ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 235 



Tliere is but one autliority upon seal life, especially tlie seals of tlie 

 Pribilof Islands, and this is the work of Prof. Henry W. Elliott, wbo 

 surveyed these rookeries in 1872 and 1874, and his work was veriiied 

 by Lieutenant Maynard and, I am satisfied, was as near correct when 

 made as was possible for man to chronicle; but to day there is a marked 

 contrast in the conditions of now and then. On page r»l of tlie Pro- 

 fessor's monograph you will find he places the nund:)er of seals upon 

 Northeast Point Rookery at 1,200,000. Standing on a prominent ele- 

 vation known as Hutchinson's Hill in the month of July, and facing 

 the north, I had before me a sea margin of over 2 miles; turning, and 

 facing the south, I had a sea margin of over 1 mile. I could view entire 

 this once famous rookery, and it was simply impossible to realize that 

 there was ever such a moving mass of living animals as Professor 

 Elliott describes. His estimate seems incredible, yet his writings have 

 never been refuted. To-day there is not to be seen over 250,000 seals, 

 of all ages and sexes. 



To the extreme southwest of the island is the Eeef Rookery, reported to 

 have (by Professor-Elliott) 301,000 seals in 1874. It has not over 100,000 

 seals to-day. On Garbotch, the adjoining rookery, where the Professor 

 says he stood on Old John Rock and saw "10,000 fighting balls," I can 

 stand and count every bull in sight. This rookery, with the reef, is an 

 extended point ruiining with the sea, sloping east and west, with a 

 large surface of table-land in the center. This was once a parading or 

 playing ground when the seals met, as they came from the east and 

 west side. It was the resort of over 200,000 seals; now the resting- 

 place for a few cows and pups and now and then a worn-out sleeping 

 bull. The number now visiting these rookeries (the Reef and Gar- 

 botch) find ample room on the two slopes without pushing back on the 

 plateau above. 



Zoltoi sands, once a favorite hauling ground for the bachelor seals, 

 from where thousands have been driven and killed for their skins, is 

 entirely deserted^ only, however, a short time in advance of all the 

 hauling grounds and rookeries, if immediate steps are not taken by the 

 Department to name and protect these rookeries. Lukannon, a rook- 

 ery on the east side of the island, between the Reef of Polovania, the 

 most picturesque seal grounds of them all, where the seals were wont 

 to haul up on the cliffs, and in the interstices between the rugged rocks 

 for over half a mile on the sea frontage, a most inviting home for this 

 mysterious pelagic family, where, in connection with Keetavia Rookery, 

 with the same sea range, there were 335,000 of these animals, presents 

 ta present, by the most careful estimate, not over 75,000 seals. 



Polavania Rookery, with 4,000 feet of sea margin, with a seal life of 

 300,000 in 1874; Tolstoi Rookery, with 3,000 feet of sea margin, with 

 275,000 seals in 1874, and Zapadnia, with 5,880 feet of sea margin, with 

 441,000 seals in 1874, all present a most deplorable condition, and do 

 not show over one-eighth of the seals as reported by Professor Elliott. 



With these facts in view I am convinced there will be a greater 

 decrease in seal life next year than this; for it will not be in the 

 power of human ingenuity to check the rapid advance toward exter- 

 u)ination now going on in that length of time. 



In conclusion, I respectfully suggest that there be no killing of fur 

 seals for their skins on these islands, nor in the waters of Bering Sea, 

 for an indefinite number of years, to be named by the Secretary of the 

 Treasury, and let nature take her course in replenishing the rookeries, 

 and that the Department take the entire matter of protecting these 

 rookeries into its immediate supervision, for I regard any other system 

 of protection dangerous to the future of all interested. The limited 



