332 OUR ARCTIC PROVINCE. 



liim Avlio comes for the first time, during a summer season, to the 

 Island of St. Paul — where, when the landing boat or lighter carries 

 him ashore from the vessel, this whole short marine journey is en- 

 livened by the gambols and aquatic evolutions of fur-seal convoys 

 to the "bidarrah," which sport joyously and fearlessly round and 

 round his craft, as she is rowed lustily ahead by the natives ; the 

 fur-seals then, of all classes, " hoUuschickie " principally, pop their 

 dark heads up out of the sea, rising neck and shoulders erect above 

 the surface, to peer and ogle at him and at his boat, diving quickly 

 to reappear just ahead or right behind, hardly beyond striking dis- 

 tance from the oars. These gymnastics of CaUorhinus are not wholly 

 performed thus in silence, for it usually snorts and chuckles with 

 hearty reiteration. 



The sea-lion up here also manifest much the same marine in- 

 terest, and gives the voyager an exhibition quite similar to the one 

 which I have just spoken of, when a small boat is rowed in the 

 neighborhood of its shore rookery ; it is not, however, so bold, con- 

 fident, and social as the fur-seal under the circumstances, and utters 

 only a short, stifled growl of surprise, perhaps ; its mobilit}', how- 

 ever, of vocalization is sadly deficient when compared with the scope 

 and compass of its valuable relative's polygiottis. 



The hair-seals {Phoca vitulina) around these islands never ap- 

 proached our boats in this manner, and I seldom caught more than 

 a furtive glimpse of their short, bull-dog heads when traversing the 

 coast by water. 



The walrus (Rosmarus obesus) also, like Phoca vitulina, gave un- 

 doubted evidence of sore alarm over the presence of my boat and 

 crew anywhere near its proximity in similar situations, only show- 

 ing itself once or twice, perhaps, at a safe distance, by elevating 

 nothing but the extreme tip of its muzzle and its bleared, jDOj^ping 

 eyes above the water ; it uttered no sound except a dull, muffled 

 grunt, or else a choking, gurgling bellow. 



What can be done to jiromote the increase of fur seals? We 

 cannot cause a greater number of females to bfe born every year 

 than are born now ; we do not touch or disturb these females as 

 they grow up and live ; and we never will, if the law and present 

 management is continued. We save double — we save more than 

 enough males to serve ; nothing more can be done by human agency ; 

 it is beyond our power to protect them from their deadly marine 

 enemies as they wander into the boundless ocean searching for food. 



