SEAL LIFE ON THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 29 
The positions where seals were taken by pelagic sealers during the 
season of 1895 in the waters adjacent to the Commander Islands were 
for the most part to the eastward, southward, and westward of the 
islands, within a radius of 100 miles, the catch of one vessel having 
been made off Cape Nagikinsky, 200 miles to the northwest. The data 
are derived from the log books of 5 American vessels whose catches 
aggregate 714 seals, taken between July 5 and September 4. In the 
year 1892 the schooner Henry Dennis made a catch of 563 seals between 
July 2 and August 28 in these waters, all seals being taken within 170 
miles of the islands. The sex of seals taken is not stated. The total 
number of seals obtained by the combined Canadian and American 
fleets off the Russian coast during the season was 7,648, the positions 
where seals were taken by Canadian vessels not being at hand. 
During the season of 1895 a sealing fleet numbering 45 vessels took 
38,732 seals belonging to the Commander Isiands herd, along the coasts 
of Japan and Russia. To this number should be added the catch 
made by a small fleet of a dozen or more vessels belonging to Japan, of 
which we have received no record. The Japan and Russian catch for 
the season is considered small, and would have been unprofitable but 
for a shortage in the total pelagic catch and a consequent advance in 
the price of seal skins. 
PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 
The Albatross returned to St. Paul Island on July 9, when I took up 
my quarters on shore for the season. 
Resuming the observations left off in June, the rookeries of Lukan- 
non, Ketavie, Lagoon, Tolstoi, and a portion of Reef rookery were 
examined very minutely and the breeding females occupying them 
carefully counted. This work, with brief visits to all the other rookeries, 
occupied the time until the 16th, when Ketavie and Lukannon rookeries 
were visited for chart data. Onthe 17th we went to St. George Island, 
where all the rookeries were photographed and their areas platted on the 
charts during the 18th and 19th. Returning to St. Paul Island on the 
20th, the chart and photographic work was taken up and pushed rapidly 
to completion, the charts being finished on the 24th and the photo- 
graphic series on the 27th. 
From this date until August 9 I was engaged in making natural his- 
tory observations on the rookeries, and in setting up artificial land- 
marks to outline the present limits of the rookeries and serve as guides 
for their delineation in future. 
The latter work consisted in painting on suitable bowlders, in white 
lead, large crosses (+) that would be conspicuous from the photographic 
stations, and would appear in the panoramas that might be made 
hereafter. These crosses, placed on Northeast Point, Polavina, Reef, 
Tolstoi, and Upper Zapadnie rookeries, on St. Paul Island, and on 
Zapadnie rookery on St. George Island, were located with reference 
to the limits of the breeding grounds or the points where seals were 
massed. 
On Northeast Point rookery four crosses, visible from Station 5, 
mark the rear limits of the principal masses of seals. 
On Polavina rookery four crosses mark the limits—two on each side 
of Station G. 
On Reef rookery five crosses from stations 17 to 18, mark limits or 
masses. 
On Tolstoi rookery five crosses mark limits. 
On Upper Zapadnie rookery six crosses mark limits or masses. 
