ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



1331 



The record of 8,388 fur seals taken in 1806, 

 found in Mariner's Tonga, is most interesting 

 in this connection. 



PUFFER IN NORMAL CONDITION 



Island oif Lower California, it having been de- 

 termined between the captain and the whaling- 

 master "that the Port au Prince should proceed 

 for the island of Ceros, to make up for her ill- 

 success in her whaling cruise, by laying in a 

 cargo of elephant oil and seal skins." 



"She left Ceros on the 28d of August, and on 

 the 25th came to an anchor at the Benito Is- 

 lands, where she remained till the 11th of Sep- 

 tember, having salted and laid in 8,838 seal 

 skins. On the 19th of September, having 

 touched at the island of Guadalupe, she stood 

 out to sea, taking a fresh departure from this 

 place for the island of Owhyee [Hawaiian Is- 

 lands]." 



In November, according to the narrative, the 

 Port ail Prince reached the Tonga Islands, 

 where she was seized by the natives, who burned 

 her and murdered half of the crew, Mr. Mar- 

 iner being among those spared. 



The cargo of seal skins was no doubt lost 

 with the vessel, as mention is made in the nar- 

 rative of the loss of the whale oil that was on 

 board. Doubtless there was oil of the elephant 

 seal of Lower California in the cargo, the spe- 

 cies being formerly abundant at Cerros, where 

 the vessel remained nearly a month. 



The Guadalupe fur seal, so far as known, 

 has not been seen since 1894, and even now 

 may be nearer to extinction than the elephant 

 seal of the same region. In March, 1911, the 

 writer made a search for it at Guadalupe, but 

 without success. 



It is altogether probable that many whaling 

 vessels of the earlier period of the century vis- 

 ited the islands off Lower California in search 

 of fur seal skins, and that other published or 

 log-book records on the former abundance and 

 habits of this seal will eventually come to the 

 notice of naturalists. 



THE PUFFER. 



Its Defense by Inflation. 



By C. H. TOWNSEND. 



PUFFER fishes inhabit all tropical and 

 warm seas. There are many species; 

 some of them reaching a length of about 

 two feet. They have attracted attention from 

 the earliest times on account of their habit of 

 inflating themselves with air or water until they 

 become almost spherical in shape. 



When puffers are dragged ashore in a net 

 they will quickly take in air until the skin is 

 stretched to its fullest extent, and remain in- 

 flated until thrown into the water. Even when 

 thrown back they may float for a time upside 

 down, with the abdomen, or in some species, 

 with oesophagus still tightly distended. If left 

 on the beach they can be knocked about with- 

 out a 23article of air escaping and may die in 

 that condition. 



The habit of inflation is protective, and the 

 fishes will distend themselves with water as 

 tightlj^ as with air, if they are attacked under 

 water. 



A few good-sized scup or porgy were placed 

 in an aquarium tank containing a dozen young 

 puffers about two inches in length. The hun- 

 gry scup attacked them at once. In an instant 

 all the puffers were fully inflated with water 

 and became almost globular in form, so that 

 the scup were unable to do more than knock 



PUFFER. INFLATED 



