The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1867-08-16
From the Atlantic MontAly.
Animal Life in Russian America.

Russian America teens with animal
lie. Its seas afford the finest fisheries in
the world, its rivers are filled with fish,
and It's woods, hills, valleys, and plains
support vast quantities of fur bearing ami
mails and valuable birds. The waters of
the North Pacific, along the whole coast
from Dixon's Strait to the end Of the
Aleutian Islands, swarm with cod and
halibut Of the largest size. In 1865,
Acting Surveyor Giddings, of Washington
Territory, called the attention of the Sec
rotary of the Interior to this fact. After
describing the fisheries in the Strait of
Fuca, he said i: "Farther north. along the
coast, between Cape Flattery and Sitka, in
the Russian Possessions, both cod and
halibus are plenty, and of much larger
size than those taken at the Cape, or far
Their up the straits and sound. No one
who knows those facts for a moment
doubts that, if vessels similar to those
used by the Bank fishermen that sail from
Massachusetts and Maine were fitted out
here, and were to fish on the various banks
along this coast, it would even now be a
'>ASs' 'oeiou'o UuSlueSS. Y. LIE
cod and halibut on this coast, up near
sitka, are fully equal to the largest taken
in the Eastern waters"
The Legislature of Washington Terri
tory, by formal resolution, called the at.
tentlon of the general government to the
great value of the fisheries of the Russian
American coast, and petitioned for the
adoption OF such measures as would OBJ
tain for Americans the right to fish in
those waters. Lieutenant Pease reports
that, ON the passage up, the sea near the
Kodiak group of islands was found to be
tnll of cod, barrel of which was caught
with line as the vessel sailed through
NO attempt has been made to utilize those
treasures OF the deep, except by the Rus
SLAMS on the islands and coast, who fish for
their own support and that of the Indians
dependent on them. Whales are numer-
GUS in the North Pacific, and also in
Behring's Sea, the whalers following them
up to Behring's Strait.
The rivers, from tho Sitkine to the
highest known on tie great peninsula,
swarm with fish, especially with the diff
ferent varieties of salmon. In the Silk.
inc the salmon and salmon-trout are plen-
tiful. The red salmon, or "squoggan" of
the natives, weighing about four pounds,
is taken in July and August, aud The
salmon-the native "kase," weighing
sometimes thirty pouDds-is taken from
the commencement of the fishing season
until late in the autumn. The rivers of
the upper peninsula abound in salmon of
the largest size, white fish. in immense
quantities, sturgeon, pike, and mountain
trout. The natives catch pike, salmon,
and white-6sh by spearing them, using
long ,shafted spear with loose head at
tached to the shaft by short line. They
launch this spear with great dexterity,
and the head, when buried in the fish, is
detached from the shaft, the short line al
lowing play to the fish, which cannot
twist itself free. Lieutenant Pease re-
ports spearing salmon weighing forty
pounds, and pike six feet in length The
natives dry the fish iu strips, which, with
dried reindeer meat, form their winter
provisions.
The islands on the Pacific coast have
been favorite haunts of the fur seal and
the sea otter, and it was from this source
that the Russian Fur Company obtained
the greater part of their supplies. Ia
spite of eighty years of war waged upon
them by the hunters for this company,
the numbers of the seal and the otter have
not seriously diminished. Above the
Alaska peninsula, where they have been
almost exempt from molestation, they are
found in immense numbers. On the is-
land Of St. Paul are large numbers of fur
seal, and seal of different varieties with
herds of walrus swarm along the coast of
Behring's Sea.
The animal life along the Yukon and
its tributaries is reported by Lieutenant
Pease and the late Major Kinnicot to be
in astonishing quantity and great variety,
and the Russian explorers of the Kushok
vim and other rivers of the continent give
similar reports. Among the fur bearing
animals that are found in great numbers
may be enumerated the otter, beaver,
mink, ermine, martin, black and Arctic
foxes, large and small marmots, squirrels
red variety with very handsome fur,
being particularly noticeable, lynx, VOL
VERNE, wolves, black, grizzley and Arctic
bears, muskrats ora different species from
those found in the lower attitudes, REIN
deer, and, north of the Yukon, the
moose. ..,.
But, great as are the numbers and va
riety of these animals, the feathered life
of the country is still more remarkable
The region which lies between the Rocky
Mountains and Behring's Sea is the
breeding place of myriads of birds that
visit the lower ATTITUDES during portion
of the year. The winged column that
comes up the eastern slope of the Rocky
Mountains from the Atlantic coast and
the Gulf Of Mexico, and the. column that
comes up its western face and the Sierra
Nevada from the lower latitudes of the
Pacific Ocean, meet on this spot, feast on
the berries that cover the ground 10 pro;