44 REPOET OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



The important problem of housing the natives has received atten- 

 tion, and improvements in the native dwellinp:s on St. Paul Ishmd 

 will be made as funds are available. Oni^ additional dwelling on St.' 

 Paul Island was completed and occupied during tlie past year. 

 School buildings and dwellings were repaired, a new shop and ware- 

 house was built on St. George Island, extensions to the salt houses 

 were made on St. Paul Island, additional roadwork was undertaken, 

 and, in conjunction with the Navy Department, preliminary work 

 in drilling an artesian well was done. The by-products plant on St. 

 Paul Island was operated, and 8,759 pounds of seal meal and 5,271 

 gallons of various grades of oil were produced. 



The Bureau's vessel Eider has given valuable service in transpor- 

 tation of supplies and persons between Unalaska and the Pribilof 

 Islands, and also made trips to King Cove and Kodiak. While re- 

 turning from the latter place in December, the Eider rendered note- 

 worthy assistance in locating at Chignik the disabled mail boat 

 Pulitzer, long overdue, whose passengers, crew, and mail were taken 

 to Unga. Credit is due the master and crew of the Eider for this 

 work, as well as for other hazardous voyages during the winter to 

 the Pribilof Islands. 



Acknowledgment is made of courtesies extended by the Navy 

 Department in the transportation of supplies and passengers on the 

 Saturn from Seattle to the Pribilof Islands and in carrying seal- 

 skins and fox skins on the return voyage of that vessel. The 

 operation of the radio stations on St. Paul and St. George Islands 

 has been of great value to the Bureau. The Bureau is also pleased 

 to acknowledge numerous courtesies by the Coast Guard in the trans- 

 portation of personnel and supplies upon vessels of that service. 



THE SEAL HERD. 



The 1920 census of the seal herd, taken as of date of August 10, 

 indicated 552,718 animals of all ages, nn increase of 28,483 over 1919. 

 The census for 1921 gave 587,820 animals on the same date, an increase 

 of about 35,000. The number of pups born in 1921 was 176,655. The 

 seals killed from one census date to the next are not included in these 

 figures. The 1920 enumeration was made by Dr. G. Dallas Hanna, 

 who had been in charge of this work for several years; the 1921 census 

 was placed under Edward C. Johnston, who had participated in the 

 work of the previous year. 



An innovation connected with the census in 1921 was the construc- 

 tion of two runways 6 feet above the ground leading to observation 

 towers on one of the large rookeries on St. Paul Island, where in for- 

 mer years much difficultv and danger were experienced in making 

 accurate observations on the large number of massed seals. To fur- 

 ther facilitate the census, a number of concrete markers were prepared 

 and placed on the rookeries at important points. 



The average number of cows per harem in 1920 was 41 ; in 1921 the 

 average was 45. These figures are regarded as indicating a very satis- 

 factory condition of the herd. 



In order that the Bureau might have the views and counsel of per- 

 sons familiar with the fur-seal herd, an important conference was 

 held in Washington on January 10, 1921, at which there were dis- 



