B. w. evermann: notes on rookeries, pribilof islands. 271 



Polavina Rookery, July 22, p. m. 



This lies about a mile south, from Little Polavina, but between the 

 two are a few scattered families close along' the water's edge. 



This rookery has a long strip near the shore that presents the most 

 compact appearance of any ground I have seen. The ground rises 

 gently from the water's edge, is not very rocky, and continues over a 

 very gentle bench to a very broad, comparatively level, tract further 

 back that has in former years been used as breeding or hauling ground, 

 or both. 



I saw more dead pups here than I have seen on all other rookeries 

 combined. The u lay of the land " here is such as to make it very easy 

 for the pups to wander about a great deal — there is no abrupt wall or 

 bluff to hem them in — as a consequence many of them stray off even 

 far into the grassy mesa back of the rookery. Some of these become 

 lost from their mothers and, of course, starve sooner or later. 



I made an examination of this rookery as furnishing the best illus- 

 tration of dead pups seen by me in 1892. I began at a point towards 

 the eastern side of the rookery, beyond which no dead pups were to be 

 seen, and retraced my steps for a distance of about one hundred and 

 fifty feet, or to a point beyond which no dead pups were visible, and 

 by actual count the number was 125. I believe that this represents at 

 least one-half of all the dead pups on this rookery. 



All the plain space enclosed by the line ab is worn smooth, but had 

 no seals upon it at the time of my visit. 



SAINT GEORGE ISLAND. 



North Booker y, July 27, «. m. 



This rookery lies just west of the village and extends about a of a 

 mile along the shore. The beach is in most places along here quite 

 narrow and rocky, being limited landward by a rather high rocky bluff". 



