FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 161 



the yearlings as a class so markedly after the 5th to the 10th of .July — 

 sometimes as early as the 1st to the 5th of that month, if the season 

 happens to be a very forward one. Still, I hud that the records of the 

 arrival of the females on the rookeries during the last twenty years, as 

 they have been annually recorded on these islands, show that the cows 

 came here every season with an amazing regularity, and precisely in 

 this respect as I Observed them in 1872-1874. 



The old bulls are more irregular, varying as to the character of the 

 seasons — favorable seasons, early in May; unfavorable seasons, only 

 three or four days later — and all of them invariably on hand by the 1st 

 of every June, 



Since the holluschickie here, have been permitted to rest for a few 

 days without being at once swept up, after landing, and over to the 

 village killing grounds, they have become sensibly tamer; and like the 

 foxes here, when trapping ceases, they seem to know that they are not 

 going to be hustled over to the shambles again when we come in sight. 

 To day Captain Lavender, who is a very large man, and myself walked 

 to within a few yards' distance from every pod of holluschickie on this 

 rookeiy: and, save in case where the Captain happened to vigorously 

 idourish his cane (in emphasis of something said) these animals gave no 

 sign of rushing into the water or of stampeding. 



This simply goes to prove that the "wildness" of these holluschickie 

 of 1S90, which some of the sealers attempted to tell me was a marked 

 change in their natural habit of 1872-1871, is quite naturally due to the 

 extraordinary change in the fashion of driving which the sealers them- 

 selves have instituted during the last six or eight years of increasing 

 scarcity of killable seals. From the time, since 1881, when the first 

 regular over driving began early in June until the catch of 100,000 was 

 secured in .July following, these animals have never been allowed to 

 rest anywhere on the islands as they hauled out long enough to become 

 wonted to the grounds. Naturally enough we find them " wild," espe- 

 cially so when there is not a tenth of the number on the ground here 

 to-day of the holluschickie which we found here in 1872, 



Auyust 3, ISIJO. — The pups in that small area under the bluffs, where 

 the surf has filled certain cavities so as to form incipient bath tubs, are 

 now all swimming outside in the gentle swell that rolls in. They have 

 learned to swim: but the great majority of their kind are still far back 

 on the uplands to the rear, and, wholly unused to water yet. I notice 

 that those pups on the sea margin which are not in the immediate 

 vicinity of these "bath tubs," are still hanging aloof from the surf. 

 They will, however, soon begin their water exercises, by the 13th 

 instant at the latest, as they did so in 1872. 



The number of yearling females that are loitering on the rookery 

 ground, lolling over the rocks and nagging the pups, is larger than I 

 have usually observed thus far, since the season for their arrival opened 

 on the 15th of fluly last. 



But the mixture to-day of all classes of holluschickie with the cows 

 and pups is complete. It would be a matter utterly impossible to make 

 a "drive" of 100 killable seals from this place to-day and not sweep into 

 that "drive" as many cows and pups and demoralize things generally. 



The number of holluschickie out this afternoon is not equal to half 

 of what I observed here day before yesterday, during the prevalence of 

 that southwest gale, which tlirew up a heavy, furious surf. When the 

 ocean is troubled the breeding seals always haul out in greatest 

 numl)ers. The breeding seals are quite uniform in their attendance, 

 however, without much reference to weather, unless it be an abnormally 

 H, Doc, 175 11 



