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The fur seal comes on to the Commander Islands for 

 the purpose of breeding, and feeding their young, until 

 they become capable of swimming long distances. Fur 

 seal is the typical sea-animal (of the open sea), the best 

 swimmer, unhesitatingly swims 60 to a 100 miles searching 

 their favourable food (Gonatus amoenus); should it not be 

 kept on shore by its family duties, which cease, for the 

 male after having fecundated all the females of his 

 harem; the female does not venture far out into sea, during 

 her stay on shore, if only her young one is not dead, or 

 if she is not very young herself (the maternal instinct by 

 young females is very weak). Though this circumstance 

 is conditional and depends entirely on the configuration 

 of the shore and the surrounding depths; if the seals find 

 plenty of food near the shore, they have no reason to go 

 far out. The seals of Behring Isl. go out less into the 

 sea, than those of Copper Isl., a fact that coincides with 

 the configuration of the shores and the depths near the 

 rookeries. Only part of the effective number of fur seals 

 go on to the shore and remain in the rookeries; for this 

 latter circumstance a developed, sexual instinct is required, 

 which with the seal appears comparatively late; groups 

 of such fur seals (a mixture of } T oung males and females) 

 are found far from their dwelling-places, to this number 

 must be reckoned males and females, who have finished 

 their sexual life; they also go shorewards, emerge for 

 recreation, but do not stay long in one place (the bache- 

 lors); but the young females generally come towards the 

 shore and climb on to it, when the harem-season is fini- 

 shed (at the beginning of August). 



The earliest appearance on the Commander Islands 

 of bulls with the growing up bachelors is stated for the 

 23 April; the latest departure of seals is at the end of 

 November. In very calm and warm winters groups of 

 seals are seen on the water near the Behring Isl. 



The name of «rookery» is accepted for the place, 

 where the seals congregate on the shore. From year to 



