COUNT OF HAREMS ON GORBATCH. 313 



The male seals find it very hard to land on the sandy beach, the wet sand slipping 

 back under their flippers. Hence they prefer the rocky beaches. They get on better 

 among the rocks, their flippers clinging to the rocks like rubber. 



Half bulls and idle bulls are sleeping under the lee of the sand dunes at the top 

 of the elitt's just past Zoltoi sands. One has to be careful not to step on them. 



One half bull sleeping near the head of a rocky slide, up which the animals 

 climb with great difficulty, is badly scared at our approach and on suddenly waking 

 falls over the cliff into the harem below. He is badly handled before he reaches 

 the sea. 



GORBATCH. 



Another case of what might be called " assisted emigration " was witnessed from 

 the slope of Gorbatch. A half bull frightened fled to the sea through the harems. 

 The first bull whose premises he invaded attacked him and pitched him down the 

 rocks to the next one, and this bull passed him on to the next, and so on, until he 

 finally reached the sea, scarred and torn. 



The injuries likely to be inflicted on the half bulls in the drives is probably much 

 less than that produced by being thus handled and chewed by the adult bulls. The 

 ability to survive this sort of treatment is probably the passport to their obtaining a 

 place on the rookery. 



A harem of 17 cows is stampeded in the confusion created by the escape of the 

 half bull, and most of them run into the water. The bull rushes in and seizes one, 

 carrying her back. One cow comes back of her own accord to the 4 which remained 

 with the pups. Eleven swim off in the water. At a distance of about 30 rods they 

 turn, and in a few moments are swimming about offshore. They appear to enjoy the 

 exercise. The bull returns, wet and panting, very greatly excited. Before leaving 

 we saw another cow come back, and on our return home two hours later the entire 

 harem was found to have returned. 



Fourteen harems were counted in the first section of Gorbatch under the cliffs. 

 There are 24 more on the rocky slope to the first break; 18 to next reef, and 10 more 

 to the square green rock called Old John's Rock. There are 33 harems to the smooth 

 rocky slope. Probably 6 are invisible in the part of the slope under the cliff. Forty 

 harems occupy the space to the angle of the cinder slope. To this point there are 45 

 surplus bulls in the rear above, and 20 more on the beach line below. There are 15 

 harems beyond to the first break; 65 up to the projecting Gorbatch Point; 30 to the 

 rock where the sea lions sleep; 37 along the western side of the basaltic columns to 

 the end of the rookery. 



For Gorbatch rookery, therefore, we have a total of 302 harems. Applying to it 

 the average of Kitovi, we have a total of 5,224 cows. 



An albino bull lies on the edge of the parade ground near the last large break in 

 Gorbatch. He should be looked for next year; he is rather above the size of the 

 ordinary half bull, clay colored, with pale flippers. He has a cut in his side. 



Two large harems, numbering together 66 cows, occupied a flat bench together 

 away from neighbors. There are 66 pups in the two harems. In general it seems as 

 if there was 1 pup for each cow, though pups are being born all the time in the 

 different harems. 1 



'During July, 1897, this same space was occupied for a time by a single harem of 150 cows, 

 which afterwards broke up into a number of smaller harems. 



