ARDIGUEN ROOKERY. 431 



A glance at this rookery, now that one can go over it, shows why so many dead 

 pups have been reported here. The flat top of the hill is fairly strewn with dead 

 pups in every stage of decomposition. Mr. Clark counted 584 dead pups here on 

 August 10, where on July 23, Professor Thompson and myself saw only 8. At the 

 latter date the dead pups were hidden by the living seals or lay where they could be 

 approached. It is a very bad rookery, flat, with small bowlder area. 



Live pups proved very strong and active when examined for sex. They snapped 

 and snarled viciously. Mr. Townsend received one bite. I allowed one to bite my 

 hat. The pup held it very firmly and shook it savagely. 



AUGUST 23. 



It rained all morning and most of the afternoon. The company's steamer Homer 

 left for San Francisco, having at last discharged her cargo. Mr. Townsend sailed 

 with her. 



In the afternoon, Mr. Lucas visited Gorbatch and the slide. 



MR. LUCAS'S NOTES. 



ARDIGUEN. 



But 1 bull, the oldest (B), is left of the harems at the head of the slide. A light 

 rain is falling, and this part of rookery is deserted. The cows call their pups, but do 

 not always take care to select a good spot for nursing. One cow sits on the rock in 

 water where the sea at times washes completely over the nursing pup. 



The young bull at the head of the slide is gone. The old bull seems to pay court 

 to but 1 cow, and that the 2-year old. In fact, the 2-year olds are almost the only 

 cows now looked after. 



From the way the pups play in and by the water it is more and more evident that 

 we may get but a small proportion of starvelings; many will be drowned and, with 

 others, may be washed away. 



At the castle-like ledge of rocks midway in the parade ground there have been 300 

 or 400 bachelors hauled out for some days. To day they are gone, but a considerable 

 area of the grass on the parade ground is brown with their tramping. 



On the level along the crest of the slope are a number of groups of seals, 

 evidently made up of holostiaki and cows, probably also yearlings and 2-year-old 

 females. A number of pups are also to be seen in the groups. 



AUGUST 24. 



After breakfast a visit was paid to Lukanin Cliffs. The young bull and 2-year- 

 old cow seen in copulation on Saturday, were in the same place. The bull has two or 

 three other virgins and some old cows about him a respectable harem. 



Gulls were seen lighting at intervals in the rocky point below the cliffs on which 

 a number of cows and pups were sleeping. The cows aroused and drove them off. On 

 going down to see what the gulls were after, a space on the rocks about a foot square 

 was found spattered over with half-digested fish remains vomited up by some seal. 

 One of the cows had withdrawn, but the other maintained her position, and seemed 

 bent upon driving me off'. A quantity of the material was gathered up. The cow 

 kept charging in vicious manner all the time. She could not be driven off at first, 



