ON PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 273 



parts of thein covered with grass. This diminution was particularly 

 noticeable in 1887 aud 1888, the last two years of my visit to the islands. 



For many years prior to 1890 I Lave observed the rookeries from my 

 ship and also from the islands. The first decrease 

 in the number appearing on the rookeries and in M. C. ErsUne, pA22. 

 the surrounding sea that I particularly noticed 



was in the summer of 1884, aud it has become more marked from year 

 to year since. For the last three or four years their disappearance has 

 been very marked. In October, 1890, I made a trip from Unalaska to 

 St. Michaels. When about 20 miles south of St. George we commenced 

 to watch for seals passing the Zapadnie rookery close inshore, along 

 the west end of St. George Island to Otter Island and Seal Island 

 rock: thence to Northeast I'oint, about a mile aud a half offshore. 



When we started I requested the officers to keep a sharp lookout and 

 to report if they saw any seals in the water. 1 was on deck most of 

 the time myself also, and we only saw 2 seals in the whole run, whereas 

 ten years ago, when on a similar voyage, seals were so plentiful that it 

 was impossible to count them. From my long observation I do not 

 think there are as many seals by two-thirds now annually arriving on 

 the islands or in those waters as there were ten years ago, when I first 

 commenced to notice that they were decreasing. By this statement I 

 mean to say that only one- third as many are now to be seen as formerly. 



Seals have decreased in numbers very rapidly in the last few years, 

 and to anyone who saw the breeding rookeries, as 

 I did, in 1880, the change is most wonderful. C. L. Fowler, p. 25. 



It was on the breeding rookeries and among the cows that I first 

 began to notice the decrease in seal life, and I do 

 not think there was more than one fourth as many c.L. Fowler, p. 26. 

 cows on the breeding rookeries in 1891 that there 

 was in 1887. 



I have been a resident of the seal islands for the past ten years; 

 formerly assistant agent of the Alaska Commer- * 

 cial Company, now agent of the North American c.L. Foioler, p. 141. 

 Company, and during that time have been engaged 



in the taking of seals. I have listened to the testimony of J. C. Bed- 

 path as above, and fully concur in all that he has said concerning seal life, 

 with the exception that the number of seals on the islands this season 

 are, in my judgment, not more than one-fourth of what they were in 

 1887. 



In those days [from 1869 to 1882 or 18831 we 

 used to get plenty of seals on the Zoltoi snnds near j„o. Fratxs, p. 107. 

 the Reef rookery, and now there are none there. 



It was in 1884 that I first noticed a decrease in the seals, and it has 

 been a steady and a very rapid decrease ever since 188(5, so that at pres- 

 ent there is not one-quarter as mauy seals on the islaud as there was 

 every year from 1809 to 1883. 



In 1889 I made careful observations of the rookeries on St. Paul 

 Island and marked out the areas covered by the 

 breeding grounds; in 1890 I examined these lines Chas. -/. Goff,p. HI. 

 made by me the former year aud found a very 

 great shrinkage hi the spaces covered by breeding seals. 

 18 b s 



