FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OE ALASKA. 



181 



refuge for these young male seals and (/earUngs — places where material 

 cau aud would grow up iu full vigor to su])ply the imperative demands 

 of nature on these breeding- gronnds. These reserves would, iu fact, 

 be reservoirs that would be a steady source from which this stream of 

 particular seal life can regularly flow, without diminution in its volume, 

 i'rom year to y*ar. 



This method of driving in 1890, huddles and hustles the breeding 

 lines, and sweeps the few surplus bulls that may be outside, uj) and 

 away to the killing grounds — stampeded into tlie drive. 



July 4, 18!J0. — To-day, linding that the supply of 3 and 4 year olds 

 and "long" 2-year-olds was i)ractically exhausted — in other words, that 

 more aud more seals were beiug driven up every day, and less and less 

 skins taken — the company's agent dropped his standard to oA-])Ouiid 

 skins. This takes in all the average li-year-olds, which have hitherto 

 been rejected as they appeared in the i)ods. But even this tund)le to a 

 lower grade did not i)revent a small catch, as the following tabulation 

 of the biggest drive of the season as to nund)ers testifies. 



The following are held notes of the podding and clubbing of drive 

 made from English Bay, Middle Hill, and Tolstoi, July 4, 1890: 



Whole number of animals driven, 4,323; number taken, 432, or 90^ per 

 cent rejected. Last drive from this place, June 30, when 1,202 animals 

 were driven and 203 taken, or Sihper cent rejected. 



July .5, 1890. — Visited Otter Island. No seals whatever hauled out 

 there save a small squad of 50 right on the rocks awash, above our 

 landing; has been none thus far this season, or no sign of them. Last 

 year some 1,500 or 2,000 were hauled out here at this date. (Jrass has 

 thickly and solidly grown over the hauling grounds, clear down to the 

 surf, all over those places which were polished bare of every trace of 

 vegetation by the hauling seals in 1872-1874. 



July 7, 1890. — The following are held notes of the podding and club- 



