FUK-SEAL HERD OF ALASKA, 117 



five small cows each. In these places the count had to be made from 

 the most advantageous position. Our total of 3,741 pups for the 

 whole of north rookery is 2,004 less than the count of last year. We 

 clubbed at least 10 bulls, having several narrow escapes ourselves, 

 the clubbed bulls in every instance reviving and returning to the 

 attack. I do not accept the count as satisfactory, and will go over 

 the ground again in a day or two. 



August 2, 1901. — Counted pups this morning on Little East and 

 East Reef. No trouble from bulls was experienced, and a very satis- 

 factory count was made. I took with me to-day M. Merculief, and 

 we counted together, he having counted with Maj. Clark last year. 

 We used the same methods of counting as he did. Our figures were 

 as follows: Little East, 847 pups; East Reef, 787 pups. The differ- 

 ence between my figures to-day and yesterday for Little East is con- 

 siderable, but I believe the count to-day is more accurate. While I 

 felt satisfied with yesterday's count, I believe that one person count- 

 ing can not cover the ground as well as two. We had no interference 

 on the East from bulls. We went then to east rockery proper and 

 began a count, but after working for an hour I found that the four 

 men with me were not enough to keep off the bulls and handle the 

 pups at the same time. We, therefore, returned to the village at 

 noon, and after dinner returned to east rookery with seven men. 

 With them the bulls were put oft' and kept oft', and the pups handled 

 in much more satisfactory manner. The total number we found to 

 be East, 2,075 pups. Adding to this the number on East Reef, we 

 have East 2,075; East Reef, 787, against 3,047 for last year. Dead 

 pups. Little East, 6; East Reef, 3; East, 36. 



August 5. 1901. — With Nikolai, George and Joseph Merculief, I 

 counted pups on Starre Arteel this morning. A total of 2,346 live 

 pups were found there. Our counts were veiy satisfactory. Nikolai 

 and I counted some pups in many instances, and on several occasions 

 our counts were exactly the same. In other cases our differences 

 were only two or thi-ee. Our greatest difference was 15 pups in a 

 pod of over 200, and in that instance I split the difference. 



In the afternoon I counted with the same men the pups on north 

 rookery. I detailed George to count dead pups, and the other two 

 men counted live ones. As before, the bulls in many instances were 

 tenacious and charged us instead of going the other way. One small 

 cow having a new })orn pup charged us several times, and then picked 

 up the pup in the mouth and carried it farther away from us. Three 

 newly born pups were found, two with placental still adhering. 

 Quite a number of small cows appeared to be still not served, and 

 with these is always found a green, pugnacious bull. Our total was 

 4,503 live pups for north rookery and 125 dead pups. At the western 

 end of the rookery we were unable to cover a space of 50 yards 

 because of the presence of fighting bulls. For that space we counted 

 395 pups, all we could see from the edge of the rookery, and to that 

 added 100 for those below, which were hidden by a drop at the water's 

 edge. I believe that there were at least 200 more pups there, but I 

 do not feel willing to make the estimate too high. With this excep- 

 tion of 100, the figures given as the total represent i)ui)s actually 

 counted. 



August 7, 1901. — With Stepan Lekanof, A. Pliilamonof, and N. 

 Malavansky, George, Joseph, and Nick Merculief, T counted pups 

 on Zapadnie. We counted 4,113 live pups and 51 dead ones. Two 



