B. W. EVERMANN: NOTES ON ROOKERIES, PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 273 



not seem to extend so far toward the shallow creek. (See Elliott, p. 58.) 

 On the whole, I imagine that this rookery has not decreased much, 

 if any, in size recently, but it has apparently shifted somewhat. Bulls, 

 cows, and pups cover the steep hillside and along the shore, except, 

 perhaps, 200 feet at the north end, where there is a large bunch of 

 bachelors; at the crest of the hill was a band of some 150 bachelors. 



The families here also have begun to lose their integrity, the bulls 

 no longer watched their harems carefully, and the cows and pups 

 wander about at will. 



Little East rookery, July 29, p. m. 



The west end of this rookery occupies a narrow strip at the base of 

 a basalt cliff about 30 feet high. On this part I saw but one old bull, 

 feut counted at least 30 cows and 60 pups, about 45 of the latter were 

 lying upon the flat surface of a very large detached mass of basalt 

 about 10 feet high. To the right of this place the strip widens out to 

 about 100 feet and the bluff becomes a gentle but rocky slope. Tins 

 strip is 500 to 600 feet long and the part occupied by seals will average 

 less than 50 feet wide. This is pretty thickly covered with cows and 

 pups, except a narrow strip nearly 20 feet wide running aloug through 

 the middle, upon which there were but few seals and these mostly pups. 

 Bulls were rather scarce here, as shown by the fact that from the bluff 

 at the west end I could count but 21. I do not think there were over 

 25 or 30 upon this rookery. At this rookery I have seen for the first 

 time the bulls enter the water. The number of cows in sight from the 

 same point was about 400, while the number of pups was very much 

 greater, probably as many as 1,000. 



I visited this rookery again on the afternoon of July 30, and made 

 further observations. 



The large basalt rock upon which I counted 45 pups yesterday has 

 70 pups and one cow upon it to-day. Tbis is the position which yester- 

 day showed but one bull, 30 cows, and 90 pups. This would show that 

 the pups are wandering about a good deal, and that there were seen 

 here a good many pups and probably several cows that did not belong 

 to the one bull found here. 



B. W. EVERMANN. 



I certify that the document hereto annexed, which was transmitted 

 to the Secretary of State on September 28, 1892, is a true copy of cer- 

 tain notes on the fur-seal rookeries of the Pribilof Islands on file in 

 this bureau. Professor B. W. Evermann, who prepared the same, is 

 an expert naturalist in the employ of the United States Fish Commis- 

 sion, and he accompanied the Fish Commission steamer Albatross in 

 that capacity duriug her cruises in the year 1892. 



Marshall McDonald, 

 U. S. Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries. 

 Washington, D. C, December 16th, 1392. 

 1.2364 IS 



