O.V THE R4U.VA OF JAPAN. 125 



ling of the arctic or subarctic and tropical or subtropical forms. The 

 Japan Sea may be dealt with as corresponding as a whole to this zone. 



3). Southern zone, comprising the shores of the parts of Japan 

 proper lying to the south of the Shiwo-no-misaki, the Loochoo group, 

 the Bonin group, and Formosa. 



Now, we may proceed to consider in somewhat greater detail 

 peculiarities presented by the more important animal form.s in these 

 three districts. 



Northern Zone. — This district is frankly subarctic, containing 

 animals characteristic of the Behring Sea on the one hand, and of the 

 Okhotsk Sea on the other. Amongst the carnivorous mammals the sea 

 otter {Enliydra hdris) is circumpolar in range, being confined to the 

 north of Hokkaido, while the Steller sea lion {Eumetopias juhata) and 

 several seals (Phoca vitulina, Fh. fasciata, etc.) frequent the more south- 

 ern waters, some of them occasionally appearing in the seas off Hok- 

 kaido and Amurland. The northern fur seal {Callorhynus ursinus) 

 which is of economic importance particularly abounds in Kaihyo-to, a 

 small island near Saghalien and also on some islands of the Kuriles. 

 In winter it extends to as far south as the luubo-saki, on the Pacific 

 side, and Korea, on the Japan Sea side. 



Turning to cetacea, we iind three whalebone wdiales, such as 

 Balaena glacialis, B. onysticidus, and lihacJiianectes glaucus. Of these 

 the first two right whales are circumpolar in range, being found in the 

 farthest northern waters in summer, and migrating in w^inter southwards 

 to the Okhotsk Sea, or even to the northern parts of the Japan Sea and 

 the Pacific. The third, the Californian gray whale, is an inhabitant of 

 the northern Pacific, and undertakes an annual migration on both sides 

 of the Ocean as regularly as the seasons. On the Japanese side it 

 frequents the Okhotsk Sea in summer. From late November to early 

 February it makes its appearance on the eastern coast of Korea, probab- 

 ly passing steadily through the Soya strait and the Japan Sea. Then 

 it travels southwards to the East China Sea, to give birth to its young. 

 In spring it reappears on the eastern coast of Korea, in company with 

 its young, and proceeds northwards to the Okhotsk Sea, swimming in 

 all probability slowly along the coasts of the Asiatic continent and 

 Saghalien. Besides, there occur some toothed whales, such as the True 

 porpoise (Phocaenotdes truei), the striped porpoise {Lagenorhyndms 

 ohliquidens), the northern porpoise whale {Bai-ardius hairdii), etc. 

 Of these the first two extend southwards down to off Kinkwasan, and 



