166 FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 



back from the surf on the rocks, these animals had hauled, having 

 slii)ped in between the breeding bulls which are widely scattered there 

 on the sea margin. This ground, when visited by myself four or five 

 hours later, was filling up again with hoUuschickie, showing clearly that 

 the act of visiting and driving from this point early this morning, has 

 had no effect in preventing or delaying the continued hauling of this 

 class of seals. Five hundred and thirty-nine skins taken; GO per cent 

 rejected. 



These old bulls, by the way, on the rookeries behave now as they did 

 in 1872, precisely. They are a little shy and sensitive when they first 

 haul up in May or late in April, and for the next ten days thereafter; 

 but by the 15th to the 20th of JNlay they have become so settled that 

 they will not leave their positions, but boldly face and defy you when 

 5 on walk down to them to inspect their lines of hauling. Xot a single 

 bull on any one of these seven breeding grounds of St. Paul, from the 

 22d of May up to the hour of the completion of my survey of them, 

 manifested the least fear of my presence when I was in their immediate 

 vicinity. 



There are, however, always a number of bulls that haul on the out- 

 skirts of these well-defined rookeries which I term "vagrants," because 

 they have no location or nerve. These bulls will scuttle away precisely 

 as the hoUuschickie do. 



June Jo, 18!J0. — During the last ten days, while inspecting the land 

 angles, and bulls on the several breeding grounds of this island, 1 liav^e 

 paid careful attention to every squad of hoUuschickie that has appeared : 

 and, except as to numbers, I do not observe any change up to date in 

 their habits, or of hauling early in the season, from my notes of 1872. 



These early squads appear just above the surf margin in English 

 Bay, just in back of the breeders on Lukannon, Ketavie, and the Min^f. 

 They are captured by the natives just in the manner I described as 

 characteristic of the work so early in the season of 1872, and they are 

 driven overland also in the same method, except that the drivers use 

 whistles occasionally, instead of bones, grass, etc., to start the lagging 

 herd. 



There is not much change, however, in the method of handling the 

 skins after they are taken, which is also done exactly as I have de- 

 scribed It. A white man now sujiervises the clubbing. Now a team of 

 mules and a full-sized Studebaker farm wagon is busy in carrying the 

 skins from the field to the salt houses; and two men easily do this part 

 of the work to-day, which required all hands to do, in 1872. In 1874, 

 carts and mules were first emi)loyed for this purjjose, and these teams 

 aforesaid, soon followed. 



At 8 a. m. a report came down from i^ortheast Point wliich declared 

 the presence of two marauding schooners up there, with their boats 

 down, sealing. This is the first notification of the kind for the season. 

 Mr. (xoff and I started at once for Novastoshnah with four selected men. 

 I went with him because, independent of the legitimate errand, I 

 desired to personally experience a ride upon a two- wheeled cart, as he 

 rode in a gig diawn by a team of mules. The road is bad, very bad, 

 and Avill require considerable work laid out on it before it is fit even for 

 slow driving/>ver in any vehicle. Thus far, the mule-back ride is best: 

 and, after all, 1 prefer my own legs. 



We arrived at Webster's house at 12.30 p.m., after traveling against 

 a stiff northeast gale charged with rain and hail the whole way. The 

 two natives stationed there, on watch, were not clear in their under- 

 standing of the vessel which they saw yesterday; because it was at 

 one time a " steamer," and at another a '• schooner," etc. We came to the 



