Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-08-09
The SEA OTTER.

An Amphibious Animal Found Nowhere Excepto on
the Western American Coast-The Value of Sea
Otter Skins-How Two Sailors Made Fortune.
(From the N. Y. TInes.l
Sea offers are inhabitants of the coast
of the north Pacific; they are found no.
where else in the world. Formerly they
were abundant, and the whole American
side, from Lower California northward,
swarmed with them, as well as along by
the Aleutian Islands, and Kamschatka,
to the Kurlle Islands. But the unfor-
nate offers wear fur which commands
a high price, and this has caused them
to be hunted without mercy, until now
very few are found in localities where,
only few years ago, they might be seen
in large companies. How much their
habits have been changed because of the
constant warfare against their peace and
their lives we can scarcely tell, because
the old accounts are not sufficiently pre-
else to make us sure that they are entire
ly accurate. 1T has been said that they
used to enter San Francisco Bay, which
is not improbable, for the rocks at its
entrance are such as even now they de-
light to frequent. And it is added that
they assembled the rivers which dow into
the bay, going many miles up into the
fresh water. Mr.. John w. Audubon
reports having seen one in the San Joa-
quin River, nearly up to Stockton,
among tules (too-lays) which everywhere
border the river, but as the specimen
was not secured, it is perhaps possible
that there was an error of observation,
and that the animal seen was the COM
mon otter.
At all events the structure Of the sea
otter shows plainly that his home is in
the water, and that he is not at all fitted
for life on the land. His forefeet are
not unlike those of land animal, but
his hind feet are constructed almost like
the fiippers of the seal. They are made
for swimming, and they do really drive
him through the water with the speed of
fish, but if he is placed on the land
they are seen to be but awkward nipple
ments OF motion. Indeed, when sur
prised by hunters on the land, as they
sometimes are, though they never go
more than very short distance from the
water, their first impulse is always to
make rush for the sea. This they do
ii a clumsy but vigorous manner by a
succession of short energetic leaps, and
the hunters affirm that they can never
be driven out upon the land. They GER
tainly seem to feel that the sea is their
home as much as do the seals, and III
fact their looks and their move
ments while IN the water resemble
very closely those of the seals.
The fur of the sea otter is of the most
exquisite fneness and richness in both
color and texture. The best skins are
of shining Jet black, and their elegance
of surface and of body is perhaps not
surpassed by that of any other fur
known. The majority of the skins show
very rich dark brown, those of a poorer
quality, especially those from young
animals, becoming lighter. It is some
what remarkable that this fur has never
become fashionable in our cities. The
richest and most expensive seal-skin
sacque that have even seen cannot sus-
tain any comparison whatever in ele-
ganee with what the same garment would
have been if made from the prime skins
of the sea otter. And yet this charming
fur is allowed TO go almost exclusively
to the Chinese market.
The skins of scarcely any other fur
bearing animal bring to high price in
di7Idually as do those of the sea otter /
saw cargo of them brought into San
Francisco, of which not one was worth
less than $75, and they ranged from that
to S120. Those, however, were of un-
common excellence; they usually bring
from $40 to $40, and it would probably
be fair to average them at $50. Now,
taking them at this price, only see what
enormous results have been obtained
When the Prybilov Islands were first
discovered, two sailors alone, named
Lukannon and Kaiekov, killed in the
first year 5000 sea offers; the first party
which reached Cooks Inlet obtained
5000 skins; the first visit of the Rus
SLAMS 10 the Gulf of Gahkulat in 1894
yielded 1000 And tire skins were then
worth as much as they are now, SO that
the seasons work of those two sailors
first mentioned, on the Island of st.
Paul, Zone of the Prybilovs, J amounted
to no less a sum certainly than $3.50. 900,
pretty fair wages, we should say, for
men like them, for they were barely
common mariners.
But such wholesale slaughter as this
could not continue, for III the following
year they got not quite a thousand. and
In a few years more they had driven all
the survivors away, and the offers en-
tirely abandoned ST. Paurs Island; none
have appeared there since. The history
has been similar all along the coast, and
unless our government takes active and
vigorous measures to prevent their de-
struction the sea offers will become SO
nearly exterminated that they will cease
to afford any profitable returns for the
hunting.
One singular fact in relation TO the sea