494 APPENDIX. 



them as come to tlie islands spend tlieir time among the pups of the 

 year on the breeding grounds. It may be that the yearling females as 

 a class do not come to the islands at all. 



Samuel Falconer, 1874: Page 58. 



The figures of Mr. Elliott are here correctly given. His estimate was 

 163,420, but this included only "breeding seals and young," not seals 

 of "all classes," as Mr. Falconer suggests. 



The opinion here expressed that on St. George Island there is but one 

 seal where "there are twenty on St. Paul" coincides with Mr. Elliott's 

 estimate, which gave to St. Paul, in round numbers, a population of 

 3,030,000 "breeding seals and young" and to St. George 163,000. That 

 such a disproportion was unwarranted, liowever, is evident from the 

 fact that St. George up to 1873 had furnished one-third as many seals 

 as St. Paul. In 1874 and for a time after it furnished slightly more 

 than one-sixth as many, and never fell below one-ninth of the quota of 

 St. Paul. 



Samuel Falconer, 1874: Page 59. 



In discussing the departure of the seals, Mr. Falconer intimates that 

 "a few old bulls remain behind to protect the females." He here mis- 

 interi)rets the fact that a certain number ot the breeding bulls return 

 to their places on the rookery after feeding. These remain among the 

 cows and pups during the fall, coming and going from the feeding- 

 grounds. They leave at about the same time as the cows. The bachelor 

 seals as a class remain latest, in open winters not leaving the vicinity 

 of the islands at all. 



The views here expressed that "the favorite haunts" of the seals " are 

 the shores of British Columbia and lower Alaska," and that "the fish 

 upon which they live are more abundant in shallow than in deep water," 

 are derived from a misapprehension of the habits of the animals. That 

 some of the seals come into the bays and inlets of still water off the 

 British Columbian and Alaskan coasts is doubtless true, but they have 

 no landing place there, nor do they specially frequent these waters. 

 They make a rapid trip south through the Pacific Ocean to the latitude 

 of southern California, where they strike the coast and return slowly 

 along its length. On their migrations the main body of the herd keep 

 well off shore. A platting of sealing catches, including some 120,000 

 animals made by Mr. C. H. Townsend in 1896, shows that the seals are 

 found for the main part oft" the 100 fathom line. Even in Bering Sea 

 they feed in deep water. They rarely molest the shore fishes, and do 

 not to any considerable extent devour species used for food. 



Charles Bryant, 1875: Page 64. 



It is here stated that " one male is considered equivalent to ten or 

 more females." The actual i)roportion, as found in 1806-97, is about 

 one bull to thirty cows. It is probable that the only warrant Captain 

 Bryant had for concluding that the killing of 100,000 males each year 

 had been detrimental to the herd was this low estimate of the size of 

 the average harem. The estimate was reached by ignoring the fact 

 that never more than half the cows in any harem are present. That 

 the killing of males was not detrimental is clearly enough shown by 

 the fact that for at least twelve years subsequent the full quota was 

 taken without injury to the herd, and it oidy became excessive after 

 the breeding herd had declined under pelagic sealing. 



