From Kamtschatka our course lay mostly eastward. At first the sea was strongly luminous every night; but when in the midst of this immense ocean, it one night happened, that while the ship was as usual surrounded by brilliant waves, a dark precipice seemed to open before it. On reaching this part of the water, it appeared that all the luminous matters, such as Zoophytes and Mollusca with their spawn, were entirely wanting, and from this point to the American coast the sea remained dark.
We remarked generally of this great ocean, that on the Asiatic coast, even at a considerable distance from land, (as much as thirty degrees west from Japan,) the water is always muddy; it is made so, partly by the great numbers of small Crustacea, Zoophytes, and Mollusca, partly by the impurities of the whales and dolphins, which latter especially, as well as many other kinds of fish, are very numerous here from the abundance of food to be found. On the contrary, the sea in the neighbourhood of the north-west coast of America is clear and transparent, and nothing is found in it except here and there a single Medusa.
In the principal settlement of the Russian-American Trading Company on the island of Sitcha, in Norfolk Sound, we had better opportunities of becoming acquainted with natural productions than elsewhere, as, during our stay there, in the year 1825, from March to the middle of August, we had an almost uninterrupted continuation of fine weather: we were in this respect peculiarly favoured, as in most years this island does not enjoy above one fine day to fourteen cloudy or wet ones. We ourselves experienced this sort of weather in 1824, when we passed the latter part of August and the beginning of September there.
Of the Fauna of this island, about two hundred and sixty species came under our notice: from its immediate vicinity to the continent, it is not wonderful that several large mammalia are to be found. Among these is the Ursus Americanus, of the black race; a fox; a stag, which perhaps does not differ from the Cervus virginianus, and the common beaver, which feeds on the large leaves of a Pothos, said by the inhabitants to be injurious to man. Besides these are observed a small Vespertilio with short ears, a Mustela, and a Phoca.
Of birds we remarked: the Aquila leucocephala, Astur, Corvus Corone and Stelleri, and some varieties of the species Turdus, Sylvia, Troglodytes, Parus, Alcedo, Picus, Ardea, Hæmatopus, Scolopax, Charadrius, Anas, and Colymbus. Trochilus rufus is not only often found here, but also under sixty degrees of latitude. A small shoal of Procellaria furcata was once driven into the Bay by stormy weather. Of Amphibia, only a small kind of toad is met with. There is no great variety in the kinds of fish, but the individuals are numerous, especially a well-flavoured sort of salmon, and herrings; a Pleuronectes several feet long, and a reddish yellow Perca two feet long and very thick, are extremely abundant.
The number of accurately examined Annulides amounts to sixteen, among which are found some of very fine and unknown forms. Most of them belong to the well-known species Cirrhatulus, Arenicola, Aceronereis, Nereis, Aphrodita, Serpula, Amphitrite. A Nereis was found swimming on the surface of the water in the middle of the bay, which measured two feet in length, and one inch in thickness; the appendages at its sides resemble round leaves. An Aphrodita several inches long, and very narrow, was not rare. An animal resembling the Amphitrite kind is found enveloped in a transparent mass like jelly.
Of Mollusca we observed, a Limacina; two Eolidiæ, some of which have very beautiful colours; a Laniogerus; a Polycera; four kinds of Doris; a Scyllæa; an animal which deserves the name of Planaria, it was three inches long, two broad, and only half a line thick; on the upper surface, half an inch from the edge, are two projecting eyes; and in the same part, on the surface beneath, the mouth may be perceived; in the middle of this under surface is another aperture, from which the animal, when in a tranquil state, frequently strecthes out four small folds of skin; this creature, like the Planariæ, crawls very nimbly. Besides these, a small Onichidium, and a new kind of shelled snail.
In the mossy woods live a large, yellowish, black-spotted Limax, and two Helices of middling size. In the bay itself are found a few of the gilled snails with spiral shells; and a considerable number on the outward coast, which is washed by the ocean. Here are several species of the genera Murex, Fusus, Buccinum, Mitra, Trochus, and Turbo. Further, there are found here a large Fissurella, and six species of a genus which, from its simple, unwound shell, would be immediately taken for a Patella; the creature, however, closely resembles the Fissurella, with the difference that only one gill is visible in the fissure over the neck. It is remarkable, that on the whole north-west coast of America down to California, no Patella, only animals of the genus Acmæa, were to be met with. Of the Chiton genus, six species were observed; in one, the side skin covers the edges of the shell so far as to leave only a narrow strip of it visible down the back; in others, the shell is entirely concealed under the external skin. It is worthy of remark, that these latter, as well as one similarly formed, found in California, attain the considerable length of eight inches. A third kind, to be reckoned among this subdivision, Pallas obtained from the Kurile Islands, and has described it as Chiton amiculatus.
Among the Acephala are to be named a large Cardium, also found on the Californian coast; Modiolus, two species; Mytilus; Mya, two species; and Teredo palmulatus: the latter, which is brought here by the ships, is very mischievous in the harbour, and attains to the length of two feet. In this species are comprehended three Ascidiæ, of different forms; one Anomia, one Terebratula attached to a Fusus, two Lepas, and a Balanus. Six Holothuria, belonging to three different species, were observed: a large Thalassema gave us a long-wished for opportunity of observing, that this species belongs to the Holothuria, and not to the Annulides. Eight species of star-fish are found here, partly on the rocks, and partly at the bottom of the sea: among them, four are furnished with five radii, and the rest with six, ten, eleven, and eighteen: the latter sort, which is the largest, lives at the bottom of the sea, and the number of its radii varies from eighteen to twenty-one. Only one Ophiura was seen. Several kinds of very large Actinia inhabit the rocks: all that we examined belonged to the species which is externally provided with rows of teats. A Velella also was caught in the open bay: this is the first which has been observed in so high a latitude.
Of Zoophytes, some presented themselves of the genera Antipathes, Millepora; Cellaria, Flustra two species, Melobesia, Retepora, Acamarchis, Lafœa, Aglaophenia, Dynamena fives species, Clytia four species, and Folliculina, two species. The Antipathes consists of a simple stem resembling wood, which grows to the length of ten feet: it grows at a great depth in the open bay, and is often accidentally drawn up in fishing.