THE POLOVINA ROOKERIES. 377 



various rookeries have been in this position ; notably one on the Keef, which lies in the 

 same position as one of these. At a distance one could imagine them sleeping. These 

 bulls are in a position where they can not be reached, and they are too rotten to 

 handle. These, as well as the cows seen dead on the rookeries, seem all to have died 

 a very long time ago early in the season. 



Passing along the front, 2 dead pups are all that are to be seen on the rocks at 

 this point; doubtless some are hidden. Ten are counted on the sandy tract above the 

 cliff edge, 4 additional ones beyond, making 14 in all. 



A crushed pup is found in a crevice in the rocks, in which a dozen or fifteen 

 others are huddled. They are piled thick upon him. He has the umbilical cord 

 attached. It can not be determined whether the pups have crushed him or not. He 

 could not have been born in there, but could have fallen down from the edge of the 

 cliff, which is 15 feet high at this point and covered to the edge with harems. 



POLOVINA CLIFFS. 



All the little caves and hiding places under the cliffs of Polovina are full of 

 pups. A cow makes her way up the runway, apparently with the placenta still 

 hanging from her. A dead and rotten cow lies at the foot of the cliff. It is near this 

 place that the bleeding cow was seen on the 23d of July. It can not, however, be the 

 same. The harem is apparently gone, but the pups are there still, 4 of them. 



To a young bachelor the most alarming thing that can happen is to find himself 

 away from the herd. The bachelors stay nearer the rookeries now, and young cows 

 are mixed in with them in charge of young bulls. The idle bulls are notably fewer, 

 many of them having gone to take the place of harem masters who have left. 



The cows now run away readily from the pups. The young bulls desert likewise in 

 isolated harems. Virgins are about everywhere with bulls. Many are on the hauling 

 ground, and the young bulls have trouble in holding their impromptu harems in the 

 mass of holostiaki. They keep up a great groaning and fussing. 



It is to be noticed that Polovina. like Tolstoi, has no runway for the bachelors to 

 haul out in. The hauling ground lies behind the rookery and has to be reached by 

 passing around the angle of the beach or up through a slide in the cliffs above the 

 rookery. The holostiaki show a tendency to stampede through the harems, as on 

 Tolstoi, though not so many are seen to do it. 



Harems are creeping up through the breaks in the cliffs beyond the main part of 

 Polovina. Two very large harems are now on the level where we walked on the 23d 

 without disturbing any. Another is far out, 20 or 30 yards, containing no pups, and is 

 probably made up of virgins. There are pups in the other harems. 



POLOVINA. 



A slow-moving cow is awakened from sleep outside the lines of harems; she 

 moves as though weak through sickness or old age. If her trouble is due to old age 

 she is the first seen. Before she can be secured she has entered the line of harems, 

 and we lose sight of her. 



Seven dead pups are counted in the hauling ground at some distance from the 

 edge of the rookery. Three that are fresh enough to admit of examination are taken. 

 The others are too far gone. 



