next herd in ini])ortance is that resorting to the Komandorski Tslamls. Tliese 

 breed upon the islands of llering and Medni, passing in winter down along the eastern 

 coast of Japan and returning by the same route. 



"A full account of the southern fur seals will be found in Part III of this report. 

 i A tiauslatiou of Steller's account will be found in Part III of this report. 



