348 ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 



A comical feature of this rookery is tlie appearance of blue foxes in 

 those chinks under the parade ground and interstices of the clifis. 

 Their melancholy barking and short yelps of astonishment as we walk 

 about, contrast quite sensibly with the utter indifference of the seals 

 to our presence. . 



From Tolstoi, at this point, sweeijing around 6 miles to Zapacinie, is 

 the broad sand reach of English Bay, upon which, and back over its 

 gently rising flats, are the great hauling grounds of the holluschickie, 

 which I have indicated on the general map, and to which I made refer- 

 ence in a previous section ot this chapter. Looking at the myriads 

 of bachelor seals spread out in their restless hundreds and hundreds ot 

 thousands upon this ground, one feels the utter impotency of verbal 

 description and reluctantly shuts his note and sketch books to gaze 

 upon it with renewed fascination and perfect helplessness. 



Tolstoi rookery has attained, 1 think, its utmost limit of expansion. 

 The seals have already pushed themselves as far out upon the sand at 

 the north as they can or are willing to go, while the abrupt chffs, hanging 

 over more than one-half of the sea margin, shut out all access to the rear 

 for the breedin g seals. The natives said that this rookery had increased 

 very much dufing the last four or five years prior to the date of my 

 making the accompanying survey. If it continues to increase, the tact 

 can beinstantly noted by checking off the ground and comparing it with 

 the sketch map herewith presented. Tolstoi rookery has 3,000feet ot sea 

 margin, with an average depth of 150 feet, making ground for 22o,000 

 breeding seals and their young. 



TOLSTOI ROOKERY, 1890. 



[Its condition and appearance July, 1S90.] 



My picture of this rookery as above drawn in 1872, forms a remarkable 

 contrast when held up in view of the picture which Tolstoi made m the 

 height of the sealing season last summer. The scant, scattered massing^ 

 of the breeding animals as exhibited this year over those same areas ot 

 splendid congregation in 1872, where 500 feet deep from the sea margin 

 the breeding seals and their young laid in compact solid organization 

 throughout the rutting season— this contrast between the condition ot 

 1872 and 1890 was most vividly made here, since it is the only one ot 

 the St Paul rookeries which can be seen in all of its extent from a single 

 point of view. It also was an exceedingly attractive rookery to visit in 

 1872, because from its height the vast sweep of those English Bay haul- 

 ing o-rounds laid under your eves, and the tens of thousands of hol- 

 luschickie which then hauled out there, in sport or in sleep, were 

 always to be seen whenever you glanced that way. 



Not even a faint suggestion of 1872 appeared on this hauling ground 

 of English Bay last summer: and the shriveled form of Tolstoi rookery 

 in 1890 is best expressed by the figures which follow explanatory ot 

 the accompanying map : 



Detailed analysis of the survey of Tolstoi rooJcery July 10, 1890. 



[Sea margin beginning at A and ending at D.] Square feet. 



800 feet sea mar-in between A and B, with 80 feet average depth, massed . . 64, 000 



400 feet sea margin between B and C, with 60 feet average depth massed 24 000 



1,600 feet sea margin between C and 1), with 10 leet average depth, massed. 16, 000 



Jag E has 300 feet of depth, with 40 feet average width, massed 12, OOU 



Jag F has 100 feet of depth, with 40 feet average width massed . 4, UU 



Jai G has 120 feet of depth, with 40 feet of average width, massed ^' ^"^ 



Total square feet 124,800 



