COUNTER-CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 127 



Pribyloff Islands, in the Case of the United States, and 

 Meteorological Tables quoted iu supportof these arguments, iwa., a p pen- 

 it may be well to show here : "^^^ ^°^- '' p- ^^^• 



1. That the northern fur-seal is tolerant of very consid 

 erable, or even of great, differences of climate in respect to 

 its breeding-places. 



2. That a large area of the northern part of the North 



Pacific, including many islands and long stretches of 

 147 coast, affords climatic conditions so similar at the 



breeding season of the seal, as to be for all practical 

 purposes identical, from this point of view. 



On this general subject the British Commissioners write: 



ALEUTIAN ISLANDS AFFORD SIMILAR CONDITIONS. 



The cool aud humid summer climate may doubtless in itself have British Com- 

 beeu cou<>eiiial to the seal, but in this respect, and also in the temper- nii.saiouers' Ite- 

 ature of the sea surrounding them, well-marked differences occur as l'*'rt, P^'a- 247. 

 between the two groups [Commander and Pribyloff], while almost gyg ^§23 ''" ^"'"^ 

 any of the numerous islands of the Aleutian chain afford surroundings 

 so similar in the matter of climate that they would undoubtedly have 

 afforded suitable breeding-places if similarly uninhabited. 



The United States Commissioners also admit that " lim- 

 ited areas" on the Aleutian chain may afford the combina- 

 tion of physical and climatic conditions which they conceive 

 to be necessary for the breeding of the fur-seal. It is 

 believed, however, that these gentlemen speak thus cau- united states 

 tiously in the absence of personal knowledgeof the Aleutian ^^'^^'- P" ^^^" 

 Islands, whereas the whole length of the chain was inspected 

 by the British Commissioners ; and it may further bepointed 

 out that, Irom the nature of the breeding habits of the seal, 

 even limited areas such as those referred to would be amply 

 sufficient for the accommodation of very large breeding 

 colonies. 



NEITHER IS THE FUR-SEAL STRICTLY LI3IITED BY CON- 

 DITION OF CLIMATE. 



It must also be remembered that, even at the present 

 time, breeding colonies are known to exist, not only on the 

 Pribyloff" and Commander Islands, but also on Eobben 

 Island, in the Okhotsk Sea, and on some of the Kurile 

 Islands; and that, therefore, the actual summer tempera- 

 ture and climatic conditions of any of these places must 

 be admitted to be congenial aud favourable to the fur-seals 

 at the breeding season. 



THE SEALS THUS NOT WHOLLY DEPENDENT ON THE 



PRIBYLOFF ISLANDS. 



The importance of this fact lies chiefly in showing that, 

 with proper protection from disturbance, new colonies may 

 be formed; and that, in the abandonment of one breeding- 

 place by the seals, other and suitable ones may be found 

 and occupied. 



A Memorandum and series of Tables relating to the Appendix, voi. 

 climatic conditions of the places in (juestion have been'PP-^"*'**'^- 

 furnished by Mr.C. (Jariuuael, Direc'tor of tlie Meteorologi- 

 cal Service of Canada, and are printed iu the Ai)pendix. 



