FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 201 



going toward the end of the rookery and two steamiug toward the center of the rook- 

 gj,y^ * * * so I fired across the nearest boat and gave orders to the men to fire. 

 Instantly the boats turned and pulled for the open sea (p. 277). 



Octohtr 21 and 22, 1SS9. — Schooner anchored oft" Zapadnie 21st. Captain came 

 ashore on 22d and spoke to watchmen at Barrabkie, saying he belonged to the 

 Alaska Commercial Company. Compasses out of order, etc., bound for Kamchatka. 

 Natives refused to go aboard with him, and he went oft" and got under way — left. 

 Nothing seen o#Tiim since, and no other vessel this year. 



DESTRUCTION OF SEAL PUPS BY KILLER WHALES CLOSE AROUND 

 THE ROOKERIES, IN THE SEA. 



The following-citations from the Treasury agent's journal on St. George 

 Island refer to the appearance of the killer whales {Orca (iladiator) and 

 the havoc they create. There is but one brief entry of the kind in 

 the St. Paul journal. I am uot surprised, at it, however, because I did. 

 not see a killer whale around St. Paul during the whole of my visit 

 there last season. May 21 to August 11, inclusive. But at St. George, 

 the letter of Captain Lavender, which follows, declared the presence of 

 a great many. 



Septemher 15, 1S81. — A school of apparently 10 or 12 killers ran into the shoal 

 around the near rookery to-day and soon made havoc among the i>ups. It was esti- 

 mated from the manner in which the seal were thrown up out of the water that 25 

 or 30 were eaten by their greatest enemies. 



September IS, 1S81. — Another visitation of killers similar to that of 15th inst.ant 

 (p. 269). 



May 9, 1SS2.--A. school of killers were also seen this morning for the first time 

 since the seals left last fall (p. 286). 



October 29, 1SS2. — The weather being fair and favorable to-day, I made a trip to 

 Starry Arteel rookery, noticing on my way there that agoodmany so-called killers 

 were chasing and destroying young pup seals in the sea off the beach (p. 304). 



September 3, 1SS5. — * * * The killers put in an appearance in force about the 

 beginning of this month, remaining or coming near every day up to this date, to 

 the great discomfiture (sic) of the pups. The number of pups devoured by them 

 miist be great (p. 429). 



May 5, 2556.— Three killers passed by to-day — the monsters (p. 456). 



September 14, 1SS7. — * '^ * A school of killers made their initial appearance. 

 There were about eight in the school. They passed the length of the island three 

 times and killed all the seal and sea lion they could get. 



September 22, 1SS7. — Killers again appeared this afternoon. There were about 15 

 of them. They passed from east to west an<l killed many seals. 



October 16, 1SS7. — » * * ,^ school of killers, about four in all, came at 8.30 

 a. m. from east (p. 39). 



October 19, 1S87. — * * * Killers came again this evening, passing from east to 

 west. Their work, as usual, very destructive. The gulls followed, picking up rem- 

 nants of meat. 



October 21, 1SS7. — Killers at an early hour this morning, and they cleared the sea of 

 all the seal that were in it at the time (p. 50). 



July 1, 1S88. — * * * Killers have been iu this vicinity for a week, and were 

 in front of village all afternoon (p. 158). 



October 23, 1888. — * * * There are many pup seals in the water now, and we 

 often see killers among them. I think that they kill many of the pups (p. 192). 



In a letter addressed by Capt. A. W. Lavender on this subject to the 

 writer, he says : 



I am now stationed on St. George Island as Treasury agent, and not having been 

 long enough on the island to be a comiietent judge as to the number of seals destroyed 

 annually t)y these monsters, I have asked the opinion of gentlemen who have spent 

 every season for the last ten years here, and the answers to all my inquiries have 

 been that this species of whale must be destroyed or the seal rookeries will be some- 

 thing of the past in a short time. Tliey also informed me that during the month of 

 Octol^er, when the pups first take to the water, they arekilletl by the thousand, and 

 that the water along the shore of the rookeries is red with the blood of young seals, 

 which fall easy victims to these monsters, having no fears of them. » * * 



He closes with the following sensible recommendation: 



The next Congress should make an approjjriation sufficient to furnish two whale 

 boats and crews with all the modern improvements for the killing of whales, and to 



