322 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
AVERAGE HAREM 
The pups were not counted in 1926; consequently the average 
harem is only estimated. On account of the increase in number 
of harems, due to the influx of 6-year-old bulls, and the fact that 
there was no evidence of any unusual increase of cows, the estimated 
average harem was based upon the average annual increase of cows 
in the years 1916 to 1922. The pups were all counted in 1916 and 
again in 1922, and the average annual increase of cows was found to 
be 8 per cent. This percentage of increase has been applied to the 
1925 figures to secure the number of cows in 1926, except in the case 
of Lagoon rookery, where the pups actually were counted. This 
rookery has been declining steadily for a number of years and soon 
will disappear. 
Computation of breeding cows, based on annual increase of 8 per cent, and of 
average harems, in 1926 



















Breeding cows Average harem 
[tits Harem | Increase 
Rookery -bulls, (+) or 
1925 1926 EE 1926 1925 | Cpenense 
1926 from 
1925 
* | : 
St. Paul Island: 
Ohh ais eee SP ON Se Se cee eee 7,475 8, 073 212 38. 08 47.01 ; —8. 93 
MUR eee en eee Lee) ek ENE AES 3, 615 3, 904 94 41. 53 43.03 **—=1,'50 
Gorbatche! a= oe ete Tete Sa 2S” F 18, 981 20, 499 276 74, 27 80. 77 —6. 50 
PAT OICION estes hee e ea Sess) 1, 796 1, 939 38 51. 03 46. 06 +4. 97 
IRGael Leet ee ene age MEPS) Ere Giger 38,126 | 41,176 605 68. 06 75. 20 —7. 14 
SUVILUCD 2c eee tebe ea es Co ee 11, 666 12, 599 279 45.16 61. 40 —16. 24 
MUA OOM Se eee Cm bre. «Uae ed. 2 152 1109 3 36. 33 30. 39 +5. 94 
ROIS GOT Ses ead ee ae oF 9 22,445 24, 240 37 64. 47 68. 64 —4.17 
SD ACIIS bs key Aone AE ee ie 21, 569 23, 294 322 72. 34 68. 04 +4. 30 
ibithleZapadnie 2-0) ee ee 10, 995 11, 874 185 64. 18 65. 06 —.88 
ABD AGI OG fae a. as nee 382 412 18 22. 89 34. 76 —11. 87 
TAO O VATE Se RANT ee es atte a Urea! 8, 371 166 50. 43 47. 26 +3. 17 
Polowinai@hifiss + Saha hs soe 4, 244 4, 583 118 38. 84 42. 87 —4.03 
ittletPolovinas sey wee. eae 1, 546 1, 669 45 37. 09 36. 81 +. 28 
IOI] Q Vie ee AE Ie ra A) 2,779 3, 001 87 34. 49 34. 74 —.25 
Vostochni=s = 2. eee 30, 929 33, 403 654 51. 07 45. 82 +5. 25 
Motalss Sart ees Soe ee em eee 184,451 | 199,146! 3,478 57. 26 59. 44 S113 
St. George Island: 
I 0) FC Ae ee ee, ke ee 15, 041 16, 244 191 85. 05 108. 21 —23. 16 
Starayapar til aamerc ieee na ules 11,334 | 12, 240 136 90.00] 114.48] —24.48 
ADAG Mie ees eel 21 ek ee Se ae 1, 600 1, 728 42 41.14 55. 16 —14. 02 
Soe ee Ta ee ee) ee 375 405 15 27.00 41. 62 —14. 62 
HastiReeie a jo dar Na omes Weil Le 3, 448 3, 723 47 79. 21 76. 62 +2. 59 
MAStIOIAG Sot wee meee. eens | 9,841] 10,628 125 85. 02 96.48 | —11.46 
LOLA a! Sk ou al c ne ee eee 41, 639 44, 968 556 80. 88 98. 44 —17. 56 
Total (both islands).....___.__..____ 226,090 | 244,114| 4,034| 60.51| 6412| —3.61 




1 Pups counted in 1926. 
The average harem shows a decrease for the whole herd from 
64.12 in 1925 to 60.51 in 1926. The St. George average harem 
decreased from 98.44 in 1925 to 80.88 in 1926. 
Very few of the 6-year-old harem bulls had more than four 
or five cows. Most of them were around the margins of the harem 
areas and were not strong enough to fight a more mature bull or 
to protect and hold any large number of cows. Consequently the 
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