416 



THE FUR SEALS OF THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



Gulls pick out the eyes of pups, or at least of many pups, soon after they die, but 

 I am in doubt as to whether they pick out the eyes of living pups, much less kill them. 

 In the case of very young pups this might be possible were it not for the fact that 

 when the pups are young the harems are full and the mothers of the pups near them. 

 The mere presence of the mother is a source of protection, though as a rule the female 

 seems very indifferent to its offspring. 



COLONEL MURRAY'S COUNT. 



Colonel Murray reports the following completed count of harem and idle bulls 

 for the rookeries of the two islands : 



1 Polovina and Little Polovina. 



2 This includes Gorbatch and Reef rookeries. 



s The breeding ground we have designated Zapadni Keef. The discrepancy here between Colonel Murray's count 

 and that of Dr. Jordan (176), is so great as to suggest that the former count, made from the shore in the roar, is not so 

 accurate as the latter, made from a boat in front. 



4 From the results of the investigations of 1897 we are led to doubt the value of counts of harems made after the 

 25th of July. 



AUGUST 15. 

 COUNT OF LIVE PUPS. 



Dr. Jordan and Mr. Clark made a count of the live pups on Kitovi rookery. The 

 method employed was to cut off a pod of about 100 pups or less and run them off 

 from the main body until they were strung out in a narrow line that could be counted. 

 As soon as one pod was counted a second was run off, and this process repeated until 

 the whole rookery was covered. The pups would ordinarily have taken to the water, 

 but a tremendous surf was running directly against the rookery front, preventing 

 their doing so. The result of the count can not be more than a hundred out of the 

 way, and is, if anything, an underestimate. 



Beginning at the south end of the rookery to Kitovi Point there were 649 pups. 

 To the grassy wall of cliffs at the middle of Kitovi there were 2,244. To the great 

 green cliff, 922. To the beginning of the great amphitheater, 1,049. To the end of 



