THE RUSSIAN FUR-SEAL ISLANDS 7,5 



making successful snap-shot photography an impossibilitj'. We proceeded, Indian 

 file, to the rooliery and in short order drove ofif nearly all the grown seals located 

 on the reef itself, over 4,000 animals all told. Most of these were females (about 

 3,000) and bachelors (about 1,000). As it was late in the season, only 8 bulls were 

 ciitight. As many pups as possible were allowed to escape into the sea, and they 

 availed themselves of the opportunity ottered to go ott' in large Hocks. Nevertheless, 

 about .'500 pups were driven ott" to the killing grounds before they could be released. 

 The whole breeding-ground not h)cated on outlying rocks — and it was now low 

 ^vater — was gone over and swept absolutely clean. Not a living seal, except a few 

 pups too weak from starvation to move, was left on the '' lleef." 



As usual, the seals were driven in scjuads of 200 to 300. The length of the drive 

 was only 650 yards and in the cold morning entailed no hardship on the seals. On 

 the killing-ground they were again collected into two large herds. The segregating 

 of the "pods'' to be killed was done very quietly and deliberately, without worrying 

 the entire herd. Only about 100 grown males (too large and too snuill) were allowed 

 to escape, or 20 jier cent of all the males driven. Whatever injury the driving might 

 inflict would consequently be trilling so far as the male element was concerned. 



But how about the females? More than three times as many females were driven 

 and returned to the sea as there were bachelors to be killed. How did it afl'ect themf 

 Did they suffer much physically? Does the driving of the females seem to have any 

 influence upon their return to the rookery? 



These and many related questions will find an answer in the notes and remarks 

 which I wrote down on the spot during an earlier drive on the same rookery, viz, on 

 July 19, 1895. 



A separate tally of the number and kind of seals driven is submitted elsewhere 

 (p. 110), and some of the following notes refer to the "pods" therein enumerated, by 

 " pod " meaning each little flock of seals taken out of the big herd to be killed. Each 

 pod usually consists of bachelors, females, bulls, and pups. The killing gang attempt 

 to hit as many of the bachelors on the head with their clubs as possible, while the 

 other classes are allowed to escape. Occasionally the club glances oft' and hits the 

 wrong animal or, more rarely, a mistake is made in the identification of the animal 

 clubbed. The following remarks are transcribed from the diary without any attempt 

 at classification : 



Female seals were accidentally hurt, more or less severely, during the killing. I noted the more 

 severe cases as follows : 



In pod 4, 1 stunned ; soon recovered and scampered oti'. 



In pod 18, 1 so severely stunned that a man carried her off by the hind legs; recovered in lifteeu 

 minutes. 



In pod 25 the most severe case occurred ; she was perfectly unconscious for a long while; finally sat 

 up, but could not he induced to move; at 2 p. m. I found her still in the same place in a dazed condition. 



In pod 31 a female was also badly hurt and bleeding, but not so severely as one in pod 35, which 

 received a very big scalp wound; both ran away with the others, however. 



In pod 7 a yearling was so badly hurt that it wa.s thought best to kill him. 



In pod 28 a pup was hurt, but I don't believe it was done by clubbing; it was probably injured 

 HI the crush. At 2 p. m. I found it still unconscious in the place where it first fell, but as I roused it 

 by lifting it up by the hind flippers it came to and in a little while ambled off. 



Returning to the killing-grouuds at 7 p. m., I found there a lonely pup roaming about aimlessly. 

 As I saw the other pups escape with and follow the various pods of females. I am inclined to believe 

 that this was the same pup which was hurt and which 1 was speaking of above. If so, it was very 



