RELATING TO PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 75 



ing stiitemeut of facts; and from personal observation as «vell as informa- 

 tion received from tlie native iiiluibitants of said islands, and white 

 men resident thereon, I have formed the opinions herein expressed, 

 based upon information and belief: 



The Pribilof Islands, by reason of their isolated location, cool and 

 humid climate, rocky shores, and the fog which pre- 

 vails from early spring until late autunm, are peculiarly iaiau™s'!*'° foatures of 

 well fitted to be the home of the fur-seal. 



1 do not know by what instinct they Avere led to this remote region to 

 which they yearly return. The bulls begin to arrive a •• ■ i f i u 

 upon the breeding rookeries about the 1st to the 10th "'''"^ ^ 

 of May; they then select their locations, which they hold during the 

 season. During the latter part of June and the early part of July the 

 cows begin to arrive heavy with young, of which they ^^.^.j^^^^ ^^ ^^ 

 are delivered, usually, forty-eight hours after their ^"^'^ " *'*"^^' 

 arrival. In abont the same length of time after the birth of their one 

 pup they have coition with the male, upon the rookeries, and then 

 return to the water to feed. The bull — the lord of the ^.^ 



1 • ,1 1 1 • XI J-' Life on rookeries. 



harem — remains on the rookery during the entire sea- 

 son of about four months, protecting the young and preventing the 

 invasion of his domain by neighboring bulls ami from the young and 

 vigorous bachelors who have not yet reached the age and condition of 

 strength to enable them to cope successfnlly with the older males, who, 

 by reason of their superior strength, are able to hold their position 

 against all comers. 



During my stay on the islands I have never seen a time during the 

 breeding season when there has not been a number of ^^^^^ vi-'oroH. 

 large, vigorous young bulls hanging about the borders ^^ ** vigoioiw. 

 of the rookeries watching for an opportunity to get a position of tiieir 

 own. 



The pup when born is as helpless as a newborn lamb, and as inca- 

 pable of living upon the water. It is not until six or 

 eiglit weeks old that the pup of the fur-seal can swim, swim!'' kaiinug to 

 At that age they form themselves into ''pods" and 

 work themselves down to the water's edge; after several days of 

 repeated trials and failures they finally learn to swim. 



If for any reason the cow should not be able to reach the rookery 

 in time to give birth to her pup, and it should be born 

 in the water the i)ui) would of necessity be drowned, ^^^^^^f ^"^ '^'"" '" 

 If, as is often the case, a pup should be swept from the 

 I'oekery into the surf before it had learned to swim, it would be drowned. 

 Every season young pups in more or less numbers are thus drowned. 



Referring to the (Question as to whether |)elagic coition is possible, 

 I have to say that I have never seen it attempted, but 

 from my observations I have come to the conclusion ^v^^^!,. ^"■'^<^^^i"- '" 

 that pelagic coition is a physical impossibility. 



Upon my first visit to the rookeries and hauling grounds of the island 

 of St. Paul, my attention was attracted to the evidences of recent and 

 remote occupancy by the seals. Marked difterences were noticeable in 

 the appearance of vegetation on large areas formerly occupied as breed- 

 ing and hauling grounds, while near the water's edge, more recently 

 occupied, the ground was entirely bare of vegetation, enabling one to 

 trace the gradual decrease of areas occupied during j^^^^^^.^^^ 

 the last six to eight years. My examination of the 

 rookeries on St. Paul and St. (xeorge during the years 189()-'iH and 

 1892 enabled me to trace the yearly decreasing area occupied by the 



