.SEAL LIFK ON THK I'HIHILOF ISLANDS. 5 



We took up our quarters on St. Paul Island on .July 10, and on the 

 17th attempted to i)hotogi ai)h the rookery at Northeast Point, but a 

 dense log- prevented. T.ater in tlie day, however, we succeeded in 

 photographing Ketavie and Lukannon rookeries. J)uring the ISth, 

 19th, 20tli, and 21st, work was entirely interrupted by fog. The 22d 

 proved clear, and permitted us to obtain plates of Keef rookery in the 

 morning, and of Tolstoi and Zapadnie rookeries in the afternoon. A 

 dense fog continued from the 23d to the 2.')th inclusive, followed by 

 clear weather on the 20th, when we visited and photographed North- 

 east Point rookery, the writer remaining there overnight to complete 

 his observations. Polavina rookery was photographed in the after- 

 noon of the 28th, and on the 29th observations were made at Tolstoi 

 and Heef rookeries. 



A severe storm prevailed during the 30th, and on the following day I 

 visited that part of Reef rookery lying under the clitts for the purpose 

 of ascertaining to what extent young pups may have been destroyed 

 by it, but I found the damage slight. In the afternoon 1 visited 

 Zapadnie rookery, an<l Mr. Miller returned on board the Alhatros.s. 



On August 1 photographs were obtained of Lagoon rookery and of 

 Reef rookery from Village Hill. The 2d and .'>d were si)ent in making 

 general observations; from the -1th to the 7th fogs and storms prevailed 5 

 on the <Sth visits were paid to Lukannon and Ketavie rookeries, ami to 

 the rookery on Sea Lion Jlock. On the Dth I secured photographs of 

 Northeast Point rookery from Hutchinson Hill, but the weather was 

 rainy or foggy from the 10th to the 13th, ])ermitting only of brief exami- 

 nations being made of Reef and Ketavie rookeries. August 14 I visited 

 Tolstoi rookery and found several hundred dead seal pups, nine tenths 

 of which had undoubtedly been killed under the ditis during the recent 

 storm. Their bodies were lying just along the line of debiis left by 

 the highest wash of the waves, and as they were mostly near the com- 

 mencement of the sand beach, they had evidently been swept from the 

 narrow rookery at the foot of the cliff extending out to the point. 



On August 1(5 1 was again transferred to St. George Island, where I 

 spent that and the two following days in rei^xamining the several rook- 

 eries. They were all well covered by the spremling out of the seals 

 which takes place in August, and makes the rookeries look larger than 

 in July. A large ]>r(>portion of the young pujjs were also swimming 

 about the adjacent kelp beds off Little l^ast rookery. In the afternoon 

 of the 18th I rejoined the Albatro.sn. 



CONDITION OF THE ROOKERIES. 

 ST. PAUL ISLAND. 



Northeast Point rookery. — The seals ah)ng the eastern side of this 

 rookery were found distributed as in 1892, but undoubtedly much more 

 thinly in the immediate vicinity of the i)oint. Along the western side 

 they were hauled out a little farther back, owing peihai)s to the later 

 date at which the observations were made. One or two breaks in the 

 beach line had closed since the preceding season, but no increase can 

 be noted on account of the thinning at the ])oint. It is, therefore, prob- 

 able that no appreciable change has taken place in the total number of 

 seals on the rookery since 1892. No seals whatever from this rookery 

 have been killed for several seasons. Photographed July 20 and 

 August 9. 



Polavina rookery shows a decrease in seals, although the usual area 

 is occupied. It will be noticed in the photographs of the main rookery 



