SEAL LIFE ON THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 135 
the feinales were much larger. Seventy-four of the latter were in milk; 
those that were not were from 2 to 5 years old. 
On the morning of August. 28 the weather looked favorable for a 
repetition of the previous day’s work. The hunters were well clear of 
the vessel at 5.30 o’clock, at which time another vessel and the smoke 
of a steamer could be seen low on the horizon, In the middle of the 
day a canoe belonging to the schooner James G. Sican came alongside 
and reported that vessel as having 860 skins. nba the latter part 
of the day the weather becaine threatening. The barometer had been 
falling rapidly since noon, the wind had shifted from southwest to south- 
east, and no seals had been observed from the vessel. At 6 p.m. the 
hunters returned, bringing 57 seals. Two of the males were large, the 
others were all small. 
As. soon as the canoes and boats were hoisted in and secured for the 
night, a single reef was put in the foresail and a reefed trysail set, and 
preparations made for stormy weather. At dark the wind began to 
increase in force, and by midnight it was blowing a moderate gale, 
which continued until the following noon. Occasional heavy rain 
squalls passed over, which kept the sea down somewhat. In the even- 
ing two sleeping seals were noticed, which was unusual under the 
circumstances. 
In the morning of August 50 the wind had again increased to a mod- 
erate gale, and since midnight had changed 2 points to the southward. 
The sea was very rough; weather clear and sunny. 
At 10 a. m. wore ship and lay to on the starboard under close-reefed 
sails. Both in the forenoon and afternoon we saw scattering seals. 
They were seemingly not bound in any particular direction, and most 
of them were playing. One was observed asleep. 
We had been in comparatively clear water all day, but late in the 
afternoon suddenly jogged into discolored water. At 5.30 p. m. the 
jib was set, and we stood on a southeast by south course, so as to give 
the 60-mile limit a wide berth, the wind and sea for the past twenty- 
four hours having carried us toward it. We worked to the south and 
west all night. In the morning of August 31 the wind and sea had 
gone down considerably, and one vessel was in sight. At noon we 
were in latitude 55° 11’ north; longitude 170° 05’ west. We spoke 
the schooner Enterprise, of Victoria, with 1,387 skins on board. She 
reported the schooner Libbie, with 1,040 skins, and the Carlotta Cox, 
with 600. The last-named vessel carried only 6 boats, and white hunt- 
‘ers, which speaks well in their favor as seal hunters with spears. 
Shortly after meridian we passed several sleeping seals, but the con- 
dition of the weather prevented the hunters from going out. About 
two hours later several more were seen, and at 4 p.m. we came across 
a bunch of “sleepers.” At this time the weather showed signs of clear- 
ing, and 7 canoes were lowered, but they were out only a short time 
when the weather again became threatening. Eleven seals was the 
result of this short trial, 5 being males and 6 females. They were all 
very small and only one contained food. Four of the females were 
without milk. 
Through the day we had been in markedly discolored water, and the 
other indications were favorable to the presence of a considerable body 
of seals on this ground, which turned out to be the fact, as proved by 
the results of the hunting on the following day. 
The wind had been moderate all through the night, and in the morn- 
ing of September 1 a light air was moving from the southwest, the sea 
being smooth. The sky was cloudy and “the air cool, but as "the day 
