FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 151 



shall see some of them wlieu tlie cows begin to liaul next week, but 

 tliey were in swarms by tins time during 1872-1874. 



June 21, 1S90. — An inspection to-day shows the odd scattering of cows 

 as they haul, and which Mr. Goff early called my attention to as a great 

 deviation from the habit which they exhibited in my work of 1872. As 

 this is the date in which this class begins to haul in appreciable 

 numbers, 1 now l^egin my daily examination of the manner and number 

 in which the cows arrive. 



They commenced just as they did in 1872 — a few cows here and there 

 by the 4th to the ()th of June; then by the loth little clusters appeared 

 of 10 to 50 along the water's edge: to-day, instead of that exhibition 

 of solid "wave like," "streak-like'' spread up from the water's margin 

 to the rear limits of the breeding grounds which they gave me in 1872, 

 I can see nothing of the kind; not even an approximation of that stage. 

 Still these animals have yet twenty days in which to till up the rook- 

 eries as they did in 1872, and it is not the time to finally speculate on 

 their coming or number — merely idle now to do so. 



But, the behavior of the old bulls is extraordinary this morning at 

 this time of the inflowing cows. They are listless; three-fourths of 

 their scanty number stretched out sound asleep, while right alongside 

 of these sleepers a pod of 15 or 30 cows will be closely clustered around 

 a single alert bull, or one that at least is not inert and stupid. There 

 are three such pods a.s that right under my eyes as I make this note, 

 lying at the junction of the sand beach and rocks of Tolstoi rookery. 

 Ao such scattering of bulls and indifference was ever witnessed on any of 

 these breeding grounds in 1872-1874, Then every bull was alert and furious 

 in his struggles to get possession of at least one, if not all the females within 

 reach. Now look at them! Why, it seems to me that these balls are 

 enfeebled and sick. At least it is a most remarkable deviation from 

 the method and order of first arrival of the females in 1872. Such a 

 picture of perfect listlessness and indifference as this, from the begin- 

 ning to the end of the season, never met anybody's eye on these breeding 

 grounds then. 



No young bulls anywJiere along the icater^s edge, or bade among the old 

 bulls, widely scattered as they are, way upon the hill slopes of Tolstoi 

 this morning, at least 550 to 000 feet away from these first cows — widely 

 and thinly scattered old bulls: all of them now stretched out in sound 

 sleep. 



June 33, 1890. — This is the day in 1872 when the cows had hauled in 

 sutlicient numbers to impress me deeply for the first time as the season 

 then advanced. At this time in 1872 the most casual observer would 

 note the arrival of the cows as "coming up in families or streaks, as it 

 were, from the water's line upon the ridge" (as per MS. note of June 23, 

 1872, made as I looked then at Garbotch sloi)e). The peculiar "fan- 

 ning" of the cows then, as they used their hind flippers made their rest- 

 ing places conspicuous at any moment to the eye as it glanced over the 

 rookeries. 



To day, it takes a sharp, trained eye to find the scant scattered pods 

 of cows as they rest just alcove the surf margin: and, as for "hauling 

 back" up on the ridge, not the first symptom of such a movement is in 

 progress. 



As you stand and look across the cove at the Lagoon rookery, not 

 over 900 feet away, you can not see the least visible evidence of the land- 

 ing of females this morning. I can make out a few scattered heads, but 

 no concerted arrival of these animals: it was very obvious iu 1872-1874 

 at this time of the season. 



