﻿FUR-SEAL 
  SERVICE. 
  73 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  seals 
  killed 
  were 
  by 
  watcliinen 
  at 
  Northeast 
  Point, 
  on 
  

   May 
  17, 
  when 
  six 
  were 
  slaughtered. 
  The 
  first 
  regidar 
  food 
  killing 
  

   took 
  place 
  on 
  May 
  30, 
  when 
  a 
  drive 
  was 
  made 
  from 
  the 
  Reef. 
  

  

  The 
  last 
  killed, 
  which 
  were 
  among 
  the 
  last 
  lot 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  island 
  

   dming 
  the 
  year, 
  were 
  taken 
  by 
  fox 
  hunters 
  at 
  Northeast 
  Point 
  on 
  

   December 
  14. 
  For 
  the 
  year 
  1913 
  the 
  last 
  killing 
  was 
  on 
  December 
  30 
  

   when 
  130 
  out 
  of 
  a 
  drive 
  of 
  305 
  were 
  slaughtered 
  on 
  Sivutch 
  (Sea 
  

   Lion 
  Rock). 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  there 
  were 
  a 
  few 
  seals 
  still 
  hauled 
  out 
  on 
  

   Sivutch 
  (Sea 
  Lion 
  Rock), 
  or 
  occasionally 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  adja- 
  

   cent 
  to 
  the 
  Reef 
  Peninsula. 
  

  

  NOTES 
  ON 
  FUR 
  SEALS, 
  ST. 
  GEORGE 
  ISLAND, 
  1914. 
  

  

  North 
  Rookery. 
  — 
  Seals 
  made 
  their 
  fii'st 
  appearance 
  April 
  29, 
  when 
  

   one 
  bull 
  hauled 
  out 
  on 
  North 
  Rookery. 
  By 
  May 
  9 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   bulls 
  had 
  increased 
  to 
  15 
  and 
  several 
  bachelors 
  were 
  noted 
  in 
  the 
  

   water 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  beach. 
  By 
  May 
  23, 
  there 
  were 
  37 
  bulls 
  in 
  

   position 
  on 
  the 
  breeding 
  ground 
  and 
  4 
  young 
  bulls 
  were 
  observed 
  

   loitering 
  around 
  the 
  edges 
  awaiting 
  an 
  opportunity 
  to 
  take 
  up 
  posi- 
  

   tions 
  and 
  establish 
  harems. 
  By 
  June 
  4 
  there 
  were 
  59 
  bulls 
  in 
  posi- 
  

   tion, 
  but 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  were 
  young 
  bulls 
  that 
  later 
  deserted 
  their 
  

   places, 
  retiring 
  to 
  the 
  outskirts 
  of 
  the 
  breedmg 
  ground. 
  From 
  

   this 
  date 
  on, 
  the 
  accession 
  of 
  bulls 
  became 
  rapid 
  until 
  the 
  maximum 
  

   was 
  reached 
  on 
  July 
  20, 
  when 
  94 
  were 
  established 
  with 
  harems. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  cow 
  arrived 
  June 
  10. 
  Five 
  days 
  later 
  9 
  had 
  arrived, 
  5 
  of 
  

   which 
  had 
  taken 
  their 
  places 
  in 
  harems. 
  From 
  June 
  15 
  the 
  increase 
  

   in 
  cows 
  was 
  rapid 
  and 
  1,340 
  were 
  counted 
  July 
  1. 
  

  

  On 
  June 
  17 
  the 
  first 
  pups 
  were 
  seen, 
  when 
  6 
  were 
  observed. 
  By 
  

   June 
  21 
  the 
  number 
  had 
  increased 
  to 
  27 
  and 
  4 
  days 
  later 
  to 
  107. 
  By 
  

   reason 
  of 
  the 
  nearness 
  of 
  North 
  Rookery 
  to 
  St. 
  George 
  village, 
  and 
  

   because 
  of 
  the 
  high 
  bluff 
  that 
  stands 
  immediately 
  in 
  its 
  rear, 
  this 
  rook- 
  

   ery 
  lends 
  itself 
  more 
  readily 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  to 
  observation. 
  

  

  Seals 
  branded 
  in 
  1912. 
  — 
  ^The 
  first 
  2-year-olds 
  bearing 
  the 
  1912 
  "T" 
  

   brand 
  were 
  observed 
  in 
  a 
  drive 
  made 
  from 
  East 
  Rookery 
  on 
  June 
  29. 
  

   Beginnmg 
  July 
  16, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  request 
  of 
  the 
  special 
  investigators, 
  

   all 
  branded 
  2-year-olds 
  on 
  making 
  their 
  first 
  appearance 
  in 
  drives 
  

   were 
  given 
  a 
  distinctive 
  mark 
  for 
  the 
  season 
  by 
  clipping 
  the 
  hair 
  

   from 
  the 
  left 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  head. 
  Two 
  hundred 
  and 
  eight 
  were 
  marked 
  

   in 
  this 
  manner. 
  On 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  branded 
  seals 
  the 
  brands 
  were 
  

   very 
  faint, 
  due, 
  in 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  the 
  agent 
  and 
  caretaker, 
  to 
  msuffi- 
  

   cient 
  searing 
  when 
  the 
  branding 
  iron 
  was 
  used. 
  The 
  faint 
  brands 
  

   were 
  almost 
  imperceptible 
  in 
  wet 
  weather 
  when 
  the 
  wet 
  fur 
  lay 
  close 
  

   to 
  the 
  skin. 
  From 
  the 
  close 
  scrutiny 
  necessary 
  to 
  observe 
  the 
  brands 
  

   in 
  many 
  instances 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  some 
  faintly 
  branded 
  seals 
  

   escaped 
  observation. 
  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  note 
  that 
  while 
  branded 
  

  

  