Passaic City record., 1892-12-31
THE "SEA-APE.'
DrrER AND oTTER-HUNTTNG ON
THE PACIFIC COAST.
Early Hunters of the Animal--Phey
Are Becoming Scarce-dethods
of Hunting Them-Some
of Their Habits.

Russian commandero OF the square
1 built, high-decked ship Saint
Peter, was the first European to
describe the strange sssea-ape," as he
called 1t. This, writes Charles H. Shinn,
in the New Orleans Picayune, was in
174O, and all that had been previously
known about the creature was that its
fur, which, as early as the middle OF the
seventeenth century, had reached the
Amsterdam markets, was of surprising
beauty and value. It was said that the
Tartars caught the creature burrowing
underground, like an immense mole;
another legend described it as dwelling
on the sea bottom, and never reaching
the surface. Captain Behring'S discover
les awakened Russian enterprise and led
to the settlement of Alaska and the Rus
sian fort on Bodega Bay. Captain Cook
wrote reports on the sea otter for the
English Government, and the Hudson
Bay Company soon entered the field.
Enormous profits were made In the first
years of the traffic; thousands OF skins,
worth from 5000 to $500 apiece, were
easily secured. Baranof carried 81, ,0OO,-
900 worth to st. Petersburg from his
expedition.
At the present time, the plucky and
hardy sea beast whose fur has SO long
ranked among the most precious OF the
garments Of king and czar is yearly be-
coming more difficult to find. The
days when the rugged Aluets could sur
round bands of offers in the open sea,
and spear them from skin canoes, are
gone forever; the "kalan" as the natives
name the animal, is seldom attained in
these days by any of the old methods.
Sur shooting threatens to destroy the
last of the offers. Shrewd and Willy
rifllemen patrol miles of shore, from
Humboldt to Alaska, and fire whenever
they get glimpse of sea otter's head,
even thousand yards away. Their
bullets are marked, and the dead otter,
when swept to land, can be claimed by
the rif1emen. Some are only wounded
and so escape, but the noise of the surf
prevents the animal from taking alarm,
and the work goes on remorselessly dur
ing the season when the fur is ssin
condition" The sandy beach of Gray's
harbor, south of the straits OF Fuca, and
the islands Of the Saanack are the most
noted shooting grounds.
The otter has many interesting habits
fully described in Henry Elliot's artrac-
tive monograph on the seal and otter
islands of Alaska. The creature sleeps
on the surface of the water, lying on its
back. Natives describe the gambols OF
q mother otter with her s'pup" as par
ticularly ssjolly" and playful. The acute
sense, strength, and swiftness of the otter
have long been the wonder Of naturalists.
Still, popular knowledge of the animal
is very fragmentary, and good specimens
are far from common in museums. tits
not every collection that can afford to put
a $500 skin into glass case. Now and
then some retired sea captain Of Indian
trapper takes pride in the fine stuffed
otter in his hall or library, but the
whole number of these on the Pacific
coast would not exceed a score. The
time will come when naturalists will
speak of otter specimens as being as
scarce as those of the "great AUX"
Sportsmen sometimes have a try at
otter shooting, but it is by all odds the
most discouraging work that one can
undertake. The season is usually win
ter, and many hours of patient watch
ing is required before shot can be had.
The distance, the CLINT and motion OF
the waves and the extreme caution on
the animal combine to make most
sportsmen willing to leave the sea otter
to the hardy race of professional hunters.
But one occasionally finds gentlemen
who secure their own specimens, and it
is unnecessary for me to add that such
trophies must rank highest in the scale.
Speaking broadly, first-class riheman,
coming to the Pacific coast for winters
hunting can find chance to shoot otters
from boat, or from the shore in many
places north of San Francisco, and in
few places south. He will discover that
it is more easy to find and kill grizzly;
the professionals only get three or four
or half dozen otters apiece in the
course of year and the amateur will do
well to rest on the laure;s of his first.
And yet it is much to have shot one of
these shy, beautiful and fierce SEQ
creatures that poetry and legend have
so glorifed. After sportsman has
spotted his tiger" and dropped his
Canadian elk, where should he more fitly
turn his thoughts than to the swift otter
of the North Pacific shoresa