PUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 71 



111 regard to the probable iiumber of breediug- bulls on each rookery 

 iu 187-J-1874, I made the followiug note and tabulation : 



St. George. Island, North Eoohery, July 12, 1873. 



I think novr that this is a safe and equitable basis for beginning my calculation. 

 ' * * Every 100 feet of sea margin will have 10 bulls on it, and for every 100 feet of 

 depth from the margin we will have a bull for every 7 feet of that depth. * * * 

 They fight so desperat^y on the sea margin that the average is widest there, uniformly, 

 then it will average up right back, through, 7 by 10 feet, very honestly. * * » 



Basin for estimation of bulls in 1S72-1S74, with an averatje of 15 cows, 15 jyups, and 5 



inthile females to each hull. 



The reef has 4,016 feet sea margin with 1 bull on every 10 feet of sea margin, 150 

 feet average depth, and 1 bull for every 7 feet of average depth, which gives 402 

 bulls by 20^ bulls, or about 8,642 bulls. ' On this basis and method of calculation, 

 therefore, the rookeries have approximately as follows : 



St. Paul Island : I5""s. 



Reef 8,642 



Garbotch 5,207 



Lagoon 580 



Lukanuon 4, 880 



Keetavie 4,730 



Tolstoi 6,450 



Zapadnie, upper wing, 2,814; lower wnng, 9,700 12, 514 



Polavina 8,600 



Novashoshnah 34, 006 



Total bulls for St. Paul ..-. 85,609 



St. George Island : 



Zapadnie 599 



Starry Artel 975 



Nortli 2,302 



Little Eastern 112 



Great Eastern 714 



Total bulls for St. George 4,702 



Or, in round numbers, a grand total of 90,000 breeding bulls on the 

 rookeries of both isUinds. 



The wide and s(;anty hauling of the bulls on these breeding grounds 

 for this season of 1800, together with the strange massing of immense 

 harems around single bulls, while the others immediately around have 

 no part in tlie service, render such a tabulation on the basis of 187li-1874, 

 as above given, quite out of the (juestion as a measure of just contrast. 

 I therefore will not attempt it, since the comparison can not be well 

 made in this respect. [My figures for 1890, give 11,708 bulls for St, Paul ; 

 800 for St. George.] 



In concluding my observations under this head, it is, perhaps, not 

 superfluous to anticipate and reply to the following generalizations 

 which will naturally arise to the mind of the general reader. 



It seems from the foregoing surveys, that at the close of the season of 

 1890, there are still existing upon the Pribilov rookeries, 9.59,000 seals, 

 old and young and pupsof this year'sbirtli,oraboutone-thirdof the whole 

 number of breeding seals and young recorded as beingthere in 1872-1871. 

 How, then, can they be so near the danger of extermination, even if 

 they are in danger of it? 



The explanation is as follows : 



(1) There is but 1 breeding bull now upon the rookery ground, where 

 there were 15 in 1872; jindthe bulls of to day are nearly all old, and 

 many ])Ositively impotent. 



(2) This decrease of virile male life on the breeding grounds causes 

 the normal ratio of 15 oi* 20 females to a male, as in 1872-1874, now to 



