THE COUNT OF LIVE PUPS ON POLOVINA. 425 



Pups play together both on land and in the water. Some of them chase after a 

 gull which lights near them. A sea-lion pup coughs up a pebble which flies a foot at 

 least. 



AUGUST 20. 



Went with Mr. Townseud iu the buckboard to Zapadui to photograph the death 

 traps. 



A sleeping pup on the sand flat of Zapadni Gully was found among the dead ones. 

 Upon being awakened it went into spasms, rolling on its back and then on its sides, 

 gasping, biting the ground, jerking with its flippers, its whole body convulsed. The 

 hollow places over the shoulder blades, the well-defined ribs through the skin 

 indicated that the pup was starving. It cried piteously all the time. After about 

 three minutes it staggered to its feet and moved off across the sand flat, stumbling 

 and falling prostrate every few steps. It will die perhaps in course of the day. 



Many starving pups are to be seen to day. Twenty-five are counted on and about 

 the sandy flat at the foot of Zapadni Gully. All of these will die within a very few 

 days. 



POLOVINA ROOKERY. 



After lunch we drove across the country from Zapadui to Poloviua. Mr. 

 Town send counted the live pups under the cliffs of this rookery. He had counted the 

 cows on this portion of the rookery in the height of the season. 



A total of 2,445 live pups was found, and 51 dead pups were counted here on 

 August 10, making a total of 2,496 pups for the season. The count of cows made on 

 July 15 gave 1,268. The ratio of almost 2 to 1 cow holds as a general thing so far as 

 the count of pups has been made. 



The opportunities for a correct count on Poloviua cliffs was good, it being 

 possible for the greater part of the distance to count from above without disturbing 

 the pups as they lay below. In only one place, where the harems extended above the 

 edge of the cliff, was it possible to drive everything on to the flat above and then run 

 them off' in small pods. 



There was an unusual number of holostiaki on Polovina. Mr. Towuseud said that 

 he had not seen so many in any one place for a number of years. They were mostly 

 yearlings, 2-year-olds, and 3-year-olds. Very few old bulls or half bulls were among 

 them. The line of the bachelors extends from the middle of the main part of the 

 rookery, all along the edge of the cliff', to the little hauling ground at the head of 

 Polovina cliffs. There seemed to be the usual number of seals in the water off 

 the cliffs. 



Many virgin cows were noted on Polovina and at Zapadni. On the dense portion 

 of Zapadni rookery photographed were a large number of yearling females playing 

 with the pups, one group of 4 being particularly conspicuous. There were pups in 

 the pod bigger than the little yearlings. Of course the noses of the latter were 

 sharper and the body a little longer and slimmer, but when they lay down in such 

 a way as to hide the white belly they could scarcely be distinguished from the pups 

 about them. 



THE DEAD PUPS. 



In going over Zapadni and Polovina rookeries to-day it becomes evident that it 

 will not be possible to clearly distinguish between the pups to be counted in October 



