210 THE FUR SEALS OF THE PRIBH.OF ISLANDS. 



three whole days, and was wounded all over in more than a hundred places. The sea 

 bears never mingle ic their fights, but if a quarrel arises they run away, looking all 

 around them. They yield them the choice of places and allow their females and pups 

 to indulge in various sports, and dare not object. As far as possible they avoid all 

 dealings with the sea lions, but these, uninvited and unwelcome, often mix in their 

 quarrels. The old and decrepit among them grow white around the head, and beyond 

 all doubt these beasts are very long-lived. They scratch their ears and head with 

 their hind Hippers, as the bears do, and stand, swim, lie down, and walk in the same 

 way. They low like cows and the young bleat like sheep, and while I was among them 

 it seemed to me as if I were playing shepherd and were mingling with herds of cattle. 

 The old and worn-out emit an odor, but far milder and less offensive than that of the 

 sea bears. They are found in this island in spring, as well as in winter and summer, 

 but only in certain i^arts — those that are rocky and near precipices. Nevertheless, 

 others come here every year along with the sea bears. I have seen them in great 

 numbers along the American shores. They are found in Kamchatka almost all the 

 time. They do not go above 56° north latitude. They are hunted a great deal near 

 Cape Kronotski and around the island Ostrovnaia, around Avatcha Gulf, and from 

 here as far as Cape Lopatka. They are found in the Kuril Islands and almost as I'ar 

 as Matinej Island. Captain Spangberg on his chart has named a certain island from 

 the number of these animals that he found upon it, and from a cliff overhanging their 

 city, the "Palace of Sivutch.'' The sea lion is never seen in the Penshin Sea. The 

 reasons why thei^e beasts come hither in June, July, and August, are for (juiet, for par- 

 turition, for rearing and teaching the pups, and for copulation. Before and after this 

 period they are found in greater numbers on the shores of Kamchatka. 



As to the food of these beasts, they jtrey upon fish and seal especially, and also 

 upon otter and other sea animals. The old ones eat little or nothing at all in June 

 and July, but take theii- ease and sleep, and at the same time become very thin. 



HABITS AND CHARACTERISTICS OK THE SEA OTTER. 



These animals are very beautiful, and because of their beauty they are very valuable, 

 as one may well believe of a skin the hairs of which, an inch or an inch and a half in 

 length, are very soft, very thickly set. Jet black and glossy. Tiie soft underfur also 

 among the longer hairs is black; but the tips, or the hairs from the middle on, are 

 black, while the bases or roots are whitish, lustrous like silk, and silvery. The most 

 valuable skins are almost perfectly black ; others are found with silvery fur shining 

 (piite white all over, but they occur very rarely. Although as time goes on they change 

 the color of their hair, they are still much more constant than the sables, and sable 

 skins never shine with so deep a natural blackness as the otter's. The one thing to 

 be deplored is that the skin is too thick and heavy, and for that reason is less pleasing 

 to the eyes of the gentler sex; for the skin of an adult otter weighs, on an average, 3^ 

 pounds. 



Rarely is an otter caught that is black all over; the head of the best grade of 

 otters is silvery gray ; tbe cheaper grade of otter has a head of a tawny color and 

 yellowish fur; and the lowest grade of otter is that which has no long hair, and is 

 clad only in short, dirty-gray fur. With these animals matters stand like this: the 

 skins of certain animals always grow red hairs, rarely very long, while the animals 

 themselves are stupid, sluggish, surly, sleepy; they lie forever asleei> upon the icy 

 rocks; they move slowly, and can be captured without any painstaking or ingenuity, 



