— s — 



not disliked by the sea-otter and herds of hair seal. 

 The sea-coast to the depth of 30 fathoms is fairly in- 

 structive in its natural richness in crabs, molluscs and 

 fish, collections of which are still being made. All that 

 is known up to now, allows the Behring sea to be re- 

 ckoned as a special zoological sub-region. The Commander 

 Islands are situated exactly on the borders of the two 

 parts of the Behring sea and the N. W. part of the 

 Pacific. The open sea becomes characteristic through 

 the great quantity of swimming molluscs, which serve 

 as food for whales and fur-seals (Gonatus amoenus-squid 

 English authors). Cephalopodes — two species of Octopus 

 are numerous and serve as food to sea-lions and to the 

 population; their young ones are greedily eaten by large 

 fishes (cod, hallibut). Those of the Onychotheutis species 

 (there are two kinds) grow to marvellous size. 



Whales are inhabitants of the open sea and appear 

 in herds from October month and leave the Islands du- 

 ring April, going north towards the pack ice-regions. 

 There are no whales near the Commander Islands from 

 which whale — bones are got; but sometimes the currents 

 bring in single, dead specimens Balaena japonica, as well as 

 Physeter macrocephalus, comparatively more of the latter. 

 During the last few years in consequence of the decrease 

 in whale-killing in general and their departure more 

 towards the north, dead whales are seldom washed on 

 shore. The most numerous and common kind of whale 

 is the Rachionectus glaucus called b} r the population by 

 mistake the small Coulema. The Hump-back whales 

 (Balaenoptera Velifera, Megaptera) are not as yet deter- 

 mined. The natives of the Commander Islands use the 

 flesh and fat of the whale as food for dogs, and likewise 

 for themselves. 



Near the Islands there are two other kinds of whales 

 to be found of the group Ziphiidae, which only became 

 known in a fossilised state in the first part of last century. 

 To this categor} 7 of whales may be added the Mesoplo- 



