METHODS ON THE COMMANDER ISLANDS. 125 



ABSENCE OF INJURY TO THE HERD. 



This condemnation, however, must rest solely on the basis of the waste involved. 

 It resulted in no injury to the herd because there were still enough males, and to 

 spare. In spite of the unnecessary draft on its male life, and in spite of the prema- 

 ture gathering of its product in the closing years of the old lease, the male life needed 

 for the breeding herd never failed. The breeding grounds are to-day grossly over- 

 stocked with adult breeding bulls which can not be less than 8 years of age, and 

 many of them must be older, their birth dating from the very period when the closest 

 killing took place. In addition to these the rookeries are being flooded by a swarm 

 of younger bulls as a result of the partial suspension of killing under the modus vivendi 

 of 1891-93. 



METHODS ON THE COMMANDER ISLANDS. 



Over the whole subject of land killing, as conducted on the Pribilof Islands, a flood 

 of light is thrown by a comparison with the methods in vogue on the Commander 

 Islands. On Bering Island, for some years past, no killable bachelors have been spared, 

 and the proportionate number of bulls is very far below what it has been under the 

 closest killing on St. Paul and St. George. On Poludinnoye (South) rookery, Bering 

 Island, for example, there were in 1895 five bulls, in 189G three bulls, for between 500 

 and 1,000 females. Yet this number, assisted, doubtless, by immature bulls, has been 

 shown to be entirely adequate for the impregnation of all the females. According to 

 Mr. Barrett-Hamilton of the British commission, so far as could be seen, every cow on 

 this rookery had a pup in 1896. This observation was confirmed by Dr. Stejneger and 

 Captain Moser, who visited the rookery at about the same time. 



DR. STEJNEGER'S OBSERVATIONS. 



In his report for 1895, 1 Dr. Stejneger observes: 



On that rookery (Poludinnoye) the disproportion between the two sexes was excessive in 1895. 

 According to reliable information, the number of bulls on the whole rookery did not exceed five. 

 Judging from what I saw of this rookery during two visits, I should place the number of breeding 

 females at about 600, possibly only 500. 2 It would be a comparatively easy matter to observe this 

 year (1896) whether the number of pups born be very markedly small in proportion to the number of 

 females hauling out. 



THE DEARTH OF MALE LIFE ON BERING ISLAND. 



For the three bulls which had charge of the 600 or more cows on South rookery, 

 Bering Island, in 1896, Dr. Stejneger found in 1897, by actual count, 526 pups. 

 Considering the proportion of seals which must have died during the winter of old age, 

 and those which were taken by pelagic sealers, this birth rate shows clearly enough 

 the capacity of the three bulls. For this rookery, which in 1897 contained at least 

 526 cows, there were but two adult bulls and a young half bull. 



Such reckless killing as that practiced on the Commander rookeries is by no means 

 to be commended nor to be imitated, but in the face of the absence of injurious results 

 from it, it becomes impossible to charge against the more moderate and conservative 

 killing of the Pribilof Islands any share of responsibility for the decline of the herd 

 breeding upon their shores. 



1 Russian Fur Seal Islands, 1895, p. 64. 



2 Dr. Stejneger's estimate of 500 to 600 cows was made under the supposition that the cows seen 

 on the rookery represented practically all belonging to it. It was not until 1896 that it was discovered 

 that not over half the cows are present at one time. 



