THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 91 



antarctic coasts and islands once frequented by f^'miate. 

 vast herds of fur-seals.^ 



The Alaskan seals evidently consider the ^^J{«"^« «^" ^^'^ ^'" ■ 

 Pribilof Islands as their home, for while on or 

 about them they are much less tnnid and fear- 

 ful than when met with in the sea along the 

 American coast.^ Capt. C. N. Cox, master of 

 the schooner E. B. Marvin, who was examined by 

 Collector Milne, of the port of Victoria, British 

 Columbia, in 1892, says : "They (the seals) seem 

 to be right at home there (in the waters adja- 

 cent to the islands) and not traveling about so 

 much"^ 



The two islands, St. Paul and St. George, st. rani and St. 



' ^ ' George. 



are the only ones of the Pribilof group on 

 wdiich breeding seals land. The shores, com- 

 paratively limited, occupied by the animals are 

 termed "rookeries" and are divided into "breed- 

 ing grounds" and "hauling grounds."* 



The "breeding grounds" or "breeding rook- ''Breedin,? 



• 1111 T 1 grouuds." 



eries " (the areas occupied by the breedmg seals 

 and their offspring) are rocky areas along the 

 water's edge, covered with broken pieces of lava 

 of various sizes and shapes, those nearest the sea 

 having been rounded by the action of the waves 



1 James W. Budington, Vol. II, p. 594. 



2 Samuel Falconer, Vol. II, p. 165; Daniel Webster, Vol. II, p. 182. 



3 British Blue Book, U. S. No. 3 (1892); C— 6G35, p. 176. 

 < J. Stanley Brown, Vol. II, p. 12. 



