528 THE FL'R SEALS OF THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



it was necessary to follow her in the water. He got her ami brought her ashore, 

 treating her very roughly aud cutting two long gashes in her side, Wliile his 

 attention was given to the new cow, one of his neighbors stepped in and took the 3 

 cows. The rightful owner of the harem xlid not dare to attack the intruder, and had 

 to be content with his single cow, which he iield in place near the water." 



Tiiis is the tirst instance where a bull has been seen to take the advantage ot 

 another while attempting to secure additions to liis harem. This gashed cow landed 

 at ;5.;}0 in the afterTioon. She will be a cow easy of identification. So long as single 

 harems exist it is possible to keep the history of their occupants, but as additions are 

 made to them, this can not be done with certainty. 



It is probable that there is no hard and fast rule regarding the matter of the 

 landing of cows. On Zapadni and at Ciorbatch it seemed as if the cows came in and 

 sought out their places. On Lukaniu, however, while they seem to reconnoiter the 

 shore and choose a location, the extent of the choice seems to be that the landing 

 cow joins another where possible. No landing cow has been seen to go to a lone bull. 

 Wliere single harems are established, they are doubtless in every instance the result of 

 capture. The cow while trying to make up her mind where she is to go is surprised 

 by a bull aud held by him. 



LUKANIN. 



I visited Lukanin after supper and found a third pup in the harem with the dead 

 one. This cow landed between 3 and p. m. yesterday. Her ])up was born between 

 5 and 8.30 this afternoon. 



Colonel Murray walked out with me. I suggested to him that the loose rocks 

 behind the cliff portion of Lukanin might be thrown into the form of a rough double 

 wall between which observers could apj)roach the seals witliout disturbing them. 

 This place and the Amidiitheater at Kitovi could in this way be made ex(;ellent 

 observation i)oints. With a similar passage constructed at Kitovi Point, these two 

 rookeries (;ould always be accurately counted without disturbing the seals. 



There are also several pools of filthy water in the depressions in the basaltic 

 columns which form the upper part of the Amphitheater. A cow lies on a narrow 

 space between two of them. Shortly after her pup was born some days ago it slipped 

 into the water. The mother fished it out. It has now apparently disappeared again 

 and may have been drowned. It would be an easy matter to open a drain into one of 

 the numeious cracks in the rock, or if this could not be done, the holes could be filled 

 with small stones, of which there are many within easy reach. These holes exist in 

 numbers on Iteet rookery aud on Vostochni. 



An unusually large number of bachelors are out on Lukaniu hauling ground. In 

 the early days after our arrival the bachelors did not occupy their usual hauling 

 grounds, but the little reefs aud bays near tlie rookeries. They are now back where 

 they were to be found last season. Numbers of them still hang about the front of the 

 rookeries, swimming back and forth in small groups. It is possible that these are 

 newly arrived bacjhelors which have accompanied the cows to the vicinity of the 

 rookeries and hang about for a time. The hauling grounds are evidently receiving 

 large accessions each day. 



It has been noted that bulls have hauled out on the eastern side of the neck of 

 Keef Peninsula, where no harems ever occur. In this connection it is interesting to 



