188 



FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 



July Jo, 1890. — The followiog are field notes of tbe poddiug- and t-lnb- 

 biug' of a drive made from English Bay, Middle llill, Tolstoi, Lukau- 

 non, and Ketavie, July 15, 1890 : 



Whole number of animals driven, 4,644; number taken, 309, or 93 

 per cent rejected. Last drive from these places, .Inly 12, when 5,150 

 animals were driven and 033 taken, or 89 2ier cent rejected. N^early all 

 yearlings in this drive — the dregs are 7iow being drawn upon! 



In this drive, I do not think there were 00 skins taken that were 

 3-year-olds, or 7-pound skins, and certainly not 20 l-year-olds. Of 

 course every one of them was instantly clubbed, as they have regularly 

 been the moment they appeared in the pods since the season opened. 

 ]^o 2y€arold of normal growth escaped today; only the yearlings, the 

 '■'■ runty'''' or '■'■short'''' 2-year-olds and few half bulls, which I have num- 

 bered. These half bulls in all my tallies are those that run all the way 

 up from 5-year-olds to advanced age, 10 or 15 years. 



The evidence of redriving was stronger than ever today; the num- 

 ber of '■'■ moon-eyes'''' being so large that every pod exhibited one or more 

 examples. Fully half of the animals in this drive have been up here 

 over and over again this season. In my opinion, as I have been 

 watching the course of these released seals, I believe that some go back 

 at once on the day of their release to the hauling grounds. Not all 

 return to the same place from wlience driven that/ day, but haul out on 

 other grounds here, there, and anywhere else on the island. They are 

 then soon again picked up in the rapid rotation of driving, and put 

 through this painful land journey again and again in this manner. The 

 others go out to sea in quest of food, and perhaps are gone a week, to 

 return and land as above cited, and then be again driven and redriven. 

 Thus it becomes an exceedingly difficult matter or problem to solve, i. e., 

 the query of how many of these seals that appear in this drive to day, 

 4,044, are up here foi- the first time? How many of them have hitherto 

 been driven from the seven or ten difterent hauling spots on this island 

 this season? And how often have they been thus redriven? 



