p 



FUR-SEAL HERD OF ALASKA. 47 



The ground of 1874 is now fairk covered with a coarse, thick sod, 

 and that of 1890 with a finer grass, rapidly passing into the sod afore- 

 said, while the once seal-polished rocks are now yellow and brown 

 with lichens. This picturesque and fine breeding ground is practically 

 desolated. There are no holluschickie in sight, either hauled out for 

 shelter in the pockets of these harems or anywhere visible on the 

 rookery margin. There are no polsecatchie in'the water and no idle 

 bulls in the rear of these harems.^ The seals that are existing look 

 well. The bulls all appear to range between 7 and 8 years to 15 vears. 

 There is no very old or superanuated bull thus far observed. 



To recapitulate: For Lukannon and Ketavie rookeries, July 11, 

 1913, we find on Lukannon 40 bulls, 2,500 cows, 2,300 pups; Ketavie, 

 32 bulls, 1,191 cows, 1,000 pups; season of 1890, on Lukannon, 900 

 bulls, 36,000 cows, 33,250 pups; season of 1874, on Lukannon, 

 4,880 bulls, 85,000 cows, 78,000 pups; season of 1890, on Ketavie, 

 340 bulls, 13,500 cows, 12,500 pups; season of 1874, on Ketavie, 

 4,730 bulls, 80,000 cows, 72,500 pups. 



CENSUS OF LOWER AND UPPER ZAPADNIE ROOKERIES. 



[Field notes to accompany the chart and survey of condition of lower Zapadni rookery, St. Paul Island, 

 Pribilof group, Saturday, July 12, 1913, by Henry W. Elliott and A. F. Gallagher, special agents House 

 Committee on Expenditures of the Department of Commerce.] 



•'XThe condition of th> rookery wh^n comparison is made with that 

 of 1890 is founded upon th :> published official survey made by Henry 

 W. Elliott and Charles J. Goff, July 10, 1890, and duly published as 

 H. Doc. No. 175, 54th Con., 1st ssss., p. 31, 32, 33.) ^ 



We begin this morning at station C of the 1890 survey, and from 

 there, as we go to station O, no sign of s?al life is apparent. From 

 station O, as we proceed down, every vestige of the herd has dis- 

 appeared from this ground to th? bight and clear back to station A 

 of th3 1890 survey. Jag A his completely disappeared; not even a 

 fringe or suggestion of it at the s?a margin in the bight. The grass 

 and flowers actually cover every foot of this area of the 1874 and 

 1890 surveys right, down to th? surf-beaten margms of the bight. 

 Under foot h^re is th3 heaviest sod that we have thus far troclden 

 upon in this whole area of abandoned seal territory on the island 

 rookeries, showing that th'> entire disappearance of the herd from 

 this ground must have taken place at least 10 yeai-s ago, save solitary 

 or scattered seals which might have been m existence then. 



We now pass over to jag B of the 1890 survey, and we find about 

 12 bulls and 125 cows, with no idle bulls around and no "polsecatchie" 

 in sight. This area of 1890 is completely desolated, saA^e that thin 

 fringe of cows and bulls on the surf margin. 



1 The loss of life here in 1890, as contrasted with its form in 1874, is described officially as follows (p. 30, 

 H. Doc. 175, o4th Cong., 1st sess.) to wit: 



"The imusually heavy loss sustained by Ketavie rookery and the other absence of the holluschickie, or 

 killable young male seals, where they trooped in platoons of tens of thousands in 1872-1S74 upon the Lukan- 

 non parade ground made the view from Lukannon Hill an exceedingly sad one at any time last summer. 

 Grass is now growing thickly dowii to the very water's edge over the parade grounds here of 1872-1874, and 

 creepmg into the rookery grounds also. This grass, which grows up over the abandoned seal parade, is 

 quite different in fiber and color from that which has never been disturbed or destroyed by the hauling 

 seals. It is quickly noted and marked as "seal grass," smce it grows closer and thicker and softer than all 

 surrounding grasses. There is no contradiction possible of its silent though eloquent testimony of the 

 hour— of that absence of those swarming herds which so impressed me in 1872-1874 as they restlessly swept 

 hither and thither over these grassy grounds and deserted fields of 1890.* 



* Glyceria angustata.—lt is conspicuous as a band of yellow cmarginating that green ground of the indi- 

 genous growth of grasses and flora where the seals have never been for a long, long time. 



