266 THE FUR SEALS OF THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



Lukanin and but few bachelors were found. Thirty per cent ' less bulls are present 

 than were out at this time last year. 



June 23. Captain Bryant found quite a number of females on Tolstoi and many 

 1 and 2 year old seals along the different rookeries about the bay. He thought there 

 was a lack of bulls. 



June 25. A party of natives were sent to drive off the seals on Otter Island. 

 About 5,000 were driven off'. On the 18th 2,000 were driven off. 



June 26. A drive from Zoltoi gave 862 seals. A raid was made to-day on Otter 

 Island ; 370 seals were killed. 



July 10. A drive from Tolstoi yielded 2,039 seals. Several schooners are shoot- 

 ing seals about the island. 2 



July 29. A drive from Zoltoi gave 1,040 skins. The average of seals killed to 

 the whole drive was 12 per cent, 1 ' the others being mostly yearlings. 



August 1. A drive of seals from Lukaniu gave 1,538 good skins; the drive was 

 large, but only 7 per cent of them were fit to kill, the greater part being last year's 

 pups. 



August 2. The drive from Tolstoi and Middle Hill yielded 2,139 seals. This 

 drive was much better than yesterday's, yielding 40 per cent. 4 Sealing was closed 

 for the season. 



August 17. A drive for food was made from Kitovi and 134 killed; 5 stagy. A 

 large number of females were found hauled with the bachelors. 



August 23. A drive for food from Kitovi yielded 207 good and 7 stagy skins. 

 About 25 per cent of the drive was over one year old and no females were mixed in. 



RECORD KEPT BY CHARLES BRYANT. 



September 10. A visit to Reef and Lukaniu showed a large number of seals, 

 mostly pups and yearlings. The pups seem to be twenty days to one month behind 

 last year and to have suffered from the bad weather of the past month. 



October 7. At a drive for food from Zoltoi, 133 seals were killed, all stagy. Exam- 

 ination of the rookeries shows that the pups are hovering on the uplands; a large 

 number have not yet begun to shed their pup hair. 5 There are very few bulls on the 

 shores and those mostly yearlings. 



October 14. A visit to the Reef showed pups in good numbers on the uplands. 

 They seem smaller in size for this time of year than they should be, and backward 

 about shedding their first hair. Few females are on the shore. Only a few holostiaki 

 are on the lower end of the Reef. 



'These references to redaction of bulls can only be conjectures. They doubtless form a con- 

 tinuation of the conditions depicted by Captain Bryant the year preceding. See notes date of July 10, 

 2.">, etc., 1875, and record for 1877 ff. 



2 It is evident from this that irregular pelagic sealing was carried on prior to 1883 in Bering Sea. 



3 This must be an error, as the drive would under these circumstances have numbered 8,600. In 

 the note of August 1 a similar but more striking error occurs, since the average of seals killed would 

 make the drive number 21,900 seals, which would be, impossible. 



4 The reference here and under date of August 23 would seem to indicate the appearance of fresh 

 seals, making it likely that the earlier scarcity of these seals was due to temporary causes. 



5 The natives are said to have reported that the sea birds they shot late in November were late 

 also in shedding their feathers. That many black pups should be found at this time is not strange. 

 Such pups were to be seen after the middle of October in 1896. They merely represent belated births. 



