THE RUSSIAN FUR-SEAL ISLANDS. 
19 
FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE COMMANDER ISLANDS. 
The animals and plants of the Coniinauder Islands have been studied since Steller 
set foot on the virgin ground of Bering Island in 1741. lie collected and described 
all the new things he saw, and if he had lived to elaborate his collections and fuush 
his work, but little would have been left for his successors. Since then Vosuesseuski 
has been on the island; Dr. Dybowski collected during various visits between 1879 
and 1883; Nordenskiceld’s Vega expedition, with his admirable staff of scientists, 
Nordquist, Kjellman, Stuxberg, and Almrpiist, used their five days’ stay in 1870 
exceedingly well; and, above all, Mr. Grebnitski has devoted work, time, and money 
during nearly twenty years to enrich the Bussian museums, particularly that of the 
Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, with extensive and costly collections 
of natural history. The United States ISTational Museum is also indebted to him for 
valuable material. Finally, during my stay in 1883-83, and to a less extent in 189.1, 1 
myself have been able to add my mite to our knowledge of the tlora and fauna of these 
islands, nearly all my collections being now in the United States JNational Museum. 
Yet the subject is not exhausted; many animals and plants occurring there remain 
uncollected, while many of the collections in the museums await the arrival of the 
specialist to work them up. 
Lack of time and space prevents more than the briefest possible resume of the sub- 
ject in the iiresent connection; a more exhaustive treatise would make a book in itself. 
There is abundant evidence in the material at hand to show that the islands during 
the period previous to which they received their i>resent fauna and flora were totally 
covered by the sea, and that since that time they have not been connected with the 
mainland on either side. From this it follows that the animals and plants are not truly 
indigenous, though I have no doubt that many of the numerous species described as 
new from these islands are really peculiar, and not found elsewhere; but in that case 
their origin on the islands is undoubtedly due to comparatively recent isolation. The 
sporadic character of the fauna and flora as shown in the great number of genera 
in x>roportion to the species, as well as the absence of many forms Avhich, from their 
general distribution, would be expected to occur, is clearly indicative of the accidental 
immigration of the component species. They evidently immigrated, especially and 
more regularly from the west, from Asia, by means of prevailing winds — currents 
and driftwood carried by these — and more seldom from the east, from America. That 
such inhabitants as are more independent of the above agencies likewise show nearer 
relationship to the Asiatic fauna is partly due to the shorter distance and partly to 
the well-known effort of the Asiatic fauna to extend beyond its own limits. 
As might be expected from their location, the islands are chiefly paliearctic in 
their bio-geographical relations, with a fair sprinkling of circumpolar, American, and 
North Pacific forms. The marine fauna and flora partake more particularly of this 
latter character, and it is probable that Dr. W. H. Dali’s conchrsions, derived from a 
study of the mollusks, applies to most of the other marine animals, viz : 
The fauna of Commander Islands, as far as known, is intimately related to the general Arctic 
fauna and especially to the Aleutian fauna, somewhat less so to the Kamchatka fauna, hut presents 
in itself nothing distinctive. While the faunal aspect of the mollusca is boreal, there is a number 
greater than might be expected of species common to .lapan and California. 
To this statement he afterwards added the note : 
The connection with .lapan is rather that the northern forms extend southward into Japan than 
that any characteristic Japanese forms extend north. (Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., ix, 1886, p. 219.) 
