112 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIE DY: 
less than 1,000 miles apart, there is no commingling. The former 
migrates southwestward in winter along the Asiatic Coast, while 
the latter migrates southeastward along the American Coast. 
Upon the discovery of the fur-seal islands of Bering Sea, more 
than a century ago, seals were found in great multitudes. For 
many years they were killed indiscriminately, but the Russian 
Government finally took charge of them and directed the fisheries 
in such a way that they were regularly productive. The Pribilof 
Islands, for twenty years after the accession of Alaska, yielded 
to the United States Government in the taxes on sealskins alone, 
more than $7,000,000, the price paid for the entire Territory of 
Alaska. About twenty years ago the practice of pelagic sealing— 
the killing of seals in the open sea—developed into an extensive 
industry, since which time the supply of seals has steadily de- 
creased. 
Although during the winter months the fur-seal herds migrate 
into the Pacific Ocean, they are in summer located on-their an- 
ciently established breeding places in Bering Sea. Under gov- 
ernment supervision a certain number of seals on the islands is 
selected for killing, in accordance with the natural habits of the 
animals. Fur seals are highly polygamous; every adult male 
takes possession of a large number of females, the number vary- 
ing from one dozen to 100 1n extreme cases. This highly poly- 
gamous habit naturally results in a large surplus of males, which 
surplus, when the rookeries were in their best condition, amounted 
to about 100,000 immature males a year on the Pribilofs and 
over 35,000 a year on the Commanders. These half-grown males 
herd by themselves, and it is from them that the annual catch of 
seals on the islands has always been made. The United States 
and Russian governments have never allowed any disturbing of 
the breeding rookeries and have never permitted the killing of 
female seals. The breeding stock upon the islands has there- 
fore remained undisturbed and would, but for the international 
nuisance of pelagic sealing, have yielded forever a world supply 
of fur sealskins. This method of sealing, as has been stated, 1s 
practiced in the open sea. and permits of no selections being made. 
Female seals constitute by far the greater part of the pelagic 
catch. In ten years pelagic sealing in the adjacent waters and 
in the Pacific Ocean destroyed the value of the Pribilof and Com- 
mander islands as government properties. Adjacent to each 
breeding rookery on these islands lie the so-called “hauling 
grounds” of the immature males—the class of seals available for 
killing. The latter are quietly surrounded, and without difficulty 
