FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 191 



manes, or " wigged," or not, at the culmination of their fourth year of 

 growth, just as young men at 18 vary as to having moustaches or beard 

 or not. The "smooth" or unwigged 4-year-old is a fine skin, but the 

 " wigged " 4-year-old is a poor one. 



I Thus far this season until yesterday morning, 1 observed that from 

 the beginning", though every " smooth " 4-year-old was clubbed, yet 

 every '' wigged " one of that age and upward was never taken unless 

 struck down by accident. 



' I have seen once in a while a 3-year-old so wigged as to be a really 

 ])oor skin; but that is a rare examjDle when found of this age, and, for 

 that matter, the " wigged " 4-year-olds do not uund)er one-tenth of their 

 class as they grow up. 



' July 19, 1890, 4.30 a. m. — As I go over to the Bush at the East Land- 

 ing I observe that not a single young male seal is on Zoltoi sands this 

 morning — not one has hauled there thus far this season. 



I leave for St. George Island on the Rush at 5 a. m., arrive there at 



II a. m. 



FIELD NOTES ON ST. GEOBGE ISLAND. 



' July 19, 1890. — 1 made a careful survey of the Korth rookery this 

 afternoon and its hauling grounds. The perfect desolation, the grass 

 growing, flowers blooming over the polished hauling grounds of 1873-74 

 are as much, or even more marked here, if possible, than on St. Paul. 

 The natives, ever since this season of 1890 opened, have been scraping 

 the rookeries, and, uj) to this morning, had taken but 2,904 skins, ruled 

 by the standard of nothing under a 7-pound i)elt (which was started as 

 the rule on St. Paul but dropped day after day down to 5-pound skins 

 this morning). These St. George natives were unable to get out of 

 every 1,000 animals driven up more than 50 to 60 such 7 and 12 pound 

 sMns as the rule of killing called for. The order was given to-day for 

 Webster to take everything down to 5 pounds in the drive then await- 

 ing, and he did so for the hrst time this year, getting about 640 this 

 evening out of the herd, some 2,500 or 3,000 animals all told. The only 

 seals escaping were the yearlings and old bulls. Every "wigged" 

 4 year-old knocked down, and several yearlings, by accident, in shaving 

 so fine down to 5-pound skins. 



July 20, 1890. — I examined this morning, one by one, the skins that 

 were taken from the drive of yesterday. Three-fourths of them will 

 not weigh more than 5^ pounds, or belonging to the small grade which 

 was ordered not taken until yesterday. Had this standard not been 

 lowered to these small skins not over 150 would bave been secured; as 

 it was, 041 were taken. 



At Zapadnie, where I went this morning, I observed another drive, 

 which has been saved up for a week. Five hundred and twenty-one 

 skins were taken, as per the above standard. Had the standard not 

 been thus lowered not over 00 or 75 skins could have been taken from 

 this drive. Mr. Webster freely admitted to me, in the presence of Caj^- 

 tain Lavender and his son, that he had taken these small skins yester- 

 day, and to-day, for the first time this year. Had he taken them in June 

 and early in July, he would have nothing to-day, on this field but year- 

 lings and half bulls. 



The hauling grounds at Zapadnie are simply grass-grown; those at 

 Starry Arteel, the same. The Great Eastern parade is a mere sugges- 

 tion, and Little Eastern has not had a single drive made from its faint 

 leminder of a once good resort for hollnschickie. 



In the wake of this drive to-day 1 saw a number of pups which had 



