RELATING TO PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 17 



during the past two years for the euorinous reduction of the annual 

 quota. 



There are certain physical as well as historical sources of information 

 upon the island from which the relation of the present 

 to the past condition of the rookeries can be very clearly of^roTkeritfs ''^'^"'^'*"'^'' 

 made out. 



I. Not only upon, but immediately to the rear of, the area at preseut 

 occupied by the breeding- seals occur fragments of 



basalt whose angles have been rounded and polished Grass patches. 

 by the flippers of seals. Among these latter rocks grass is found grow- 

 ing to an extent proportionate to their distances from the present breed- 

 ing grounds, and further the soil sliows no recjent disturbance by the 

 seals. This rounding of the bowlders of the abandoned areas was not 

 due to the impingement of sand grass driveu by the wind. No geolo- 

 gist would be williug to risk his reputation by asserting that this round- 

 ing came from any such agency. The distinction between the result 

 of sand blast action and seals' flippers is very marked. 



II. A careful examination among the roots of the grass will often 

 show the former presence of seal by the peculiar appearance of the soil, 

 due to the excrementa of the seal and the occurrence of a thin mat of 

 seal hair. The attention of Dr. George M. Dawson was called to such 

 a felt of hair upon the summit of Hutchinson Hill, and both he and 

 Dr. C. Hart Merriani collected specimens of it from among the grass 

 roots at that locality. 



III. At the rear of the rookeries there is usually an area of mixed 

 vegetation — an area the boundary of which is sharply defined, and be- 

 tween which and the present breeding grounds occurs a zone of grass 

 of only a single variety. In the immediate vicinity of the present breed- 

 ing grounds only scanty bunches are to be seen. These gradually 

 coalesce as the line of mixed vegetation is approached. The explana- 

 tion of this is that the seals were formerly so abundant as to destroy 

 the normal mixed vegetation at the rear of th(i breeding grounds, and 

 that the decrease of the seals has been folio Aved by the encroachment 

 of the nniform variety of grass. 



IV. The statements made to me by competent observers who have 

 lived upon the islands for years all agree that the 

 shrinkage in the breeding 

 the past five or six years. 



V. After observing the habits of seals for a season, I unhesitatingly 

 assert that to satisfactorily account for the disturbance to vegetable 

 life over areas whose extent is visible even to the most careless and 

 prejudiced of observers would require the presence of from two to three 

 times the amount of seal life which is noAvto be found ux^on the islands. 



That there has been enormous decrease in the seals ^ 

 there can be no question. 



In studying the causes of diminution of seal life there were found a 

 variety of actual and possible sources of destruction 

 which are eftective in varying degrees. Fortunately ^■'•"^es ot decrease. 

 the mostimportantof these sources were directly under my observation 

 and the following facts presented themselves for consideration. 



I. The restrictions upon the molestation oftlie l)iee(ling grounds and 

 upon the killing of females has been imperative both on the part of the 

 Goverinnent and lessees since the American ownership of the islands, 

 so that in the taking of seals no injury could x)ossibly have occurred to 

 the females and bulls found thereon. 

 2716— VOL II 2 



