370 THE FUR SEALS OF THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



A mother comes up the full length of the slide and lies down iu a large pod of 

 pups. She calls aud the pup comes to her at once, getting up from among his sleeping 

 companions at the sound of her call. 



Other mothers are distributed about in various positions about the slide. Some 

 are calling loudly and continuously for their pups without avail. Others are quietly 

 resting. The pups are probably down at the foot of the slide swimming in the water. 

 There is a little sheltered pool there with hundreds in it. 



In a harem, in a cleft about half way up the slide are two little mouse-colored 

 cows, which seem to be virgins. The bull is very much interested in one of them. 



ARD1GUEN. 



The bull in harem A is still under the bank and has 4 cows, with possibly 

 more out of sight. The green-coated cow is not in sight. B has 8 cows; C, 23. X is 

 now in D's old place, and seems to control 18 cows; they are very much scattered. 

 When last seen, X was in the outer edge of C's harem, on the flat. He has evidently 

 fought his way down the slide or else has been thrown down by bulls B and C. 



The water bull Z seems to be comfortably settled with three cows. It lends 

 dignity even to an undersized bull to give him a harem to take care of. E has 9 

 cows; F has 5. There seems to be a bull iu G's place perhaps he is himself back 

 with 10 cows. 



As we go round to the end of the Eeef the cows in C and B are frightened and 

 stampede down the slide. In ten minutes a half dozen are back on the flat. 

 Doubtless all will be back in a short time. Y has disappeared. 



REEF ROOKERY. 



A wet cow is seen near Keef Point in a harem with two wounds on her left hip, 

 which look as if made by a spear. Blood is 'oozing from them. 



A few feet farther on is the smallest animal 1 not a pup yet seen. It comes out 

 of a crevice in the rocks from among a flock of pups. It is no larger than many of 

 the pups, but is slimmer, and the head looks different. This must be a yearling 

 female. She goes slowly down the rocks and swims lazily out to sea. The bull in 

 whose harem she was pays no more attention to her than to a pup. 



Four or 5 virgin 2-year-olds are seen in small harems about Townsend's cross. 

 In one of these single harems is a cow which evidently does not know what fear is. 

 She lets us come within a few feet of the rock on which she sits. Her bull is very 

 much excited, and is more fearful than she, but he has a little too much pride to 

 desert her. If she would go, he would be glad to go with her. These little harems 

 of virgins are to be seen all along the outer edge of the reef. There is no longer any 

 mystery concerning the whereabouts of the virgin females. 



It is to be noted that on the Eeef, in every instance, the harems have extended 

 out beyond Towusend's crosses, some of them even to the extent of 150 feet. But 

 this plainly has nothing to do with the extent of the rookery in the breeding season. 

 The cows are gradually working back from the beaches to the uplands. 



The bull whose young cow was shot the other day seems to still linger near the 

 scene. His lower teeth are in a bad shape, but not wholly lost. 



1 Later observations show this to have been a yearling cow, the first one seen. 



