ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 



491 



refuge for these young male seals and yearlings — places where material 

 can and would grow up in full vigor to supply the imperative demands 

 of nature on these breeding grounds. These reserves would, in fact, 

 be reservoirs that would be a steady source from which this stream of 

 particular seal life can regularly flow, without diminution in its volume, 

 from year to year. 



This method of driving in 1890, huddles and hustles the breeding 

 lines, and sweeps the few surplus bulls that may be outside, up and 

 away to the killing grounds — stampeded into the drive. 



July 4, 1890. — To-day, finding that the supply of 3 and 4 year olds 

 and "long" 2-year-olds was practically exhausted — in other words, that 

 more and more seals were being driven up every day, and less and less 

 skins taken — the company's agent dropped his standard to 5^-pound 

 skins. This takes in all the average 2-year-olds, which have hitherto 

 been rejected as they appeared in the i3ods. But even this tumble to a 

 lower grade did not prevent a small catch, as the following tabulation 

 of the biggest drive of the season as to numbers testifies. 



The following are field notes of the podding and clubbing of drive 

 made from English Bay, Middle Hill, and Tolstoi, July 4, 1890: 



Whole number of aniraals driven, 4,323 ; number taken, 432, or 90^ per 

 cent rejected. Last drive from this place, June 30, when 1,262 animals 

 were driven and 203 taken, or 84^ per cent rejected. 



July 5, 1890. — Visited Otter Island. No seals whatever hauled out 

 there save a small squad of 50 right on the rocks awash, above our 

 landing; has been none thus far this season, or no sign of them. Last 

 year some 1,500 or 2,000 were hauled out here at this date. Grass has 

 thickly and solidly grown over the hauling grounds, clear down to the 

 surf, all over those places which were polished bare of every trace of 

 vegetation by the hauling seals in 1872-1874. 



July 7, 1890. — The following are field notes of the podding and club- 



