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when he revisited the islands in 1890 he found that a great change had 

 occurred. The " bachelors " no longer lay out in areas distinct from 

 the breeding grounds, but in reduced numbers sought the protection 

 afforded by the vicinity of the breeding grounds, so that it was no longer 

 possible to drive the non-breeding seals without disturbance to the 

 breeding rookeries. This great change he attributes to over-driving and 

 over-killing of seals upon the islands and to the operations of pelagic sealers, 

 acting concurrently. The relative importance of these causes of un- 

 doubted decline in numbers, on the Pribilov islands at least, have been 

 earnestly discussed in connection with the Bering Sea arbitration. 



When driven inland for a short distance by the natives, the seals 

 find themselves upon the killing grounds. 



Care must be taken not to urge them above half a mile an hour 

 for overheating of the seal is very detrimental to the fur. The fur 

 is thickest and finest in texture during the third and fourth year of life. 

 Having arrived at the slaughtering grounds, and after the seals have 

 cooled off, the killing begins. A hundred to a hundred and fifty are 

 separated from the herd and on a given signal the natives, armed with 

 oaken bludgeons five to six feet long, rapidly club and kill the unfor 

 tunate animals. They are then immediately bled and skinned. The 

 whole work is performed in a remarkably short time. The average time 

 taken to skin a seal is only four minutes, while the best men can do it 

 even in a minute and a half. The skins are taken from the field to the 

 salt house, where salt is profusely spread on the flesh-side, and they are 

 piled up in the " kenches " or bins. After two or three weeks they become 

 pickled and ready for shipment. Most of the skins go to London, 

 England, for dressing and dyeing. The number of seals, male, female 

 and young, annually visiting these islands has, from careful estimates, 

 been found to exceed four millions. 



By the middle of September the rookeries are all broken up ; by the 

 end of October, or the beginning of November all the fur-seals of mature 

 age have left the islands. During August they shed their coats. 



As practically only prime skins are taken at the islands, the great 

 variation in seal-skin sacques is due mostly to the quality of work 

 whereby the fur was treated and prepared for wear. A properly dyed skin, 



