FUR SEALS AND OTHER LIFE, PRIBILOF ISLANDS, 1914. 



Comparison of average harems, igi2~lQl4. 



57 



The most obvious general condition revealed by this table is the marked difference 

 between St. Paul and St. George Island. Although only four rookeries on St. Paul 

 show an increased average harem since 1912, the conditions on St. George are reversed 

 and five out of the six show an increase. This accords with field obser\ations which 

 make it very clear that there was a scarcity of bulls on St. George in 1914. For the 

 whole herd the average harem falls since 1912 on 12 rookeries, rises on 8 rookeries, and 

 remains unchanged on 2. 



The variation in the averages of different rookeries in the season of 191 4 ranged 

 from 36.5 on Kitovi, St. Paul Island, to 73.1 on Zapadni, St. George Island." Nine 

 rookeries have an average of over 60, 8 of under 50, and 5 between 50 and 60. Some of 

 this variation is doubtless due to past conditions, especially raiding and pelagic sealing, 

 but it is probable that conditions never have been and never will be such as to produce 

 more than approximate uniformity in the average size of the harems on the different 

 rookeries. 



THE AVERAGE HAREM AS A CRITERION OF THE CAPACITY OF THE BULLS. 



The nature of an average forbids its use as a criterion of extremes unless certain 

 reser\'ations are made. In some cases, an average may be the mean between only 

 slightly divergent extremes, and thus is fairly representative; but the average harem 

 is based upon the total number of harem bulls, including many with but one cow 



a Little East, with its single harem of 26, not considered. 



