40 ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 



Besides the above, there were taken iu November 5,121 young male 

 seals as a supply of seal flesh for winter food for the natives. This 

 makes the whole number of seals killed on St. Paul Island during the 

 year 1872 81,825. This gave 70 animals per family, with an average 

 weight of flesh when dressed of 9 pounds, or 630 pounds per family, 

 the usual supply. The skins of these have no commercial value. 



There were taken at the same time on the island of St. George by 

 the Alaska Commercial Company and by the natives for food 25,101 

 seals. Of these, 25,000 were salted, the balance of 164 were rejected 

 as damaged by cutting or otherwise. All of those salted were shipped 

 in September, 1872. Besides, there were killed for a supply of food for 

 winter use for the inhabitants 2,090 young male seals. This gives a 

 total for seals of all classes killed on St. George during the year 1872 

 of 27,254. 



Some changes are observable in the habits of the seals, growing out of 

 the present system of killing 3, 4, and 5 year olds instead of 2, 3, and 

 4, as formerly, it having been ascertained that these sizes are of great- 

 est value in market. There is a much smaller number of 5 year-olds 

 seen swimming along the shore of the breeding rookeries during the 

 period of copulation and more of the young females maturing are seen 

 to pass up through the rookeries to the old males always gathered 

 there. Where formerly the shore had been occupied in short sections 

 with open spaces between, through Avhich the young males passed to the 

 uplands to lie down, these spaces have been filled by the addition of the 

 annually increasing number of females maturing until these spaces have 

 become closed and the rookeries form a continuous line along the shore, 

 thus obliging the young seals to seek new resting places farther on, and 

 where they accumulate in larger numbers and wider distances from the 

 breeding places. This is rather an advantage than otherwise, as it 

 facilitates the gathering them for killing with less liability to disturb 

 the breeding seals. It was also observable that a much larger number 

 of 1-year-old seals arrived on the island during July and August, as if 

 the season had been more favorable for them while absent during the 

 winter and the destruction of them less than usual. The seals began 

 to leave the island in the latter part of September, and on the 27th of 

 December had all left for the winter. 



The winter of 1872-73 was unusually cold and severe, the sea freez- 

 ing around the island in February, and (continued frozen until the 23d 

 of May. This delayed the arrival of the seals at the island ten or 

 fifteen days later than usual. The first seals were reported near the 

 island on the 9th of May. The first drive for fresh food for the people 

 was made May 23, when by driving from three places 297 seals were 

 obtained. From that time they continued to increase, so that on June 

 3 the Alaska Commercial Company commenced taking them for their 

 skins. At that time I estimated their number equal to what it usually 

 is at twelve days earlier in former years or that they were twelve days 

 behind their usual time. The females began to arrive June 9, and no 

 change in their habits or movements was observable except their 

 increased numbers, from the annually maturing females, which I esti- 

 mate at 5 per cent a year, or 15 per cent since 1870, the date of the 

 lease. 



The Alaska Commercial Company made their first drive for the taking 

 of skins June 2 and continued until July 23, having taken in all 74,397 

 seals; of these 73,884 were salted, 361 were spoiled by being cut in 

 skinning, 152 were damaged by heating on the field before they could 



