FROM A REPORT ON THE FUR-SEAL ROOKERIES 

 OF THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS, 1895. 



By F. W. True. 



LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 



U. S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries, 



Office of the Commissioner, 



WaslihigtoUj February 4, 1896. 

 Sir: I have tlie honor to transmit herewith certain "extracts from 

 a report relative to the natural history of the fur seals and the con- 

 dition of the rookeries on the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, based upon 

 observations made during the season of 1895 by F. W. True, curator 

 of mammals, United States National Museum." 



You will recall that Mr. True spent the summer of 1805 in making a 

 study of the seal rookeries of the Pribilof Islands independently of 

 Mr. C. H. Townsend. His final report, which will be taken up largely 

 with a discussion of the natural history of the fur seal, will not be com- 

 pleted for some time, but in, the preliminary account of his inquiries he 

 covers fully all the main points of direct interest in connection with 

 the present sealing controversy, so far as that subject came within the 

 range of his observations. It is that part of his report which is now 

 forwarded. 



Very respectfully, Herbert A. Gill, 



Acting Commissioner. 

 The Secretary of the Treasury, 



WasMngton, D. G. 



DEAD PUPS. 



The matter of dead pups is one which I can only discuss briefly, as 

 the terrible mortality refjorted in recent years occurs late in the season, 

 after the date on which my observations closed. 



I saw a number of dead i)ups during my sojourn, but do not think that 

 the total would exceed 150 for all the St. Paul rookeries. The largest 

 number were at the north end of Tolstoi rookery, where I observed 70 

 in one small area and about 25 more a little farther south, on the 15th of 

 August. The area referred to was occupied earlier in the season by a 

 great mass of seals, and I regard tlie number of dead pups found here 

 as representing the ordinary mortality of the young. These pups were 



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