512 THE FUR SEALS OF THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



uear him causes Liiii to dive uiuler with the others like a flash. lu a few minutes he 

 is again visible and iu his wouted i^osition, which he maintains as long as 1 stay. 



OCTOBER 17. 



I aecomyanied Judge Crowley this morning to Zapadni rookery, lie took over 

 a foi'ce of uatives to make a begiuning in lising the death traps ou this rookery. 

 About one-half of the tirst gully was covered at intervals with small liowlders from 

 the beach which the men carried up on their shoulders. Larger angular bowlders 

 were rolled down from the sun-ounding bauksaud scattered among the smaller stones. 

 A part also of the second gully was covered. The bowlders are probably too small to 

 be of the best service. 



As it rained incessantly all morning and was very disagreeable, the work was 

 discontinued at noon pending better weather. Th(! main point was in getting it 

 started and in showing the natives what was wanted. They can go ahead and finish 

 the work when the weather i)ermits. They took great interest in it and worked 

 willingly. 



Had a thin pup killed for examination of stomach. The pup was on tlie way to 

 starvation. Stomach devoid of milk or any foreign substance except the usual pebbles. 

 In the intestines was found a quantity of the blackish secretion which is associated 

 with starvation. 



STARVING PUPS. 



We were evidently mistaken about the subsidence of starvation soon after the 

 count ot starved pups. The number to starve after that time did not seem great at any 

 inspection, but they have been constantly visible to the present time and are not all 

 dead yet. The pups now dying could not have been recognized as starving October 1. 

 Our count of starved pups therefore must fall far short of the facts. The figures 

 obtained, however, are on this account not open to dispute. The error from this 

 source is not so important as the greater error in the loss of early dead pups which 

 would have resulted had the count been longer postponed. 



Had a large Inill, in flue condition and who had evidently been feeding, killed for 

 examination ot stomach, also testes, and for measurement. The measurements are 

 recorded elsewhere. 



The bull was very fat— containing an immense coating of blubber. Jacob 

 Kochuten, who skinned him, said the bull had been feeding for two months — ever 

 since he left the rookery in August. 



His stomach, however, was devoid of food. A quantity of shells, a very few 

 stones, and, strange to say, a number of pui) bones — tvvo or three ribs and a section 

 of vertebra. Does this mean that he had eaten a pup? i\loie likely it means that 

 instead of loading with pebbles for ballast he had stored in some bones picked up on 

 the rookery ground. 



The animal's intestines contained nothing but worms and a thin yellowish watery 

 fluid, of which he voided a. (piantity ou the short drive to the phice of killing. 



An examination of the testes of the bull was made. The organs themselves were 

 dissected out and |)reserved. The dead animal showed externally no traces of testes. 

 The scrotum was suux)ly a wrinkled fold of skin. 15y pressure on the abdomen the 



