CHARACTEK OF THE REEB^ DRIVEWAY. 129 



THE DRIVES GREATLY SHORTENED. 



The drives have been still further shorteued by the location of new killing grounds 

 still nearer to the rookeries, and to-day the longest drive on St. Paul is not over a 

 mile in length, while several are less than half a mile. On St. George, except in the 

 case of Zapadni, the drives are the same as in the old days, everything being brought 

 to the village. Xorth I'ookery, however, is within half a mile of the village killing 

 ground, and this is the largest of the rookeries. From Staraya Artel and from East 

 rookeries the drives follow a course upward of 2.^ miles in length in opposite directions 

 from the village. On these driveways there are marshy places and occiasional ponds 

 of fresh water in which the seals are allowed to cool off. Tiiese drives, ther(>,fore, 

 thougli long, are easier than shorter drives would be under ordinary conditions. 



REEF DRIVEWAY. 



The Reef drive on St. Paul, though only about a niile in lengtli, is in fact the 

 hardest of the drives. It contains all the different conditions to be met with on any 

 of the drives, and therefore a detailed description of its course will answer for the rest. 



Keef drive begins at the very point of lieef i)eniusnla. The hauling ground of 

 Eeef rookery lies in tlierearof the central portion of the breeding ground in a hollow 

 between two rocky ridges, one dividing it from the rookery itself and the other 

 leading up to the fiat ground of the " i)arade ground." The hauling ground has 

 four runways connecting it with the sea. From the heads of tliese runways and 

 from the central portion of the hauling ground the straggling bands of bachelors are 

 gathered up and driven to the flat of the ])arade ground above. Here on the level 

 the difl'erent groups are united in one great jtod. 



THE CHARACTER OF THE ROUTE. 



After the drive is formed the first 90 yards of its course lies over practically level 

 ground, sloping very gradually toward the east, the direction to be taken. Toward 

 the end of this first section the ground becomes strewn with large bowlders, suffi- 

 ciently far apart, however, to offer no obstructions to the seals. 



The <!ourse then leads out into a level, grassy plain, 32.5 yards in length, with a 

 scarcely perceptible slope to the east. The ground is level, free from stones, and the 

 damp seal grass makes going easy. In this plain the larger drove of seals is usually 

 divided into two smaller ones for convenience in driving. 



Beyond the grassy plain is a bowlder-covered area, the rocks imbedded in the 

 soil. Hat and worn smooth. This area was once hauling ground, perhaps breeding 

 territory in the palmy days of the herd. Between the stones are patches of yellow 

 seal grass. At the ridge, about midway in this rocky stretch, the course is narrowed 

 by piles of rocks, traces of the original cliff which formed the ridge. In this 

 narrowed passage there is a tendency to crowd, due to the desire of the seals to go 

 in a nuiss wherever they go. The whole length of this r(jcky area is about 2(i2 yards. 



From the rocks the driveway leads up a gentle sand slope to a ])lain lying between 

 two rows of grass-grown sand dunes. This plain is 400 yards in length and furnishes 

 very easy going fo*- the seals. Its surface is covered with a heavy grt)Wth of rye 

 grass, which is always wet with rain or dew, and serves to cool off the seals. 

 1.51S4 9 



