THE COUNT OF LIVE PUPS ON POLOVINA. 425 



Pups play tojietlier both on land ami in the water. Some ol' them chase after a 

 gull which lights near them. A sea-liou pup coughs up a pebble which tiies a foot at 

 least. 



AUGUST 20. 



Went with Mr. Townsend in the buckboard to Zapadni to photograjth the death 



traps. 



A sleeping pup on the sand flat of Zapadni (iully was found among the dead ones. 

 Upon l)eing awakened it went into spasms, rolling on its back and then on its sides, 

 gasping, biting the ground. Jerking witli its flippers, its whole body convulsed. The 

 hollow places over the shoulder blades, the well-detined ribs through the skin 

 indicated that the pup was starving. It cried piteously all the time. After about 

 three minutes it staggered to its feet and moved off across the sand flat, stumbling 

 and falling prostrate every few steps. It will die perhaps in course of the day. 



Many starving pups are to be seen today. Twenty-five are counted on and about 

 the sandy flat at the foot of Zapadni Gully. All of these will die within a very few 

 days. 



POLOVINA ROOKERY. 



After lunch we drove across the country from Zapadni to Polovina. ^h: 

 Townsend counted the live pups under the cliffs of this rookery. He had counted the 

 cows on this portion of the rookery in the height of the season. 



A total of 2.445 live pups was found, and 51 dead pups were counted here on 

 August 10, making a total of 2. 490 pups for the season. The count of cows made on 

 July 15 gave 1.26iS. The ratio of almost 2 to 1 cow holds as a general thing so far as 

 the count of pups has been uuule. 



The opportunities for a correct count ou Polovina cliffs was good, it being 

 possible for the greater ])art of the distance to count from above without disturbing 

 the pups as they lay below. In only one place, where the harems extended above the 

 edge of the cliff', was it possible to drive everything on to the tiat above and then run 

 them off' in small pods. 



There was an unusual number of holostiaki on Polovina. Mr. Townsend said that 

 he had not seen so mauy in any one place for a number of years. They were mostly 

 yearlings, 2-year olds, and 3-year olds. Very few old bulls or half bulls were amoug 

 them. The line of the bachelors extends from the middle of the main part of the 

 rookery, all along the edge of the cliff, to the little hauling ground at the head of 

 Polovina cliffs. There seemed to be the usual number of seals in the water off' 

 the cliffs. 



Many virgin cows were noted on Polovina and at Zapadni. On the dense portion 

 of Zapadni rookery photographed were a large number of yearling females playing 

 with the pups, one group of 4 being particularlj- conspicuous. There were pups in 

 the pod bigger than the little yearlings. Of course the noses of the latter were 

 sharper and the body a little longer and slimmer, but when thej' lay down in such 

 a way as to hide the white belly they could scarcely be distinguished from the pups 

 about them. 



THE DEAD PUPS. 



lu goiug over Zapadni and Polovina rookeries to-day it becomes evident that it 

 will not be possible to clearly distinguish between the pups to be counted in October 



