THE RUSSIAN FUR-SEAL ISLANDS. 



85 



of tlie years 1892 to 189-1. The lateness of the catch in 1895 is therefore abrupt and 

 exceptional. There is a great deal of diflereuce in the dates upon which the hunting 

 ceases, even in former years. Thus, on Glinka, Copper Island, the catch was, all in on 

 the following dates: 



1877 June 30 j 1880. 



1878 July 12 1881 July 30 



3879 Aug. 1 I 1883 July 13 



But the lateness of the Bering Island season of 1895 is not explainable in that 

 way either, for no amount of backwardness of the season would account for the catch 

 after the middle of August. The summer of 1895 was certainly a cold and late one, 

 and the snow was in places lying down to the water's edge the entire summer; but the 

 season of 1879 was also late, according to the recoids, and the "year remarkable for 

 much snow," yet the sealing season closed on both islands on August 2. Tliere must 

 consecpieutly be some other reason for the lateness in 1895. 



Here is where the plea comes in that the killable seals in 1895 arrived later on 

 the rookeries than in former years. In answer to this I would like to ask the (luestion : 

 Is there anybody familiar with the North Uookery, Bering Island, who would deny that 

 it would have been feasible in any i)revious year to have obtained there 2,(i70 skins 

 between August 13 and September 1.'5, if an attempt had been made to "scrape and 

 rake" the rookery to the same extent as in 1895f However, the table of the seals killed 

 on that rookery in 1895 (p. ll(t) directly disproves the alleged late arrival of the killables, 

 for it will be seen that the proportion of the killables to the other classes of seals 

 driven was decreasing toward the latter part of the season, instead of increasing. 

 Thus, before August 12 the average proportion of killed seals to those escaping was 

 as 1 to 2.2, while after that date it fell to 1 to 3.75. 



The following table shows how exceedingly variable the first arrival of killables 

 ou the rookeries really is : 



First drives on Bering Island, North Mookery. 



The true and only explanation of the exceptional lateness of the season on Bering 

 Island lies in the fact that killable seals, especially the younger classes, had become 

 very scarce, and that, consequently, in order to get as many skins as i)ossible — the 

 company and the natives being eciually eager to make up the threatened deticiency— 

 seals were killed until the advanced staginess of the skins put a stop to it, as proven 

 by the fact that in the last drive, in which 191 seals were killed, 51 were more or less 

 stagy. 



This statement recalls the otlier change alleged to have taken place. It is 

 asserted that the skins become stagy later in the year now than formerly. 



In order to fully weigh this allegation it is well to call to mind the fact that there 

 are very few detailed and definite observations upon this point so far as the Com- 

 mander Islands are concerned. Nowhere do we find any series of observations 



