THE COURSE. 167 



vided they travel that coast, as I believe they do, many having been 

 shot oft' the Knrile Islands in the spring and summer months. 



All the seals along the coast go to the Prybilof Islands to breed. 

 The cows leave here in June and the yearliugs 

 some time in the middle of July. Bowa-Chup, p. 376. 



The fur-seals appear off Cape Flattery and in the Straits of San Juan 

 de Fuca about the last of December and go and 

 come until about the middle of June, but year- p e ter Brown, p. 378. 

 lings and 2-year olds remain considerably later. 



From my inquiries and observations I am convinced the seals, after 

 going through the Aleutian passes, seek the vast 

 schools of fishes which, at this season of the year, Charles Bryant, p. 5. 

 are to be found in the North Pacific, then follow- 

 ing these fishes as they migrate towards the American coast for the pur- 

 pose of spawning, they appear oft' the California coast during the early 

 part of the year. The seals then go northward, still following these 

 schools offish, the males arriving again at Bering Sea in the early part 

 of May and the females in June and July and proceeding at once to their 

 island home. 



The young seals are now a year old, and I am of the opinion the sexes 

 herd together. This year they leave the islands a little earlier than the 

 previous season and make the same migration in search of food. Ee- 

 turning again, this time as u two-year-olds," the males go upon the 

 hauling grounds with the bachelor seals and the females land on the 

 breeding rookeries. It is probable that the females of this age are fer- 

 tilized by the bulls and leave the islands in the fall pregnant. 



In the fall of the year, chiefly during November, when the wind com- 

 ing from northerly directions blow them toward 

 these shores, was the time to go out and capture r^dliBurdukofsUetai., 

 the young seals. 



When the wind blew from the southerly directions no pups were to be 

 found. I never saw any older seals with them, and can not say just what 

 time the seals of different ages and sexes go through the passes m this 

 vicinity. 



I believe these pups were the weaker ones, who could not follow their 

 mothers, and being temporarily lost were driven by northerly win^ls 

 into the quieter bays and harbors, and there rested. No old seals ever 

 haul out in this vicinity. Immediately after northerly gales, and before 

 the water has grown so quiet that the young pups can again continue 

 their journey, is the best time for capturing them. There is no regular 

 time about this, it depends on the weather. In late years I have not 

 hunted, but when I did this village caught from 150 to 200 pups. So 

 much depends on the weather that sometimes more and sometimes less 

 are caught. In recent years guns and occasionally fishing nets are 

 used with better results. 



Seals appear off this coast the latter part of December, and are gone 

 by the middle of July. Cows appear to leave 

 earlier than the younger ones. Landls Calla P a >P- 379 ' 



First seen and taken seal by me off the Columbia River in February. 

 The seal are constantly, advancing up the coast. 



We follow the seal up the coast until we enter the chas. Camplell, p. 256. 

 sea about July 6. 



