RELATING TO PlilUn.OF ISLANDS. 49 



done by tlie uatiyes, each gaiio- of workmen being- beaded, as under 

 Russian custom, by a native chief. All thoroughly understood th^ 

 work, having been bred to it from boyhood. G.eat^c ?e wlsXws 



as possible. On some occasions a considerable number of bulls nearlv 

 large enough for rookery service, and rarely a barren cow were un 

 avoidably gathered up from the 'beach and started i^Qland wfth Z 

 herd. The greater part of these, at iirst opportunity, were se^e^ated 

 from the drove and sen. back to the water The dro;rwas tvSmfenWv 

 allowed to rest and whenever practicable driven through so nef the 



OSS ot lite Irom the ^' drive" was very small, amounting, after the first 



nlor' f'T ^'T^ \\\?''^y ^ ^^'^^**«" «f 1 P^r cent "of the number 

 kd ed. And nearly all tha^ perished on the road were skinned and the 

 pelts counted in our annual quota. Upon reaching- the kiS- o ound 

 to cc^d o/''' '" ''^ ""''''''''^ '''''''' "P^^ "^«i^^ Vound and .tiJowed 



When killing, if the herd collected upon the slaughter grounds was 

 of considerable size, a portion of it was segregated and take , to The 

 mnuediate vicinity of the workmen, the remainder being left at rest 

 ihis portion wasagain subdivided into "pods" of twenty-five trsJventv 

 five animals and driven directly to the killing gang, genSlvcoini Hs" 

 ing SIX or seven men, who with a single blow knotkersScTsiich 

 seals as they were directed by the "boss" to kill, and the i4maiW 

 ones were driven aside and allowed to find their way back to tTrwate? 

 at will, which they usualy did shortly after being set ^^^ ^^^^^ 



Jmn. nf^;i ^O^l'S^ /iiany Of thcSC WCrC redrivCl,, and Redriving. 



some ot them several times during the season, but I 

 believe no injury resulted to them from this process. They were sub 

 jected upon the drive to no greater exertion and rarely to iLre cruel 

 t eatinent m any way tlian we habitually put upon our domestic animals 

 Ihe only noticeable effect upon them insulting from thT" drive "^^^^^^ 

 sometimes abraded hmd flippers, and of couise the signs of he-ilTlv 



^!^:f^^^'T^ ^i*.'"*"^"^^ ^^^^r««"^ fr«"^ whicli they quS 

 lecoveied The loss ot virility and destruction of reproductive power 

 in the older males by reason of repeated driving and ^ 



other hardships to which the young animals are sub- • viniit,- ..fsnaisnot 

 jocted upon the islands, exists, if at all, only in the '•'^i'="^^'i^'vredriving. 

 nn|.gmat.<.n of theorists who have reported upon the subject. It is 

 a u.nt nonsense Impotent males are never seJn there in any species 

 incl rten fT' i''^°^^i '^^^ ^^^^ ''^'- I^^^^^«^^ «^'=^^« ^ere very S 

 I 1I71 f.u tf T"? ^'^^' r^ ""^^^" ^'"^^^ ^^■"n>t by accident. ^ 

 killed tnllr ^^ ^'""-"'^ assistants the majority of the seals were 

 killed under tlie supervision of native chiefs. We had no teams and 

 were poorly supplied with boats and other facilities fXansSt^ the 



and"thTtusi;;;^s w^T'- ''f\ '-"^"^^ ^'''' inconvenSiy t'ated! 

 ana tne business was transa(;ted m a crude way, under irreat dis-id 

 vantages. The skins and all other material upoi/the ish'ncfs reciSt 



tiel7Ztl"Xr'f VP^" '}^' ^-^« «f "'-' - wear^l' alid dfe 

 agreeable task alter a day's work on the killing grounds. The residts 

 were unsatistactory. The catch obtained unde? the direction of the 



ureS^^^^^^^^^^ 



fX-r V mt '^ H • ^^'^ r'^ progressed slowly, as it had always 



o . >f- It ""'' ?r''''"l ^.^'i'^^'^'*'"- J^ess th-an two-thirds of the 



piotaot skins were obtained in June and Julv. Durin- Auoust wb 



^vere prohibited by law at that time from killing ^^ Woik was 



271G— VOL. II 4 



