ON PEIBILOF ISLANDS. 281 



1 had an excellent opportunity to observe some of the seal rookeries 

 during ray first visit to the islands, and spent 

 ranch time in studying' the habits of the seals, both Francis Tattle, p. 487. 

 on the rookeries and in the adjacent waters. I 



was particularly impressed with the great numbers to be seen both on 

 land and in the water. During the summer of 1889 the Bush was so 

 actively engaged cruising in pursuit of vessels engaged in illegal seal- 

 ing that our anchorages off the seal rookeries that season were short 

 and infrequent; hence I did not have the opportunity to observe them 

 as closely on land as the preceding year. 



During 1890 the Bush was not engaged in preventing sealing outside 

 the shore limit, and we spent much time in full view of the seal rook- 

 eries and cruising about the seal islands, and I also made frequent 

 visits to the breeding grounds. 



The deserted appearance of the rookeries and the absence of seals in 

 the water was very noticeable and was a matter of general remark 

 among the officers of the vessel who bad been on the former cruises. Very 

 large tracts of the rookeries which I had formerly seen occupied by the 

 seals were entirely deserted, and the herds were much smaller than 

 those of 1888. My attention was also called, by those conversant with 

 the facts, to the grass growing on the inshore side of some of the rook- 

 eries, and to the three different shades of grass to be seen, indicating 

 the spaces that had not been occupied by the seals for several years, 

 owing to their diminished number. The darker shade showed where the 

 growth first commenced, and a lighter shade for each succeeding year. 

 There were three or lour differently shaded growths, reaching down to 

 the sand of the rookeries, and on that portion of the rookeries occupied 

 by seals they were not lying near as compact as in 1888. 



In our frequent passages during 1890, between the Aleutian group 

 and the seal islands, we sometimes made an entire passage without 

 seeing a seal. This was entirely different from the experience of the 

 preceding years, indicating a great tailing off of seal life. 



In the year 1880 I thought I began to notice a falling off from the 

 year previous of the number of seals on North- 

 east Point rookery, but this decrease was so very Danl. Webster, p. 181. 

 slight that probably it would not have been ob- 

 served by one less familiar with seal life and its conditions than I; but 

 I could not discover or learn that it showed itself on any of the other 

 rookeries. In 1881 and 1885 I noticed a decrease, and it became so 

 marked in 1886 that everyone on the islands saw it. This marked de- 

 crease in 188(1 showed itself on all the rookeries on both islands. 



Until 1887 or 1888, however, the decrease was not felt in obtaining 

 skins, at which time the standard was lowered from 6 and 7 pound skins 

 to 5 and 4i pounds. The hauling grounds of Northeast Point kept up 

 the standard longer than the other rookeries, because, as I believe, the 

 latter rookeries had felt the drain of the open-sea sealing during 1885 and 

 1886 more tuan Northeast Point, the cows from the other rookeries 

 having gone to the southward to feed, where the majority of the seal- 

 ing schooners were engaged in taking seal. 



That in pursuance of Department instructions to me of May 27, 1891, 

 I made a careful examination during the sealing 



season of the habits, numbers, and conditions of W. H. Williams, p. 93. 

 the seals and seal rookeries with a view T of report- 

 ing to the Dexmrtnient from observation and such knowledge on the 



