ABANDONMENT OF SPILKl KOOKERV. 137 



"ii thousand ships to be preseut at the sale," exclaims that "the rattling- of their 

 anchor chains and the scraping of their keels on the beaches of the two little islands 

 would alone drive every seal away and over to the Russian grounds in a remarkably 

 short space of time." The quality of seamanship implied in the second feature of this 

 dire calamity is a fair indication of thevalue of the prophecy as a whole. 



THE ABANDONMENT OF SPILKl ROOKERY. 



There are, however, a few of the alleged injurious effects of contact with man 

 which can be located and considered. One of these is the abandonment of the small 

 breeding ground formerly occupied by seals under the cliffs behind St. Paul village. 

 This breeding ground, though out of sight of the village, is very close to it. The 

 claim is made by Mr. Elliott that the children and idlers from the village, by playing 

 with the fur-seal pups and teasing them, gradually brought about the abandonment 

 of the rookery. 



The abandonment of Spilki was gradual and finally culminated in 1880. The 

 old bulls came and took up their places, but finding no cows they withdrew. In 

 1S72-1S74 Mr. Elliott reports tiiis breeding ground, in conmion with all the otliers, in 

 good condition and full of seals. In 1890 he found it deserted. His conclusion was 

 that the seals, under the annoyance of the natives, had withdrawn elsewhere. 



THE PRESENCE OF THE VILLAGE NOT THE CAUSE. 



It is sutlicieut answer to this theory to say tliat the village of St. Paul has existed 

 on its present site, and cou.seiiueutly in the same proximity to Spilki rookery, ever 

 since 1824. For fifty years, therefore, according to Mr. Elliott's own testimony, no ill 

 effects on the seals had been produced by the presence of the villagers. 



MORE EXPOSED CONDITION OF LAGOON ROOKERY. 



In further opposition of this theory we may mention the example of Lagoon rookery, 

 which lies just across the little cove from Spilki. It is in plain sight of the village and 

 but little farther away from it. All the traffic of loading anil unloading the shii)s passes 

 before it. Moreover, this rookery existed undisturbed for years and years with the 

 operations of the great common killing ground of the island going on witliin ])lain 

 sight of its inmates and only a few yards away. For a time all the seals on the island 

 of St. Paul were slaughtered on the flat beside the narrow (jhannel of water, about 

 one hundred feet in width, .separating Lagoon rookery from the killing ground. 



No clearer proof could possibly be asked than the example this rookery shows, 

 of the utter disregard for the presence and actions of man mnnifested by the fur .seal. 



THE REAL CAUSE OF THE ABANDONMENT. 



When we come to seek a more rational cause for the abandonment of Spilki rookery, 

 it is not hard to find. The rookery was but a small one at best, as the ground it 

 occupied was limited. Mr. Elliott a.scribed to it in 1872-1871 about 275 harems and 

 about I,0()() breeding cows. We know that as a matter of fact this estimate is largely 

 exaggerated. Tlie log of St. Paul Island shows that in 1870 its breeding families 

 numbered 29. There was at that time no hint given of abandonment or unusual 

 diminution of the rookery. With the de<;line of the herd, which began a few years 

 later, and may have been begun earlier, this rookery suffered diminution with the 



