342 U. 8S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
3-year-olds, owing to their larger size. The opinion is held by some, 
however, that skins from 4-year-old seals are not as uniform in quality 
as those from 3-year-olds. 
Aside from the question of quality, it is felt that many advantages 
would be gained if 4-year-olds were killed instead of 3-year-olds. The 
skin of a 4-year-old is, on the average, a more valuable skin; 4-year- 
olds arrive much earlier in the season, which would permit killings to 
be discontinued considerably earlier than at present, as these animals 
would practically all arrive before July 20 and certainly before July 25; 
and a larger proportion of 4-year-olds visit the islands than 3-year-olds. 
The discontinuing of commercial killings about July 20 would pre- 
vent the taking of any quantity of stagey skins, and would be a very 
favorable factor in preserving and increasing the size of the herd. 
After July 20 large numbers of 2-year-olds and females are found in 
the drives. 
Driving of females particularly should be avoided. Female seals 
have not the strength to withstand a long drive; they are heavy with 
milk and give out very quickly. Not many die on the drive, but the 
utter exhaustion which they undergo must do them considerable dam- 
age and be the direct cause of many later deaths. Proportionately 
more deaths result from the present large drives than occurred when 
the drives were small. On account of the increasingly large drives, 
the earlier in the season that killings are discontinued the better it 
will be for the cows and pups, and in fact all animals in the drives 
that are not of the killable class. 
The driving of seals should not normally be continued after July 
25, regardless of whether the proper number of animals have been 
killed, and preferably it should be discontinued earlier. This year 
killings were undertaken until the end of July, as it was considered 
safe and desirable to secure a greater number of animals than had 
appeared on the hauling grounds up to that time. It is not recom- 
mended, however, that driving occur again after July 25, because of 
the large number of cows and nonkillable males in the drives. 
At one time it was deemed desirable to secure skins up to August 
10, without giving consideration to the nonkillable animals in drives 
and to the possible inferiority of skins secured late in the season. 
This year it was noted particularly that too large a proportion of 
skins taken after July 25 were stagey. Therefore it is felt that it 
would not be desirable again to kill after this date, not only because 
of the poorer quality of the skins, but especially because of the damage 
to the herd from redriving of large numbers of animals, particularly 
females. As previously mentioned, this condition makes it desirable 
to change the age class of killable males from 3-year-olds to 4-year-olds. 
It would probably be necessary to kill from more than one age class 
for a year or two in making the readjustment. 
Each of three of the 3-year-old males that were killed during the 
1936 season had around its neck a very tight rubber band that had 
evidently been on for along time. These bands, apparently cut from 
inner tubes of automobile tires, must have been placed around the 
necks of the seals by human hands. 
BULLS 
Owing to the clear weather prevailing at the time of counting 
harem and idle bulls on St. Paul Island, it was possible to obtain a 
very satisfactory estimate of the number of breeding males on hand. 
