290 THE FUR SEALS OF THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



RECORD KEPT BY JAMES JUDGE. 



July 24. Drives were made yesterday and to-day at Northeast Point, resulting in 

 killing of 1,395 seals. Five seals were smothered in the drive because so small that 

 they could not protect themselves. The skins were tanned with a view to determining 

 whether skins taken thus within a short time after seals had died in this way would 

 be good. (There seems to be no record of the results of this experiment.) 



August 28. A live but blind albino pup was caught by natives at Northeast 

 Point and brought to the village. 



August 29. Instructions were given the remaining agent not to kill for food before 

 October 10, and to discontinue then till the end of the month if many of the skrns 

 were still stagy. 



September 9. A visit to Gorbatch was made and 100 dead pups discovered. 



September 12. A count was made of the dead pups on the Lagoon, part of Tolstoi 

 and Lower Zapadni rookeries, resulting in the finding of several hundred pups. The 

 count was not thorough, because such a count at this season of the year would 

 work great damage to the rookeries. 1 



October 3. The agent in company with two natives counted dead seal pups on 

 the east side of Reef, finding 1,901 ; 7 dead cows and bulls were also found. 



October C. Eight hundred and forty-nine dead pups and 3 dead cows were 

 counted on Lukanin ; 377 pups, 1 bull, and 1 cow on Kitovi. 



October 11. Northeast Point rookeries were counted for dead pups and 2,847 

 found. Owing to the heavy surf of the past few weeks, rookeries have been well 

 washed and many of the dead pups carried to sea. At Halfway Point were counted 

 784. 



October 23. Dead pups were counted on Zapadni, between sand beach and Gov- 

 ernment watchhouse, and found to number, 2,143. 



December 1. Most of the rookeries are deserted by the seals. Those still remain- 

 ing are very shy, taking to water easily. 



December 2. A few seals are on Tolstoi and Lukanin, none on Middle Hill. But 

 few seals on Gorbatch and Eeef. A number are on Sea Lion Eock, but they can not 

 be reached. 



December 11. A few seals are in English Bay, but none on Zapadni, Tolstoi, or 

 Middle Hill. None are on laud on the Eeef; a few in water. 



December 12. Natives returning from Northeast Point report a few seals in 

 water but none on land there or at Halfway Point or Lukanin. 



December 18. Lukaniu and Kitovi rookeries were visited, but they failed to 

 show seals, either on land or in the adjacent water. 



1895. 



May 2. Not a single seal has yet been seen on the island by anyone. The 

 earliest arrivals are doubtless kept off by the barrier of ice which surrounds the 

 island. 



May 5. The first seal, a bull, is reported hauled out on Zoltoi sands. He can not 

 leave on account of ice. 



May 9. The bull from Zoltoi crossed over to Gorbatch Bay during the day and 

 then over to east side of Eeef, where he was in the evening. 



'This is nonsense, but shows plainly why the condition of the rookeries was so little known. 



