one to three digits represented by angles ac- 

 cording to a system copyrighted by Farrell 

 (1969) (fig. 10). Right angles or straight 

 lines in various combinations designate a num- 

 ber by their orientation to the fur line of the 

 flipper. 



We assigned identical series of numbers to 

 males and females on each of two rookery areas, 

 and differentiated each group with dissimilar 

 brands on the head (fig. 10). On Area 1 of 

 Reef Rookery we marked males with numbers 

 from to 192 (— to 1< p) and females from 

 to 180 (— to 1L— )• On Area (— ) of 

 Gorbatch Rookery, we marked males and fe- 

 males with numbers from to 200 ( — to \~ — 

 — ). Three pups were inadvertently branded 

 with the same numbers as other pups; other- 

 wise each of the 775 freeze-branded pups will 

 be individually marked by the growth of white 

 hair from the treated follicles. 



The skin was prepared for branding by re- 

 moving the fur with Stewart Clipmaster 6 elec- 

 tric clippers (by Sunbeam), then wetting the 

 bare skin with absolute isopropyl alcohol. The 

 clippers had blades (EA1SUR) specially de- 

 signed by Farrell for close clipping and were 

 operated from a portable generator. 



Pups were made to straddle a large sand bag 

 atop a small wooden table while the super- 

 chilled instruments were applied. Eight men 

 freeze branded 775 pups in about 26 hours. 

 The last 400 were marked in 10 hours, including 

 transport of men and materials and herding 

 the pups. 



Pups were freeze branded in 1969 as part 

 of a 4-year marking program designed to cre- 

 ate a pool of seals that are individually identi- 

 fiable without handling for various studies over 

 entire lifespans. 



Mark C. Keyes and Ancel M. Johnson 



Male seals ages 1 and 2 years. — In 



1966 and subsequent years, we increased the 

 yearling tagging program begun in 1961 on 

 St. Paul Island to include males estimated 

 to be 2 years old. We continued to measure 

 small males and give those <100 cm. in body 

 length (tip of nose to tip of tail) tags with a 



<• 



I = I 



© R. KEITH FARRELL 1967 



E Reference to trade names in this publication does 

 not imply endorsement of commercial products. 



LEFT PECTORAL APPENDAGE 



Figure 10. — System of identification symbols used 

 as cryogenic brands applied to 775 pups, St. Paul 

 Island, August 1969. 



"1" ahead of the letter series, temporarily des- 

 ignating them yearlings. Small seals longer 

 than 100 cm. were judged to be 2 years old 

 and were given tags with a "2" ahead of the 

 letter. In 1969, the two programs were com- 

 bined and all males known or believed to be 1 

 or 2 years old were given lV-series tags (table 

 A-19), but none were measured. All of the 

 animals were tagged on hauling grounds. We 

 attempted to tag 4,000 seals. The true age of 

 each seal at the time of tagging will be de- 

 termined from a canine tooth that will be col- 

 lected when the animal is killed on the Pribilof 

 Islands or elsewhere. In past years, some seals 

 judged to be 2 years old were 1, 3, or 4 years 

 of age. 



Of 3,419 males tagged in 1969 on St. Paul 

 Island, 81 had tags attached when the animals 

 were pups on the Pribilof Islands and 29 had 

 lost their pup tags ; 3 had been tagged at age 

 1, and 2 at age 3; 3,300 had never been marked; 

 and 4 had been tagged as pups by the U.S.S.R. 

 on the Commander Islands. All seals without 

 tags were given two tags, and those with one 

 tag were given another. Each tag was attached 

 to a front flipper (fig. 9). Table A-20 gives 



12 



