B. W. EVERMANN: NOTES ON ROOKERIES, PRII5ILOF ISLANDS. 269 



Standing at a point near the middle of this rookery and counting all 

 the seals in plain sight, I counted fifteen bulls, 100 cows, and 325 pups. 

 Six dead pups were seen here. 



Reef Rookery, July 20, p. m. 



Pups do not seem to be as numerous here as they are on Lukannon. 

 There are more very large bulls and there are good-sized groups of 

 bachelors here and there. 



This rookery occupies both sides of a long rocky point or peninsula. 

 The middle ridge is smooth, sandy, and sparsely covered with grass. 

 Upon this ridge were perhaps 200 bachelor seals. Many quite large 

 bulls were seen among the bachelors and there is no doubt in my mind 

 but that the number of available bulls is considerably in excess of the 

 number necesssry to serve the cows. 



The same indications of decrease in size were observed here as in the 

 case of the other rookeries. The narrow strip immediately along the 

 water-front was in most places thickly covered, though in some places 

 the seals were less closely placed; there being such great variation in 

 this respect as to make it quite difficult if not impossible to estimate 

 with any degree of accuracy how many square feet should be allowed 

 for each seal on the rookery. Back of this occupied strip was a strip 

 where would be found an occasional family and occasionally a small 

 bunch of bachelors, though the greater part was unoccupied. Over 

 this area the rocks were all worn smooth and the ground was packed 

 hard and devoid of vegetation of any kind. Still back of this the rocks 

 were still seal worn, but the ground was covered either with the thin 

 algoid matting or with a sparse growth of short bleached grass. 



Two dead seals, apparently young bulls, were seen at one place on 

 this rookery. 



It is very hard to estimate just how much this important rookery has 

 decreased in size during the last few years, but it is certain there has 

 been a very considerable decrease. This fact will be apparent to any one 

 examining the rookery. 



Beef Rookery, July 23, p. m. 



This afternoon I paid another visit to the Eeef Rookery. 



The families or harems were less well-defined than on the former 

 visit; the cows were apparently less numerous; many of them were 

 moving about the water's edge, and many were absent at sea. The 

 pups were gathered into pods or moving about in a restless sort of way. 

 The bunches of bachelors had shifted position somewhat, and there were 

 more upon the high ridge than before. 



Tolstoi Rookery, July 21, a. m. 



Most of the forenoon of July 21 was spent at this rookery, the stage 

 of which appeared to be about the same as that of the Reef Rookery, 

 and hardly as tar advanced as was Lukannon on July 10. There were 

 a good many cows whose pups had apparently not yet been born, though 

 it is true that many of the families were broken up and the pups were 

 wandering about near at hand or gathered in pods in several places. 

 The space covered by seals here now is very much less than that for- 

 merly occupied and much less than shown as occupied in Mr. Elliott's 

 plan on page 53 of his monograph. 



