ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 



415 



sex haul out on laud, these unfortunate seals are beguiled again very soon, or a few 

 days later, into that tleadly procession to that ground from which tliey were driven 

 early this morning. How the significance — the death of this driving — now keeps 

 rising to my mind. I had little occasion in 1872-1874 to give it thought: and, what 

 I did then was only in a suggestive mood. 



I passed up from the killing grounds over to Tolstoi rookery, and gave theseal path 

 or road, a careful review. A few holluschickie Avere again hauled out under Middle 

 Hill, and a dozen, perhaps, on the Tolstoi rookery sand intersection : but, the great 

 hauling grounds of English Bay are utterly destitute of seal life at the hour of this 

 writing: and have been so ever since the season opened, with the marked exception 

 of those small Sijuads under Middle Hill, in the rear of Nealipahskie Kammen, and 

 the sand beach at the immediate ending of the Tolstoi breeding lines. These micro- 

 scoijic areas are the only points now in all that vast extent of ground over which in 

 1872-1874 the holluschickie of English Bay spread their heavy squadrons ! 



Not a holluschickie on Zoltoi sands to-day, and only a handful on the rocks beyond 

 and above, from which the Zoltoi drives, so called, have all been thus far. Mr. Goff 

 assures me that there was no driving from the sands here last year — it was all from 

 these rocks above the Zoltoi bluffs. When this famous hauling ground began to 

 fail was full time for its a note of warning to have been heard. When did it fail? 



From the journals of tlie Treasury agent's office on St. Paul and St. 

 George islands, I have extracted the following data, which declares 

 plainly enough that until the season of 1885 closed, the annual quota 

 of 100,000 prime skins was easily taken on these islands between the 

 1st and 14th of June and the 20th of July ; that in 1885, the work sud- 

 denly dropped behind, and continued to lag until the total failure of 

 1890 closes this sad record : 



Table showing dates of the first and last killings of each official sealing season on the 



Pribilov Islands. 

 [The season of 1890 closed on the 20th of July by order of the Secretary of the Treasury.] 



Tear. 



Island of St. Paul. 



First 

 killing. 



Last 

 killing. 



Island of St. George. 



First 

 killing. 



Last 

 killinjr 



1870 a. 

 1871... 

 1872... 

 1873... 

 1874... 

 1875... 

 1876... 

 1877... 

 1878... 

 1879... 

 1880... 

 1881... 

 1882... 

 1883... 

 1884... 

 1885... 

 1886... 

 1887... 



1890. 



May 16 



June 1 



....do ... 



June 3 



June 1 



June 6 



June 4 



June 8 



Juno 2 



June 3 



June 6 



June 2 



June 4 

 June 

 June 

 June 

 Juno 

 June 

 June 



June 6 



July 31 

 cJuly 30 

 d July 24 

 cJuljf 28 

 July 22 

 July 19 

 duly 18 

 ...do ... 

 July 16 

 July 17 

 July 20 

 ...do ... 

 July 19 

 JulV 21 

 July 27 

 July 26 

 July 23 

 July 27 

 July 31 

 July 20 



June 4 

 June 3 

 June 4 

 Juno 1 

 ....do ... 

 ..-.do ... 

 June 9 

 Juno 10 

 June 3 

 . . . .do . . . 

 Juno 9 

 Juno 12 

 June 11 

 June 4 

 June 1 

 June 10 

 June 9 

 J une 6 

 June 4 

 June 2 



&July 

 July 

 July 

 July 

 July 

 Julv 

 July 

 July 



fJuly 

 July 

 July 



f/July 

 July 

 Aug. 

 July 

 July 

 July 

 July 

 July 

 July 



a No record. 7j Delayed for "food drives" after 22d. 



c The catch of 75,000 was substantially taken on July 17. A few thousand .skins left for food driv- 

 ing until 30th. 



d The catch of 75,000 was substantially taken by the 20th. A few thousand skins left for food driv- 

 ing until the 24th. 



e The catch of 90,000 was substantially taken on the 16th of July; but a few thousand skins for food 

 driving were left over to the 28th. 



/ This season's work covers the first draft made upon the reserves. 



g Heavy draft begun this year upon the reserves. 



Official entries in the journal of the chief special agent of the Treasury Department, at St. 

 Paul Island, relative to the close of the sealing seasons on that island since 1879, the year 

 of first hint of diminution: ' 



July U, ^575.- Drive from Zoltoi, 2,652 skins taken. 



July 16, 1879. — Last day of the sealing season. Drive from Middle Hill making tip 

 the full quota for this island. The natives round up the sealing with a yell. (H. G. 

 Otis, p. 99.) 



' See detailed statement in Appendix p. 218. 



