OBSERVATIONS DURING A CRUISE ON THE DORA 

 SIEWERD, AUGUST-SEPTEMBER, 1895. 



By a. B. Alexandkr, 



LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 



U. S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries, 



Office of the Commissioner, 



Wafihington, March 9, 1896. 

 Sir: I have the honor to transmit for your information a re])ort by 

 Mr. A. B. Alexander, fisliery exi)ert of the United States Fish Com- 

 mission steamer Alhatro.ss, entitk^d, "Kepprt of observations made dur- 

 ing a cruise in Bering Sea in the sealing schooner J>ora 8ien-cr<l, in 

 August and September, 1895." The preparation of this report has only 

 recently been completed. 



Very respectfully, Herbert A. Gill, 



Acting Commisfi toner. 

 The Secretary of the Treasury, 



Washington, D, C. 



CRUISE OF THE DORA SIEWERD IN BERING SEA. 



Pursuant to instructions from the Hon. Marshall McDonald, United 

 States Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries, to secure passage on a 

 pelagic sealing vessel for the purpose of making a cruise in Bering Sea, 

 with the object of gathering information concerning the pelagic habits 

 of fur seals, the methods employed for their capture at sea, tlieir food, 

 the proportion of each sex represented in the catch, etc., I left the Alba- 

 tross at Unalaska, the middle of July, 1895, to await the arrival of the 

 sealing tleet. Subsequently accommodations were obtained, through 

 the kindness of Capt. H. F. Siewerd, on his vessel, the Bora Siewerd, 

 a schooner of 100 tons register, and one of the largest in the tleet. She 

 carried 18 canoes and 2 boats, and a crew of 36 Indians and 9 white 

 men. As two Indians go in a canoe, the spearsmen and boat steerers 

 were equally divided. 



The writer went on board the Siewerd in the evening of July 27, but 

 owing to stormy weather she did not sail until the morning of the 31st, 

 getting under way in company with 27 other sealing vessels. The wind 

 being light we were obliged to anchor off Ulakhta Head. Hand lines 



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