TOLSTOI AND ENGLISH BAY. 571 



JULY 27. 



The drive this morning from Tolstoi, Middle Hill, and English Bay furnished 199 

 skins; 221 seals too large for killing and 545 too small were turned away. The 

 carcasses were salted to be taken to St. George. The killing was made on the flat 

 beside the Lagoon channel instead of at the usual killing ground at Ice House Lake 

 to leave the bodies convenient to the salt house. 



In the afternoon I walked to the Eeef with Messrs. Farmer and Warren. The 

 shortage on Gorbatch rookery is plain in the neighborhood of Old John's Rock. The 

 harems do not come within 50 feet of the rock even at this date, while they were at its 

 base in the height of the season last year. On the hill to the right no harems whatever 

 have appeared where there were -several last year. The little depression which was 

 photographed last year and contained 17 dead pups has only now begun to be occupied 

 by cows and pups which have moved up from the rocks below. One dead pup only 

 lies in the flat. 



The idle bulls on the cinder slope yield readily. There have not been many at 

 any time and there are fewer now than ever. A few bachelors are scattered at 

 intervals over the upper part of the slope, just as they were in greater numbers 

 somewhat later last season. 



There is 1 harem of 4 cows on the flat above the mouth of the slide on Ardiguen. 

 There were no pups and the cows seem to have worked up from harems below. None 

 were gravid. Besides the absence of cows from the flat, the upper part of the slide 

 itself is very thinly populated. 



A starved pup was found back of the harems on the Eeef. It was dissected by 

 Mr. Lucas and found to have been bitten severely on the head, this being the immediate 

 cause of death. The pup was very thin and evidently starving. 



Three other pups were taken from the rear of the Reef rookery toward the 

 northern end. All 3 had Uncinaria and in 2 cases this was the cause of death. One 

 of the 3 was crushed. The bitten starved pup first examined had no parasites. 



Two bachelors were found on Reef drive which had died from exhaustion on the 

 way and had not been discovered in the darkness. They were ordered skined for 

 specimens, having been dead since the morning of the 2Cth and not of any value to the 

 company. 



DR. JORDAN'S NOTES. 



The number of 4, 5, and C (especially 5) year old bulls on Staraya Artel of St. 

 George is very large. They represent the effect of the modus vivendi. Killable seals 

 are scarce. There are many idle bulls on this rookery, but few on East, where, 

 however, the half bulls are numerous. 



Firing a gun near the seals startles some a little. They raise their heads, but 

 that is all. None stampede. 



On Little East rookery 2 starving pups are found which have been carried away 

 by the bachelors. No starving pups are seen and only 4 dead ones. There are about 

 5G bulls on the rookery, 12 of them without cows. A very close count of the live pups 

 gives 1,190. The count was duplicated with a difference of only 1. 



It is reported that three killers were seen off St. George on the 25th. They were 

 probably the cause of the injury to the cow which was seen badly torn. One sea lion 

 was seen last year with a flipper bitten off by the killers. 

 15184, FT 2 21 



