FUR SEALS AND OTHER LIFE, PRIBILOF ISLANDS, 1914. 



39 



The hauling grounds in 1914 are teeming with bachelor seals of 4 years of age 

 and under. There are nearly 10,000 4-year-old bachelors and upward of 13,000 3-year- 

 olds, so male life for the future is more than assured. The 9,000 to 10,000 4-year-olds 

 living in 1914 will, if wholly spared, undoubtedly create an overstock of males, and this 

 constitutes the principal undesirable feature of the herd as found in 1914. The wel- 

 fare of the herd demands that some of them should be killed in 1915. By so doing and 

 by killing a sufficient number of 4-year-olds and 3-year-olds at the same time the rela- 

 tive proportions of the different classes of seals would be adjusted to a basis as nearly 

 ideal as our knowledge permits. No matter what course is pursued, the important 

 question will always be what proportion of young males may be killed with safety. 

 The proportion is the same now that it always will be, and nothing is gained by delay. 

 Whether the proportion be small or large, it is obviously safe to take it now as well as 

 in future years. 



COMPARATIVE RESULTS. 



Comparing the results of the census of 1914 with those of 1912 and i9i3,made in 

 much the same manner and at the same stage of the season," we find various informing 

 features. Although there is a general increase, it is not evenly distributed and it is 

 evident that various imperfectly understood effects of land and pelagic sealing in previ- 

 ous 3'ears are involved. The general comparative results of the three censuses are shown 

 in the following table : 



General comparison of recent censuses. 



Class of seals. 



Breeding bulls 



Breeding cows 



Idle bulls 



Young bulls (chiefly s-y ear-olds) . 



4-y earK)ld bachelors 



3-year-old bachelors 



2-year-old bachelors 



Yearling bachelors 



2-year-old cows 



Yearling cows 



Pups. A . . . 



Total. 



a See Clark, Science, N. S., XXXVIII, p. 919, Dec. 26, 1913; also Bur. Fisheries Doc. 780, p. 97. 1913; and Hearings Comm. 

 Exp. Dept. Conimr., H. R., No. 2, 63rd Cong., 2nd sess., pp. 494-499. 1914. 



Comparison of harems and idle bulls. — In 191 2 there were only 1,358 harems, the 

 smallest number during American ownership, and the number had been less than 1,400 

 in every year since 1906. In 1913 there was a slight increase to 1,403, and in 1914 there 

 were as many as 1,559, showing the most marked increase and in fact the only important 

 one since that following the modus vivendi some 20 years ago. 



With few exceptions, the harem bulls of 191 4 were at least 6 years old, and therefore 

 were killable seals of 2 and 3 years, respectively, in 1910 and 1911, when land killing was 

 practically undiminished. Moreover, 200 skins (8-12 pounds) were taken in 1912, 

 which were mostly of 4-year-olds. Therefore the increase in harem bulls in 191 4 can not 

 have been due to the limitation of land killing unless it is assumed that with former 



1 Fair comparison is not possible with the census made by Mr. H. W. Elliott in 1913, since it was made some two weeks earlier 

 in the season when a large number of pups were still unborn. 



