SEAL LIFE ON THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 137 
September 3 was cold and cloudy, the wind being northeast and fresh, 
the sea short and choppy. <A few “mooching” and finning seals were 
occasionally seen; no travelers were observed. At5 p.m. we spoke the 
schooner Ainoko, which had taken 750 skins. For the past week she 
had been cruising in the vicinity of Akutan Pass, but had not found 
seals abundant enough to remain on that ground. Last season good 
catches were made there. She was now bound to the westward in 
search of a large body of seals which had been reported a few days 
previous by the revenue cutter Grant. 
We continued to jog to the northward for about 20 miles and then 
hove to. All the afternoon scattering seals had been observed, most 
of them in our wake. They would follow the vessel for a half hour at 
a time, seemingly through curiosity. At times during the night seals 
could be heard playing around us. In the morning several bunches 
were noticed close by, a few playing, but the majority going in a north- 
westerly direction. In the early part of the day the barometer began to 
fall, the weather became threatening, with the wind east and sea rough. 
At 10 a. m. wore ship and jogged to the southeast under snug canvas, 
wind a moderate gale from the east-northeast. From daylight until 
dark more seal life had been observed from the vessel than at any pre- 
vious time since entering Bering Sea. Our attention was especially 
attracted to the character of the water, which had the appearance of 
being filled with minute surface life. Birds were numerous, and an 
occasional whale was in sight. 
During the next three days stormy weather prevailed, the wind being 
east-northeast and blowing from a moderate to a strong gale; the sea 
was heavy most of the time. On the morning of the 7th the wind had 
subsided to a moderate breeze. During this long spell of boisterous 
weather seals were frequently observed, some playing and others trav- 
eling in a southwesterly direction. Birds were plentiful most of the 
time. At noon on the 7th we were in latitude 56° 22’ north, longitude 
171° 50’ west, and it was quite evident that we had encountered a strong 
northwesterly current. At 8 p.m. wore ship and stood to the south- 
east so as to give the 60 mile zone a wide berth. <A vessel cruising near 
this line without getting an observation for several days, and having 
no means of knowing the direction of the current, is very apt to be 
from 30 to 40 miles out in her reckoning. 
At 6 a.m. on September 8 the hunters were making preparations to 
lower, the sea being smooth and a light breeze blowing from the east- 
yard; the weather was cloudy. At 10 a.m. the hunt was interrupted 
by a heavy, damp fog. Ten seals had been obtained—7 males and 3 
females. Five of the former were between 4 and 5 years old; the other 
2 were very small, about 1 year old; the females were all nursing cows. 
The stomachs of these seals were nearly all empty. Only a few of the 
hunters saw seals, and according to appearances there were but few in 
this locality. Two of the boats rowed and sailed fully 15 miles each 
without encountering a single one. Fish and other surface life were 
correspondingly scarce. As our position—latitude 56° 35/ north, longi- 
tude 172° 20’ west—placed us very near the bank, the scarcity of seals 
was surprising. 
While a number of the canoes were waiting alongside to be hoisted 
on board a small seal came up in our wake, apparently attracted by the 
blasts of the fog horn and remaining unconscious of danger until one 
of the canoes had closely approached it and the spear had been poised 
for striking. It was captured. 
At 3 p.m. we made all sail and stood to the southeast. Shortly after 
