FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 



179 



July 4?, 1890. — The following are field notes of the podding and club- 

 bing of a drive made from every section of Polavina and Stony Point: 



Whole number of animals driven, 1,929; number taken, 230, or 88^ 

 'per cent rejected. There were also 10 "road" and "smothered" skins, 

 which made a total of 240 taken. Last drive from this place, June 25, 

 when 800 animals were driven and 203 taken, or 65 per cent rejected. 



This drive to-day trovers a whole week's interval since the last drive 

 from Polavina, and it shows that as the season advances, the numbers 

 driven rapidly increase, irltile the proportionate catch diminishes. In 

 other words, the new arrivals, plus those redriven, will continue to 

 steadily swell the gross aggregate driven day by day from now on, and 

 not proportionately increase the catch. Rather, I believe that the 

 catch will markedly diminish. 



To-day, every good 2-year-old, every 3 and every "smooth" 4 year old 

 was knocked down out of this 1,929 animals : every one ! Where, at this 

 rate of killing, is the new blood left for the rookeries now so desper- 

 ately needed there? Hardly a young bull left, between the effects 

 of driving and the deadly club, save a few hundred of those demoral- 

 ized and worthless half bulls, which I make note of as they come up in 

 every drive; and these, the natives truly declare, will never go upon the 

 rookeries. 



Thus far, this season, every seal that is eligible in weight, from a 

 "long" 2-year-old male up to 5-year-olds, has been ruthlessly slain 

 within a few days after its appearance on these desolate hauling grounds 

 of St. Paul Island. They were as ruthlessly knocked down last year; 

 and to-day, the yearlings and everything above to 5-year-olds, would 

 he Jinocked dotcn, did not the new $10.22 tax per shin save their lives ! The 

 new deal, in this respect, was lucky for the seals. 



My assistant, Palmer, came in from Northeast Point this afternoon. 

 He tallied a killing there, yesterday, as follows: Counting the seals one 

 by one as they shamble out from the pod when released, and then the 

 ones knocked down, adding the two counts gives the whole number in 

 the pod. 



