472 THE FUR SEALS OF THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



The scene of the branding operations this morning is on the flat just above and 

 back from the middle of Kitovi rookery. 



Two large pods, cows and all, are driven up. There are an unusual number of 

 cows in this morning, as the sea is wild from the storm of yesterday. As many 

 of the cows as possible are worked out as the pods are driven up. When the drove of 

 waiting animals grows small the cows are noosed and dragged out. The pups are 

 examined for sex and culled for weak and starving ones. The work goes along 

 quickly this morning. In less than two hours Colonel Murray had 1.91 pups branded. 

 Toward the end time was kept, and it was found that 9 pups were branded in a 

 minute and a half. There is a little inclination on the part of the men to throw the 

 pups about unnecessarily. Though spoken to frequently they seem to forget readily, 

 or, what is more likely, they dislike the work. They evidently look with strong 

 disfavor on branding, and are more or less sullen. If branding is done .on a large 

 scale it will need to be carefully supervised. 1 



The presence of cows in the pods is hard on the pups. In dragging out the cows 

 from one pod a large male pup is smothered. He will be taken home for experiment 

 in castration and for examination of stomach contents. 



In searching for freshly dead pups on the rookery one was found gasping and 

 nearly dead. It could just raise its head, but could not get up. Fifteen minutes 

 later it was found to be dead. A quantity of black, tarry excrement had been voided 

 n the death struggle, which seems to be a common occurrence. The animal's mouth 

 was wide open and pressed to the ground, just as was the case with the experimental 

 pup. 



EXPERIMENTS IN CASTRATION. 



The dead pup brought home for experiment in castration and examination weighed 

 19j| pounds. It was in very good condition. It has begun to shed; the fur shows 

 brown. Judge Crowley says that it is the water hair which comes out through the 

 new fur that gives the gray color to the pups. 



Dr. Voss operated on the dead pup and thinks it will not be a difficult thing to 

 castrate a living pup. The testes were found near the surface and within easy reach. 

 He is willing to try a live pup later. 



The stomach of the pup was empty save for a little mucus and a dozen or more 

 small, jagged pebbles. Either the pup was beginning to starve or else his mother 

 had been absent for some time. It is, however, not likely that an empty stomach 

 necessarily indicates a starving pup if the animal is otherwise in good condition. 



In the afternoon I visited Reef rookery. As on Kitovi, an unusually large number 

 of cows are on shore. The water for the usual distance out from shore is full of pups 

 and yearlings. They play in the tremendous surf without fear; they have now learned 

 to dive under to avoid the curl of the big white breakers. 



ARDIGUEN. 



There are at least 3 freshly dead pups since our visit of September 7. Two young 

 bulls which were not there day before yesterday are on the level at the south side, each 



'It became evident later on that the natives believed that the pups so branded would all die 

 anyhow. An opportunity to correct this notion was found later on. When the pups had fully 

 recovered the chief and some of the old men were allowed to inspect them. 



