40(J THE FUR SEALS OF THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



AUGUST 12. 



Mr. Lucas aud Mr. Townseud returued on the Bush. Dr. Jordan and ^Ir. Clark, 

 witli Judge Crowley and a boat's crew, visited 8ivutcli Rock in tlie ujorning, nuikiug 

 a count of tiie dead pu])s on Tolstoi and Lagoon rookeries in tbe afternoon. 



CONDITION OF SEAL.S AT SEA. 



The following is an abstract of Mr. Lucas's report of the results of his cruise on 

 tlie RksIi among the jjclagic sealers: 



"On the evening of August 9 the bodies of 7 seals were obtained from the 

 Canadian schooner Agnes McDonald, and 12 bodies were obtained from the American 

 schooner 7>f('«/(7is. On the 10th of August 1.3 bodies were obtained from the Canadian 

 schooner IJ. B. Marrin, and on August 11, 16 from the Canadian schooner AHruru. 

 One 5-year-old male was thrown overboard from the E. B. Marvin. 



"Two of the 4<S bodies obtained were young males; the remaining 46 were females 

 fntni - years old upward, some being very old. The 4(i feuuiles were careftilly 

 examined by Mr. Townsend aud myself, with the following results: 



" Forty-three were breeding females with nursing young, and o were 2-year-olds 

 Just arrived at the age of first impregnation. Forty-two of tlie females, including 

 the 3 2-year-ol(ls, liad been recently impregnated, while tlie condition of the remaining 

 4 was somewhat uncertain, and the ovaries were reserved for further examination.' 



"In regard to food, it may be said that only 14 contained any trace of it, and in 

 the majority of cases this consisted of scpiid. Next in order of imiJOitance is i)ollock, 

 while a single individual contained bones of a cottoul. 



•'The results obtained from the examination of tbe 48 bodies are so strictly in 

 accord with the observations made by JVIr. Townsend in 1S9."> that it would seem 

 unnecessary to pursue this branch of the investigation further, unless it should be 

 deemed best to continue it at a later date. 



"It is api)arent that the large majority of seals taken by iielagic sealers in 

 August are fenniles with nursing young, and that an e(|ually large majority are 

 females which have been impregnated and would, if spared, bear young during the 

 c(miing year. The females noted as not impregnated may, on closer examination, 

 prove to have been, and not a single instance of a 'barren female' has come to light." 



MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 



Mr. Lucas reports that the "intestinal worms"' in the stomach of the hair seal 

 taken at North Beach, a few days ago, ou closer examination prove to be the soft 

 axes of the tentacles of the octopus. 



As touching the age of seals, Mr. Lucas linds that in yearling and 2-year-old 

 females the whiskers are black, while in the younger breeders they begin to turn 

 gray; in the older ones they are (piite white. He also reports that very black-bellied 

 jiups are not males, but are younger pups which have not begun to shed their hair; 

 the brown-bellied ones are older. On examination of the teeth, etc., tbe barren 

 female found with the bachelors on the Reef hauling ground seems to have been 

 about 5 years old. 



' CloBor examination showed the majority of these doubtful cases also to lie impregnated. 



