318 THE FUK SEALS OF THE I'KHllLOF ISLANDS. 



A count of tlic bulls on Iteef rookery was iiKule. One harem of 2 cosvs is seen 

 about midway between Ardiguen and the end of the point. It is in an isolated 

 position, no other harems being- within 40 yards, and properly belongs to Ardiguen. 

 The bull is seen to copulate; the cow bites him. Ue keei>s up a constant growling 

 ami iiulling. When over, he turus and roars. Then both bull and cow plunge into 

 the water and swim away in opposite directions, leaving the other cow and the pod of 

 (i pups. They do not return while we remain, but are swimming still, in dolphin 

 fashion, after ten minutes. This is doubtless a young bull. There are fi pups in the 

 liarem, but only 2 cows; the otlu'rs must be at sea. On visiting the harem twenty 

 minutes later the bull was found to have returned to the beach, but at sight of us he 

 ouce more took to the sea. 



KEEF ROOKERY. 



One harem, the lirst of Eeef rookery, lies isolated on the west side of the point. 

 It cdutains 12 cows. 



The first patch of seals on Keef rookery has shrunk well away from the double 

 cross nmrk, 40 feet at least. It begins at the point and is bounded by a bachelor 

 runway on the east. There are •">2 bulls with harems. The harems are moderately 

 massed on coarse, irregular blocks of rock. 



The second patch, a merely arbitrary division, has ;U harems. There are many 

 idle bulls on the outskiits, and their breath, as they puff at each other, is suffocating. 

 Eighteen hareuKS are in the space between this and a second runway, marked by a 

 single cross at the head. No harems are within 40 feet of the cioss, however, the 

 space being full of cantankerous, idle bulls. A bull steals the only cow from a 

 neighboring harem and adds her to his already large harem. 



There are 3S harems to a triangular green rock, and 3(5 harems to the stump at 

 the point where the line of harems widens into a weilgeshaped mass. This nuiss 

 contains 80 harems and is bounded by a third bachelor runway, in which there is a 

 pond of foul smelling watei-. This great mass of seals, the densest seen, reaches well 

 up to the cross marking the terminus of last year. The ground is black with pups. 

 Small harems, evidently the result of capture, lie on the outskirts. 



I>a(;k of the central portion of Keef rookery is the hauling ground. The runway 

 containing the jiond is the one most frequented by the bachelors of Reef rookery. 

 There are at its hea<l today .500 half bulls, to say nothing of bachi'lors, although it 

 was only yesterday that everything was driven up. These half bulls will increase 

 the horde of idle bulls of next year. 



Beyond the first pond theie is a still larger lot of seals. One isolated harem is 

 located under the cross ]iainted by Mr. Townsend. Several others are near it, but the 

 main rookery does not come within 20 feet of the cross. The great patch can not be 

 counted from any ])oint. 



Then comes another runway, and iu it another i)ond nearly dried up. In the 

 great patch terminated by this runway the harems can only be estimated. There are 

 probably 100 families iu all. This estimate is verified by a still later view at a i)oint 

 beyond. The wedge of seals falls (iO feet short of the cross painted last year. 



One bull staiula guard over a dead cow and a live pup at some distance outside 

 the line of harems. It can not be determined whether the pup belongs to the dead 

 cow or not. The bull is with difficulty driveu away from the cow. The pup goes off 



