,)*J SEAL LIFK OX THK 1'KI hi LOT ISLANDS. 



17. ( o\\s. when nur.-inu. regularly ira\el lon^ (list, -mres to feed. I hey arc fre- 

 oiiently found Itui t>r \~>n miles from the i-lands, ami soinet imes a( ureater distances. 



IN. The to id of I lie fur --e.il eon-i-t- of fish, squids, crustaceans, and probably other 

 form- of marine lil'e. 



1!'. The ureat minority of cows, pups. and >uch of the breeding hull- as have not 

 a Ire ad \ ^onc. leave the i> lands alioa i the mi idle of November, the dale \ ar\ inu' con- 

 sidei a lii v with the season . 



L'o. l';irt of the noiihreed i 11:4 male -eal- i liolliisehickie), lo^cthei 1 with a I'e\\ old 

 lnil 1-. reiiia in until .1 an nary, and r M ; .ire i n-t am-es until IV hi uar\ . or i-veii later. 



L'l. The fur se il ;..- a species is presen t at the 1'ri Id lot' Islands einht or nine nionl hs 

 ot' the \ear. or from t v. o thirds to three fourths of the time, and in mild winters 

 sometimes during the entire year. I lie breeding hulls arrive earliest and remain 

 coin imioiisly on i lie island- about four month-. The hived iu^' cows remain about 

 six iiion t ii-. and pan of the lion breed i 1114 male seals about eiuht or nine months, and 

 somet inies i hroiiuh.'ii t the en i ire \ ea . 



--. I'liriii'j. the northward initiation, as has been -tated. the last of the bodv or 

 herd of fur s r .-ils lease the North i'a. itic and enter I'.erin^ Sea in the latter part of 

 .1 line. A lew sea t tered individuals, however, a re - en dm inu the summer at various 

 points aloim the northwest coast. i in se are probably se.ds that were so badly 

 wounded by pela-h- s'-aieis that they could not travel \\ith the rest of the herd to 

 the 1'rildlof Islands. it has been a 1 le^cd t ha t yon n^ fn r sea Is have been found in 

 early -ummer on several occasions alon^ the coa-t of Uritish Colnmbia and south- 

 east ern A la. sis a. While no authentic case of the kind ha- come to our not h e. it would 

 be expected from the larv mini her of cows t hat are wounded radi \\inier and spring 

 aloiin tiie-e eo.ist- and aie thereby rendi-red unable to reach the breeding rookrvies, 

 andmu-t perfoi'ce >j i \'c 'drill to their \ oiin^- ( perhaps premat nrtdy i wherever they 

 m a v be at tne time. 



L'.'l. The reason the nort hem !': r -ea 1 i n iia hi ; s the I 'ri hi lot' I -lands to the exclusion 

 of all other i-laiii-.s and , -oasts is that ii here find- the climatic and physical condi- 

 tions necessary to iis 1 ; f e wants. This species ret |i; ires a uniloi mly low temperature 

 and overcast sk\ and a IMITO-\ a i n,ns]d;ere to picveiit the .-un's ray- from injuiinu' it 

 diiiin.uthe lonu summer season when it remains upon the rookeries. It reouires 

 also roeUy beaches on \\ hi eh to biin.u' forth its \oiinu'. No islands to the northward 

 or southward ot' the Prii-ilof Island-, wiih the possible exeejition of limited areas 

 on the Aleutian chain, are known to po.-se-.s the reiji.isite combination of climate 

 and p 1 1 v s i c a 1 conditions. 



All statements to the effect that fur seals ot' this species formerly bred on the 

 coa.-ts and islands oi < alitornia and Mexico are erroneous, the seals remaining there 

 beloiiuinu to \\idely different .-pecies. 



DIJlVINtJ AND KILLI.NCJ. 



\\ lien- tiic lirst youii , 1 iiuilcs. or bachelors, arrive at the islands in 

 May. a drive is made for food for tin 1 natives, who are hungry lor fresh 

 meat, not havinu tasted any since the preceding November. 



All of the driving is done tinder the immediate and exclusive direc- 

 tions ot' the native chief, who is the most experienced and most trust- 

 wori h v m;in on t lie island. 



Shmdd the >eals happen to lie near the water, it will be necessary to 

 wait till the tide runs out before disturbing them. At the proper time 

 a do/en men are on the ground, and silently and swiftly running in 

 -inii'h- file alonjj, the beach they form a line between the seals ami the 

 sea : and i hen t lie stall led animals will immediate A start inland, where 

 they are sin \\ ly followed by t he men. nut il t hey are too far from t he beach 

 to esc a pc to the wa! <T. when t hev are put in charge of t hree or tour of t he 

 men. \\ ho bri n^' them alon u slo\\ ly to the killing li'rouiuls, which is never 

 less than half a mile away from the nearest breeding seals. No other 

 part of the work done in taking seal skins is more carefully performed 

 than the dri\ in.u' of seals: t hey are never driven at a pace greater than 

 about OIK- mile in three hours, and mo>t of the driving is done during 

 i he n i u 1 1 1 . M) as to take advantage of the dew a ud moisture, and to avoid 

 the sudden appearance of the sun. \\ hich is always more or less injuri- 

 ous to seal life on a drive. The stories told by interested men about 

 careless and reckless driving are not true. and. for obvious reasons, 



