This scene on Tolstoi Rookery, St. Paul Island, in late July illustrates the fact that after mid-July a large 

 part of the females that have a pup to nurse are feeding in the sea and therefore many more pups 

 than females are to be seen on the rookeries. 



Female seals do not appear on rhe hauling 

 grounds or the margins of rookeries, where they 

 are available for driving without disturbing seals 

 on the breeding areas, until August. Most fe- 

 males, therefore, are not taken until after the 

 harvest of males is concluded. Females occurring 

 on hauling grounds are principally (1) young 



animals, (2) those not pregnant during the pre- 

 vious year, or (3) those whose pups have died. 

 Female seals most numerous on hauling grounds in 

 middle and late August are from 3 to 6 years old. 

 Their skins are more valuable than those of older 

 animals because they have fewer scars and do not 

 lose fur on the belly in the course of fur processing. 



15 



