28 SEAL LIFE ON THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 
I spent the 25th and the forenoon of the 26th in going over the rook- 
eries of Lukannon, Ketavie, Reef, Lagoon, and Tolstoi. Female seals 
were scarce, none being observed on any of the rookeries at a distance 
of more than 50 or 60 feet from high-water mark, although the usual 
rookery area was occupied by bulls. The harems in course of formation 
along the beaches were as yet very small, the average number of females 
to each being five. About one-fourth of the females were nursing new- 
born pups, the others being conspicuously gravid. Some sections of 
rookery ground were still covered with snow and a number of new-boin 
young with the red placentz still attached were lying upon the snow. 
Occasional females were noticed arriving from the sea, but none were 
seen leaving. There were no signs of any then coming into heat. A 
hasty count by harems of females and young at two favorable points 
resulted as follows: 
Iukannon.—10 females, 5 pups; 2 females, 1 pup; 15 females, 2 pups; 
4 females, 1 pup; 9 females, 4 pups; 9 females, 3 pups. 
Ketavie-—14 females, 6 pups; 6 females, 1 pup; 8 females, 2 pups; 
7 females, 4 pups; 10 females, 3 pups; 10 females, 2 pups; 8 females, 3 
pups; 5 females, 1 pup. 
The hauling grounds were fairly well occupied. <A drive was made 
from Reef rookery on the morning of the 25th, about 1,200 being killed. 
At 1p. m. the rejected seals had in large part returned to Zoltoi Neck, 
from which they had been driven, and were hauled out nearly all the 
way across. A drive of about 1,000 seals from Polavina rookery was 
made on the 26th, from which about 700 were killed. 
COMMANDER ISLANDS. 
The Albatross sailed at noon on June 26 for Bering Island, Siberia, 
where we arrived on July 3. Dr. Leonhard Stejneger, curator in the 
United States National Museum, was landed for the season, in order to 
study the condition of the seal rookeries and the habits of the Com- 
mander Island seals, respecting which he made an important series 
of observations during the years 1882 and 1883. The 4th was spent in 
visiting North rookery, 12 miles distant from Nikolski village, the trip 
being made on dog sleds furnished by Governor Grebnitzky. Although 
the weather was not clear, I succeeded in making highly satisfactory 
panoramas of the rookery, which lies in two sections, separated by a 
space of about three-fourths of a mile. Therookery is located at Yushin 
Point at the extreme northern end of the island. The larger section of 
the rookery occupies a flat, reef-like peninsula, the smaller being on 
the beach to the southwestward. Very few bachelors were present, 
and these were scattered so close to the breeding seals that distinet 
hauling grounds were not apparent. The breeding seals were very 
densely packed upon their respective areas, a large portion of the 
females having brought forth their young. ‘The latter were beginning 
to collect into groups by themselves, and the females were rapidly 
coming in heat. 
North rookery, the most important of the four rookeries on the Com- 
mander Islands, I estimated to be of about the same size and impor- 
tance as Tolstoi rookery on the Pribilof Islands. With but one other 
rookery approaching it in size, it is evident that the seal fishery of the 
Commander Islands is of very moderate value as compared with that 
of the Pribilof Islands, while it is certain that there is at present no 
such supply of seals as would be necessary for the maintenance of the 
large fleet of vessels now operating upon this herd during its migra- 
tions between Bering Sea and the coast of Japan. 
