28 DEPARTMENT OF THE NAYAL SERVICE 



8 GEORGE V, A. 1918 



Wadhams was readied on June 24. On this part of the trip, as well as throughout 

 the remainder of it, advantage was taken of every opportunity to confirm or add to 

 the information already received. 



Contrary to expectations, there was no sign of any sea-lions in the inlet and no 

 ^vord of any being seen, singly or in herds, as they had been reported early in the 

 season in other years. Since, therefore, there was no immediate prospect of carrying 

 on personal investigation in Rivers inlet, the commission proceeded to make a survey 

 of the various rookeries. 



17. SURVEY OF THE ROOKERIES. 



/. TJie Sea Otter Group. 



In the first place attention was directed to the rookery on the Sea Otter group of 

 islands, near the entrance to Rivers inlet. Manager Inrig offered to send out a Wad- 

 hams Cannery boat with its crew and others armed with rifles to shoot some sea-lions 

 for inspection. The offer was accepted, and on June 25 the rookeries were visited. 



On Pearl rocks, the first of the group to be visited (see fig. 2), there were about 

 250 sea-lions, about 50 of them being pups. As the sea was smooth, a landing was 

 made from a row-boat, on the largest of the rocks, and a female, 7 feet 1 inch long, 

 which had been shot, was opened and examined, but the stomach was empty. Here, 

 as on the other rocks in this group, the pups were very young, some of them newly 

 born, and none of them yet able to take to the water or to swim properly if they did 

 get in. 



Watch rock (see fig. 3), was next visited, but on this there were three adults. 

 Two of these were shot and examined. They were both small males, one of them 7 feet 

 6 inches in length (see fig. 5) and the other 8 feet 1 inch. The stomachs were empty. 



Finally the Virgin group was visited. This group consists of three larger rocky 

 islands and other smaller ones. There were lions on all, a total number of at least 

 2,500, of which nearly 1,000 were pups. One male, 10 feet 4 inches long (see fig. 13), 

 was examined, with the same result as in the other cases. 



Evidently it was no use trying to learn what the sea-lion takes as food by 

 examining the stomachs of those killed on the rookeries, and hence the members of 

 the commission wished for no further slaughter. The boat crew were not satisfied 

 with this, however, and many more were made to suffer. The adults all took to the 

 water at the sound of the first volley if they had not already done so on the near 

 approach of the boat, but they come to the surface at short intervals, rising until 

 the head, neck and shoulders are visible, at which time they offer a target to the 

 marksmen. The young pups are very helpless, so that they may easily be approached 

 and many of these were clubbed to death. (It was in this way that most of them 

 were killed for bounty the previous year.) Several photographs of pup groups were 

 obtained on both Pearl and Virgin rocks (see figs. 6-12). 



II. The East Hay codes. 



On the following day, June 26, the rookeries to the northwest of Vancouver 

 island, on what is sometimes known as the cape Scott group of islands, were visited. 

 (»n the way from Rivers inlet, sea-lions were again seen on the islands of the Sea 

 Otter group, but no attempt was made to get near enough to make an estimate of the 

 number. Channel rock to the southward of Pearl rocks was showing slightly above 

 water and on it there were about twenty-five sea-lions. 



In the cape Scott group, the West Haycocks were first visited but no sea-lions 

 were visible. The East Haycocks, however, presented the most wonderful sight of 



