— 21 — 



liamentary commission and of those naturalists, who 

 visited these Islands. One of these works, of Dr. Steinegr 

 is splendidly illustrated and is now being translated into 

 Russian and will be published by the Ministry of Agri- 

 culture. The Imperial Academy of Science has long since 

 given up equipping expeditions for studying our land 

 and such ideal places for naturalists as Kamtchatka and 

 the Commander Islands will most likely have a long time 

 to wait still for explorers. To persons interested in seals, 

 one may mention the valuable work by David Starr 

 Jordan with his numerous fellow — labourers under the 

 title of: The fur-seals and, fur-seal Islands of the North 

 Pacific Ocean. 



E n h y d r i s 1 u t r i s. The sea-otter is reckoned by lear- 

 ned men to have belonged (already for some years) to the 

 number of disappearing animals, and thus on a full foun- 

 dation. The extermination of sea-otters began in the middle 

 of the XVIII century and is actively continued up to the 

 present time. Man alone is guilty of its extermination. 

 There are places, where sea-otters used to live in great 

 numbers, they were twice extirpated in great masses, 

 but afterwards in consequence of precautions taken, a 

 small number, which were saved from being extirpated- 

 multiplied, make it possibility to catch in nets about 

 ■200 animals every year without affecting the herds. 

 This is Copper Isl. of the Commander Islands. The na- 

 turalist Steller — from Behring's expedition (the latter 

 died on this Island and in his memory it was called the 

 Behring Island) — exported above 700 sea-otter skins, 

 while the whole crew lived upon sea-otter and sea-cow's 

 flesh. The Russian traders rapidly extirpated the sea- 

 otters on Behring Island, who took refuge on the inhos- 

 pitable Copper Island, where they were also exterminated. 

 In 1763 — 22 years after the discovery of the Islands, 

 instead of exporting a thousand skins only 20 animals 

 were caught. In the interval of trade up to the time of 

 the starting of it by the Russ. Amer. Co. the sea-otters 



