272 OFFICIAL REPORTS. 



The end near the village had but few seals upon it, but further down 

 was a large group of bachelor seals and just below these was a large 

 breeding ground quite thickly covered. At this place the bluff is less 

 abrupt and the seals were able to occupy considerable space on the 

 mesa above the cliff. Not over £ of the area, however, which has been 

 occupied is occupied now. 



The families were nearly all broken up, and the pups are far more 

 numerous than the cows and are gathered into large pods here and 

 there. 



The seals are thickest upon the west end of this rookery. Just be- 

 yond the extreme end of the breeding ground was a large bunch of 

 bachelors, but they covered only a small portion of that hauling 

 ground. 



East Rookery, July 27, p. m. 



This rookery occupies a narrow strip of rocky shore at the foot of a 

 high rocky bluff, this strip being narrowest at the east end and widest 

 •on tbe low rocky flat between the pool and the shore at the west end. 



A good many sea lions were scattered along this narrow strip. At 

 the foot of this bluff towards the west end and near where the sea lions 

 are thickest is quite a large area that has been used quite recently, but 

 has no seals upon it now. Westward from this the space along the 

 shore that was formerly used is not now more than jL filled up. 



The pups on this rookery were very much more numerous than the 

 cows; quite evidently the families are nearly all broken up and the 

 rookery has passed the zenith of the season. A great many cows or 

 bachelors were seen playing about in the water and many are evidently 

 out at their feeding grounds. 



Very few of the bulls were on the qui vive, as they were seen to be a 

 week earlier on St. Paul, but most of them were lying down avjparently 

 sleeping. 



Starry Arteel Rookery, July 28, p. m. 



This rookery is a very compact one, situated chiefly upon the east 

 slope of a high hill, the north end of which is cut square off by the sea. 

 This hillside is comparatively free of loose rocks, and is grassy except 

 where it is or has been covered by seals. Along the upper edge of the 

 rookery the bulls are smaller, and there are fewer pups in proportion 

 to the number of cows, and the families seem better defined than lower 

 down where seals are more numerous. 



Down towards the pool, at the east end of the rookery, was a small 

 bunch of bachelors, and on the hillside to the left of these were two or 

 three bunches of bachelors; but the number of seals upon this rookery 

 at this time was certainly much fewer than what it has been within the 

 past few years. 



Zapadvie rookery, July 29. 



I spent the time from 9 a. m. to about 1:30 p. m. at this rookery, 

 which somewhat resembles Starry Arteel, in that it is situated in great 

 part upon a hillside; unlike Starry Arteel, however, it extends well up the 

 hillside toward the top at the end toward the clift' and extends farther 

 along the shore than does Starry Arteel. Comparing the present con- 

 dition of this rookery with that shown in Mr. Elliott's report, it appears 

 that the rookery has shifted more toward the hillside, as the seals do 



