168 
IN FORBIDDEN SEAS 
across the top so that the beasts could not get out; 
the boat was then three-parts filled with water, 
which made our captives feel happy. The small 
pups were fed with condensed milk, but we had 
nothing for the large ones ; however, as the fur-seal 
is capable of fasting for two or three months when 
in first-rate condition, I thought we should be able 
to get them down alive. We made rather a long 
passage to Yokohama, and on the thirteenth day 
the male died. The sixteenth day out we bought a 
number of flying-fish from a fishing-boat off the 
Japan coast, and our seal ate four of them, the pups 
eating some pieces of another. On arrival at Yoko¬ 
hama I offered to present the seals to the Zoological 
Gardens in Tokyo, if they would send for them; but 
no notice was taken of my letter, and, after waiting 
for more than a month, I sold the big seal to a 
Japanese, who intended to exhibit it; the pups I 
gave away, but they did not live long. Some months 
later, when passing through a part of the Japanese 
city where shows are held, I saw over one of these 
places a large picture of a seal being captured by a 
Japanese boat in a rough sea; inside I found our 
old friend in a large tank of w^ater, now quite tame 
and very fat. The public paid a few coppers to 
enter, and could purchase small fish with which to 
feed her. 
On the run down with our first lot of skins to 
Hakodate we took two young wild-geese from 
Ushishir, where a few resort to breed. We fed our 
captives with wild celery and other greenstuff. 
These birds became very tame and impudent, even 
disputing with the dog over his food. Before 
sailing for Yokohama, we ran over to Ushishir in 
