THE NORTHEAST POINT ROOKERIES. 341 



DR. JORDAN'S NOTES; NORTHEAST POINT. 



Another cow was washed OD shore this morning near Sea Lion Neck. This one 

 had been dead somewhat longer than the preceding. She was very fat and had a 

 large unborn pup. A number of buckshot holes in the back and sides show the cause 

 of death. This skin was salted and retained in evidence of poaching. 



A little pod of yearlings swam about together all day in Webster Lake. They 

 slept on its banks at night. These young males seem to enjoy life greatly. To 

 the carcasses of the thousands of their kind on the banks of the lake they pay no 

 attention. 



Three cormorants and 7 little auks, each with a quill over his ear, its root near 

 the glassy unintelligent eye, sat silently together on the rocks and let me approach 

 them within 15 feet, when all but 2 of the cormorants flew away. I left these in peace, 

 having no grudge against them. 



Coming home I watched a pod of yearlings turn from the drive into the village cove; 

 they go slowly until in deep water, then string out in long procession, dolphin-like, 

 They are from Zoltoi Reef and Lukanin, but all turn to the left around Spilki and 

 pay no attention to the neighboring Lagoon rookery. They are out of sight in about 

 four minutes, the distance being about half a mile. 



THE DIFFICULTY OF MAKING A CENSUS. 



It is evidently impossible to make an accurate census of the seals on St. Paul 

 Island, because, on the great rookeries, as the Reef, Gorbatch, Tolstoi, and Zapadni, 

 one can neither estimate nor count the cows. Nor can one do it at Polovina, because 

 there is no point of view where the whole rookery is visible. Even the bulls can be 

 only roughly estimated. On Northeast Point there are long strips which can not 

 well be seen from the land, and the surf and the great distance from St. Paul village 

 preclude a survey from the sea. Besides, the two great masses, one on the slope of 

 Hutchinson Hill ( Vostochni) and the other on Walrus Bight (Morjovi), are so situated 

 that even the bulls can only be counted approximately. 



At the time of our first enumeration on Kitovi, Tolstoi, and the Lagoon, the rook- 

 eries were at their height, with more cows present than at any time since. But all 

 were not in and no yearlings nor 2-years olds had appeared. Nor am I sure that any 

 have appeared since, unless yearling cows are among the bachelors. 1 have never 

 seen one, and am not sure that I have seen a 2-year-old. 



True's estimate was honestly and carefully made, but I believe it to be too low for 

 the year. The rookeries in question were less dense than the average, with smaller 

 harems, and more cows were absent than he thought. Besides, by enumerating them 

 as present when they were not, he omitted the virgin cows. No count gets quite all 

 the cows, not even on Tolstoi Bluffs, the most accessible. True's estimate has the 

 value that he assigns to it; no more. There are not and never have been millions of 

 cows, nor are they so reduced as to be measured by a few thousands. There may be 

 75,000 to 100,000.' Adding the still absent virgins there may be 120,000, but it is 

 doubtful. 



'This was on the supposition that at the time the cows were counted practically all were 

 present. 



