ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL INDUSTRIES, 1920. 107 
above and illustrates the value of having a comparatively large aver- 
age harem. The various proportions of massed areas where death 
‘ates are high to scattered rocky areas where they are low have 
been taken into consideration in arriving at the percentages. Also 
of prime importance in this connection is the fact that the size of 
the average harem in 1920 stands almost halfway between the figures 
for 1915 and 1916. It is reasonable to suppose that the percentage 
of dead pups would be governed thereby. 
In the early days of pelagic sealing, when large numbers of dead 
pups were washed up by the surf, the impression was general that the 
animals were drowned by storms. The matter entered into inter- 
national negotiations when it was maintained by the representatives 
of the Government of Great Britain that this was a prime cause 
of pup mortality. The fact that starvation was the cause of death as 
a result of the mothers having been killed by pelagic sealers was 
thereby concealed. 
Dr. F. A. Lucas has shown the subject in its true light and com- 
mented on the fallacy of the much-flaunted “deadly surf nip.” By 
actual autopsy he demonstrated that the number of young animals 
drowned was insignificant. 
T personally had never had an opportunity to make any observa- 
tions on the subject until 1920, because violent storms had never 
occurred at the proper season during my seven years of work. But 
this year a heavy gale from the southwest drove an enormous surf 
into English Bay for three days during the latter part of July. It 
was precisely the time for deaths from drowning to occur, if such 
ever occur. Some pups are then dabbling in the edge of the water, 
while many others are young and weak. 
After the storm thorough search of the entire stretch of English 
Bay beach was made, where over a thousand had been counted at 
one time during the days of pelagic sealing, but only 17 dead pups 
were found there. Not one of these 17 animals had drowned, and 
the majority of them were in an advanced stage of decomposition. 
They were simply some of the usual dead which had been washed off 
the rookery. 
Thus the findings of Dr. Lucas in this respect are completely 
confirmed. Drowning is the cause of a very insignificant portion of 
the loss of fur seals. 
The intestinal parasite Uncinaria may be present among the pups 
and may cause a few of the deaths recorded from year to year. 
Autopsies were made in a few cases in 1920 where decomposition had 
not proceeded too far, but in no instance could death be attributed 
to this cause. It may be that the parasite is epidemic at periodical 
intervals and will recur some time in the future. It is a point well 
worth keeping in mind by future investigators. 
In 1915 the presence of a considerable number of animals, both 
young and adult, was noted and recorded which had the mange or 
some skin affection allied to it to a greater or less degree. Each year 
a few cases are seen, and they are usually marked by the presence 
of small, round, hairless spots. These are known in the furtrade by 
1Fur Seal Investigations, 1896-97, pt. 3, pp. 83-84. 
