ALASKA. 75 



cliasiDff fiies, gnats, &c. Tliey are followed, as tboy leave iu 

 September, by several species of jacksnipe, {Frinfja and Chara- 

 drills,) wliicli, however, ilei>art by the end of 0(;tober and early 

 in November, and when winter fairly closes in upon the islands, 

 the loud roaring, incessant seal-din, togetluu' with the screams 

 aud darkening llight of innumerable water-fowl, are replaced 

 by absolute silence, ma>'king out, as it were, in lines of sharp 

 aud vivid coutrast, summer's lile aud winter's death. 



I have beeu unable to discover a single representative of the 

 rei)tiles on the islands, aud a small list only of the fishes and mol- 

 luscans rewarded the most careful search. The presence of such 

 great numbers of seals in the water about the islands during 

 five and six months of every year renders all fishing abortive, 

 unless expeditions are made seven or eight miles, at least, from 

 the land, with the exception of halibut, which the natives cap- 

 ture within two or three miles of the reef-point and south 

 shore during July and August; but the weather is usually, 

 after this season, too stormy and cold for the fishermen to 

 venture in their bidarkies during the fall or spring. 



11. THE NUMBERS OF PUR-SEALS WHICH ANjNUALLY VISIT 



THE ISLANDS. 



Until my arrival on the Seal Islands, xipril, 1872, no steps 

 had been taken toward ascertaining the extent or the impor- 

 tance of these interests ofthe Government by either theTreasury 

 agent in charge, or the agent of the company leasing the islands. 

 This was a matter of no especial concern to the latter, but was 

 of the tirst importance to the Government. It had, however, 

 failed to obtain a definite knowledge upon the subject, on account 

 ofthe inaccurate mode of ascertaining the number of the seals 

 which had been adopted by its agent, who relied upon an 

 assumption of the area of the breeding *' rookeries," but who 

 never took the trouble to ascertain the area and position of 

 these great seal-grounds intrusted to his care. 



After a careful study of the subject during two whole seasons, 

 and a thorough review of it during this season of 1871, iu com- 

 pany with my associate. Lieutenant Maynard, I propose to show 

 plainly and in sequence the steps which have led me to a solu- 

 tion of th3 question as to the number of fur-seals on the Prybi- 

 lov Islands, together with the determination of means by which 

 the agent of the Gove»rnment will bo able to correctly report 

 upon the condition of the seal-life from year to year. 



