RELATING TO PRIBlLOP ISLANDS. 7 



I have fnrtliei- observed the fact that bulls have a teudency to return 

 to the same place ou the same rooljery year after year. Oue bull in par- 

 ticular, which I kuew from his peculiarities^ returued to the same rock 

 for five seasons. 



Daring- my observation only one class of bachelor seals on the islands 

 showed any deficiency in numbers, and I accounted for this fact in my 

 report to the Secretary of the Treasury, dated September 5, 1872, from 

 which I quote: "The weather, although excessively 

 foggy and disagreeable to the residents of the islands, ^/^^f^^^ "^ slaughter 

 has been especially favorable to the young seals. It is 

 also observable that a larger number of yearlings or last year pups than 

 usual have returned to the islands- the present season. There is now 

 only a deficiency of one class, that of the four and five year old seals. 

 This is clearly traceable to the following causes: During the season of 

 1868 there were killed on both islands 220,000 animals for their skins, 

 and in the season of 1869, 8;"), 000 for their skins. At that time the rela- 

 tive value of the sizes or ages of the skins was not understood, and all 

 the skins being paid for at the same price, the natives who were quick 

 to perceive the difference between taking a small skin and a large one 

 and carrying it to the salt houses, killed all the yearlings they could; 

 these were the i^rodiicts of 1867 and 1868. These Avere sent forward in 

 ] 870 to market and overstocked it with small skins. This created a 

 demand for larger skins, and the Alaska Commercial Company in- 

 structed their agents to take all the large skins possible in 1871; this 

 was done and as many 4 and 5 year old seals as could be taken. This 

 again fell on the already diminished product of 1867 and 1868. When 

 these were sent to market they were found too old, and now the proper 

 medium being ascertained the seals will be selected accordingly." 



It should be borne in mind that the killing in 1868 was done by un- 

 authorized persons before the Government could arrange for the pro- 

 tection of the rookeries. From 1870 up to the time I 

 left the islands in 1877, the females, of which I made as ^"'^'•^"^«- 

 careful a calculation as is possible by measuring the areas covered by 

 the breeding rookeries, increased from 4 to 5 per cent annually. 



The whole time I was there there was an ample supply of full-grown 

 vigorous males sufficient for serving all the females on 

 the islands, and every year a surplus of vigorous bulls ui^"**''^"''^' °^ '^'^^'^ 

 could always be found about the rookeries awaiting an 

 opportunity to usurp the place of some old or wounded bull, unable 

 longer to maintain his place on the breeding grounds. I should except 

 from this general statement the seasons of 1873 and to 1875 Avhen the 

 destruction of young males in 1868 and the error made by the company 

 under their misapprehension as to the character of skins to be taken for 

 market, percei)tibly aff^"ected the males on the breeding grounds. It is 

 not certain that the fertilizing of the females was thereby affected and 

 this gap was filled up and from this time on there was at all times not 

 only a sufficiency but a surplus of male life for breeding purposes. 



The increase in female life was readily determined by noticing annually 

 the lines of demarkation of the breeding grounds among 

 the rocks, and also from the fact that many lanes increase. 

 through the breeding rookeries to the hauling grounds, left by the old 

 males for the use of the bachelors, which existed in 1870, were entirely 

 closed up by the breeders in 1877, and the bachelor seals were compelled 

 to haul out on the sand beaches. Another proof of this increase was 

 the fact that in 1870 the breeding seals confined themselves to the 



