11 



ing ;il()U,!i, the roast of Alaskn, British Columbia, aiul the United States as far south 

 at h^ast as ,Sau Iraueiseo. Tliey are not knowu to foiiie on laud anywhere but on 

 the I'ribiiof Islands except, perha])S, in very rare eases where the animals have 

 been wounded. Id like manner the C'onunander Island herd moves south\vard in 

 winter alons the east eor.st of Japan, and the herd from Kobben Island passes 

 from Okhotsk Sea along the coast of the inland sea of Japan. 



THE MALE FUR SEAL. 



The male fur seal reaches full maturity at the age of about 7 years. At that time 

 his weight is about 400 t0 500 jjounds, being considerably heavier when lirst in from 

 the sea in the spring or fall than in the intervening jieriod when he is fastiug on 

 land.. The males vary considerably in color, the general shade being black or dark 

 hrowu. with longer hairs or bristles of yellowisli white. These are specially long 

 and numerous mi the thickened back of the neck, forming the so-called '' wig." The 

 male is counuouly known as the "bull," in Russian as "sikatch," in Aleut "atagh." 

 Earlier observers made use of the appropriate uameof " beachmaster," which deserves 

 to be retained. 



THE FEMALE FUR SEAL. 



The female fur seal is much smaller than the male, with soft, smooth fnr of varying 

 shades of brown, the younger females being usually, but not always, silvery white 

 nnderneath the throat. The female bears her first offspring at the age of '.^ years, 

 hut her full growth is not attained till two or three years later. The average weight 

 of the grown female is about 80 pounds. The female is connnonly known as the 

 "cow," in Russian as "matka"or mother. The name "cla])-match" used by the 

 early explorers is now obsolete. 



THE YOUNG FUR SEAL. 



The young fur seal, knowu as the *'i>u]i," in Russian "kotik" or "kitten," is born 

 soon after the arrival of the cow, It is black in color, sometimes brownish on the 

 belly and with a large whitish spot in the axil. Its weight at birth is about 10 

 pounds. 



TMK HAltEM. 



THE YOUNG MALE FUK SEAL. 



The young male, known as the " bachelor," in Russian "holostiak," is very similar 

 to the' female in color and appearance. The holostiak is not permitted to enter the 

 rookeries in the breeding season. Tlie old males are very strenuous in this regard 

 and the bachelors are forced to form se]tarate herds on what are known as the 

 "hauling grounds." While the males and females on the islands are more or less 

 detinitely fixed to the siiot selected by them in the breeding rookery, it is not so with 

 the young males, and the movements of the bachcdor herds are very irregular. For 

 this reason the hauling grounds are much more extensive than the breeding grounds 

 and their occu])ancy varies from day to day. From these hauling grounds, in the 

 season when their fur is at its best, the young bachelors of about 'A years of age 

 are driven and killed. These young males are known as '' killable " seals. Small 

 4-year-olds and large 2-year-old8, ait]iroximating the size of the 3-year-olds, are 

 also regarded as killable. Mixed with the bachelors are found the so-called half 

 bulls (polosikatch). The.se animals, from 4 to 6 years of age, have the size and. 

 ap])earance of grown bulls, but lack their strength and courage, and can not main- 

 tain themselves on the rookeries. 



NAMES OF THE DIFFEUENT CATEGOUIES OF FUK SEALS. 



The eccentricities of the nomenclature of the fur seal has been frequently noted. 

 It seems, for example, incongruous that a "cow" should occupy a place in a "harem" 

 on a "rookery" and bear a "pup," and that the young so born, if a male, should be 

 known for the lirst years of his life as a bachelor. But these names, as Mr. Elliott 

 has observed, are justitied because they are pat. When understood, they create no 



