THE RUSSIAN FUK-SEAL ISLANDS. 
87 
FEEDING-GROUNDS OF COMMANDER ISLANDS SEALS. 
It was formerly held by those who had aiiythiug to do with the Eussian fur-seals 
that the females ouly weut a comparatively short distance from the islands to feed. 
This assumption was based upon no obsei ved fact whatsoever, and was ouly a general 
expression of the total ignorance of the true location of these feeding-grounds. 
When the Canadian sealing fleet, in 1892, in a body resorted to the Commander 
Islands, after having been excluded from the eastern portion of Bering Sea, an inkling 
of the truth Avas felt, and undoubtedly to some extent intluenced those Avho were 
responsible for the 30-mile zone flxed in the Enssian-British modus vivendi of 1893. 
But it was not until the logs of the more successful schooners had been published and 
their positions at noon every day, Avith numbers of seals taken during the iiast 24 hours 
plotted on the charts, that the true status of affairs was made clear. It was then 
manifest that the bulk of the catch was taken on a conpjaratively limited area south 
of Co[)per Island, approximately bounded by 52° 30' and 54° 30' north latitude, and by 
105° and 170° east longitude. The richest hauls, howeA'cr, Avei’e made Avithin a much 
more restricted area south and south-southwest, and on the line betAveen this area 
and the rookeries of that island. As a matter of fact the overwhelming majority of 
the skins were taken more than 30 miles distant from the island, and most of the 
skins that Avere taken closer in were secured by those of the schooners that found 
it more tempting to raid the rookeries from a safe distance. The time of the season 
during Avhich the fleet operated that year was chiefly during the months of July and 
August. There is, therefore, not the slightest doubt about the correctness of regarding 
the area as above limited as the feeding-grounds of the seals frecpieuting the Copper 
Island breeding-grounds (pi. 1). 
The season of 1892 failed to throw much light upon the question Avhere the 
Bering Island seals go to feed during the same months. The Vancouver Belle made 
a reconnaissance to the northeast and north of Bering Island, at a distance varying 
between 20 and 100 miles, but obtained only a fcAx (13) stray seals, and hastened back 
to the Copper Island grounds. The Maud 8. made a similar trip of exploration 
around Bering Island Avith a similar residt (27 seals). The experience of the fleet, 
however, demonstrated pretty clearly that the Bering Island seals do not go to the 
Copper Island grounds to feed. It seems that the Henry Dennis was on or near the 
Bering Island feeding-grounds, for between August 1 and 7 she took 189 seals in a 
restricted area a little more than 100 miles due northeast of the Bering Island North 
Eookery. 
The experience of 1895 seems to shoAv that the Bering Island feeding-gTounds 
are someAvhat more distant and more extensive than the Copper Island ones, for the 
Jane Grey took 05 seals between August 16 and 21 about 25 miles from the Kamchat- 
kan coast, east of Cape Afrika, Avhile the Ida Etta obtained 180 skins betAveen August 
20 and September 4, 20 to 30 miles northeast and east from Cape Nagikinski, as 
detailed elsewhere in this report. 
