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Show 190 MR. G. E. H. BARRETT-HAMILTON ON [Feb. 2, Bart.) a head and two pairs of shed horns of a Fallow Deer, the latter showing arrest in development in consequence of disease of the frontal bone, clue, probably, to incomplete severance of the horn during the process of shedding. Mr. G. E. H. Barrett-Hamilton, F.Z.S., gave a short general account of his journey to the Fur-Seal Islands of the North Pacific during the summer of 1896. The journey had been undertaken on behalf of the Foreign and Colonial Offices, with a view to the investigation of the Natural History of the Northern Fur-Seal (Otaria ursina), with special reference to certain disputed points which have a distinct bearing on the industry connected with the skins of the animal. Mr. Barrett-Hamilton stated that in the very short time at his disposal he would only be able to give a mere outline of his journey, and would hardly be able to speak at all of the Natural History of the Fur-Seal, which he would have very much liked to have done. As, however, he was engaged in reporting in some detail on these matters to the Government, it would have in any case been impossible for him to have gone into the disputed points until his report had been published. Mr. Barrett-Hamilton left Queenstown in the B.M.S.' Lucania,' in company with Professor D'Arcy Thompson, on May 24th, for N e w York, where they were met by Mr. Macoun, who was to proceed to the Seal Islands on behalf of the Canadian Government. Messrs. Macoun and Thompson proceeded at once from N e w York to Washington, whence they left shortly afterwards for the Pribiloff Islands, on the Alaskan side of Bering Sea, whereas Mr. Barrett-Hamilton had instructions to proceed to the Commander Islands, which are a part of the Russian Empire and lie near the coast of Kamtchatka, on the western side of the Pacific. From N e w York Mr. Barrett-Hamilton went across the American Continent to San Francisco. Here, during a stay of several days, while awaiting the arrival of the steamer which was to take him to Yokohama, he was able to observe and photograph the famous Seal-rocks near the entrance to the Harbour, on which may be seen lying examples of two species of Sea-Lion, Otaria stelleri and 0. califomlana. The voyage from San Francisco to Yokohama was taken in the Pacific Mail SS. Company's Steamer ' Peru,' and was an uneventful one. Many notes were, however, made on the sea-birds seen, so far as they could be identified with certainty, the results of which, together with those of his observations in the more northern parts of the Pacific, Mr. Barrett-Hamilton stated that he hoped to publish shortly in the ' Ibis.' Among the more interesting species observed in the voyage were the Black-footed Albatross (Dlomedea nigripes), of which a photograph in flight was exhibited, the Frigate-bird, the Bosun-bird or Tropic-bird, the Booby, and many species of Petrels and Shearwaters. |