202 THE FUR SEALS OP THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



not taken except on three Kuril Islands, and from there to the mouth of the river of 

 Kamchatka, in the so-called Bobrovi [sea otter] Sea, from latitude 50° to 66° N. These 

 bears pass by the Kuril Islands in the early spring, and in September they are taken 

 in small numbers about the mouth of the river called Shupanova and from there 

 to Cape Kronotski in greater numbers. Here, to be sure, between the two capes, 

 Kronotski and Shipunski, the sea is quieter and there are more inlets and recesses; 

 hence the animals delay here longer as they pass by and more of them are caught. 

 Almost all that are caught in the spring are females, and have the young almost ready 

 for birth within them. The foetuses, when removed, are called " Viporofld.'" All that 

 are found are put on the market. They are no longer to be seen anywhere from the 

 first of June to the end of August, when, with their young, they return to the south. 

 For many years these migratory animals have been a source of wonder and specula- 

 lation to the people who have been interested in hunting them. For, whence did 

 these animals come in early spring? Whither were these very fat, these pregnant 

 beasts, going in countless droves'? What are the reasons for this migration? Why 

 do they return with their offspring in the fall so thin, dry, and weak? And whither 

 are they going? 



From the fact that the animals come very fat from the south in early spring and 

 return thither in the fall, it was naturally inferred that they had taken no long 

 journey, and that their winter quarters could not be very far distant, else they would 

 become too thin upon the way. And from the fact that they were all going toward 

 the east and were never seen beyond Cape Kronotski or the mouth of the Kamchatka 

 River, either going east or returning home, they concluded that there must necessarily 

 be some land, either island or mainland, near the land of Kamchatka and in a line 

 with Cape Kronotski. 



Among amphibious sea beasts these are the migratory animals, like geese, swans, 

 and other sea birds, or like catauadromous trout among fishes; the blue foxes, hares, 

 and mice occupy this place among quadrupeds. , Now the migration of the blue fox is 

 undertaken because food becomes scarce. Birds and fishes migrate to lay their eggs 

 or to indulge undisturbed their sexual instincts, and, because their strength is reduced 

 or their feathers shed, and hence they are unable to flee from their foes until these 

 can grow once more, solitary places are chosen by birds and qaiet lakes by fishes. 

 Accordingly, for a similar reason, these northern places are chosen by the sea bears; 

 and these desert islands, lying in great numbers between America and Asia from 50° 

 to 56° north latitude, are chosen for the following reasons. 



That the mothers may bear their young there upon the land and after parturition 

 recruit their strength; further, that the young may there be brought up and nourished 

 and may grow strong enough in three months to follow their parents home in the 

 autumn. The pups are fed with their mother's milk for two months. The mothers 

 have nipples corresponding in form, size, and position with those of the sea otter, and 

 they are situated near the pudenda. They bear one pup at a birth, very seldom two. 

 After parturition they gnaw the umbilical cord off" from the pups with their teeth, as . 

 dogs do, and lick it till it is dry, so as to keep the blood soft until it heals; and they 

 devour the afterbirth greedily. The pups are born with their eyes open, and their 

 eyes are as large as those of a calf. When they are born they have thirty-two teeth 

 started out on a level with the gums; but there are four larger canine teeth, ferocious 

 and suitable for battle, still hidden in the gums. These come out after the fourth day. 

 When the pups are born they are covered with shining black fur all over. But the 



