504 APPENDIX TO COUNTER-CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



When on St. George Island, I noticed (15th July) at the western end of North 

 rookery, that a small band of bachelor or youny mule seals, nniuberiug not more 

 than 21)0, had chosen a new place for climbing up the bank that sloped from their 

 hauling- ground to the sea, or at least a part of the slope that had not been nsed for 

 many years, as it was covered with large tufts of grass from 18 inches to 2 feet in 

 dicuneter, and with llowering plants of many species. Tlie rocks, too, weie covered 

 with lichens, exce]>t in the centre of the little depression np which the seals climbed; 

 here they had been all rubbed otf. The tussocks of grass were in some places worn 

 down quite to the ground, and along the line travelled over bj' the seals when going 

 to or fiom the water had been worn away. Two weeks later 1 Adsited the same 

 place, and found that, while the number of young seals hauled-out there had not 

 increased, the ground over which they moved in their passage to and from the sea 

 conld not be distinguished from that over whicli seals were known to have travelled 

 for many years. Ail forms of vegetation had disappeared from il., while no lichens 

 were to be seen on any part of the rocks they passed over, except on sucli places as 

 from the shape of tlie boulders could not have been touched by the seals' bodies. 



The yellow grass above mentioned (Glijceria angustaia) is by no means peculiar to 

 occupied rookery-grounds. It grows on many places on both ishinds, that are either 

 not now frequented by seals or never have been. At Knrsoolah, a bay between 

 Zai)adnie rookery and South-west Point, the ground is covered tor a long distance 

 with a thick, though short, growth of this grass, to the complete exclusion of other 

 forms of vegetation. Seals have not been known to visit this place for many 

 150 years. What length of time gmund that has been rul)bed bare and beaten 

 down by seals would remain in that condition is uncertain, but when grass 

 begins to grow upon it only a few blades appear the first j'ear, tlie second year it 

 forms little clumi»s that sometimes bear seed, while the third year it attains consid- 

 erable size, a chimp then being from 4 to 6 inches in diameter. It is impossible to 

 determine the length of time required for these clumps to become united so as to 

 form a compact sward. 



Early in the month of July 1892, Mr. Brown, Mr. Townsend, and I marked out a 

 small plot of ground about 20 yards square at the back of Rei-f rookery. A lew 

 small bunches of grass of three or four blades each were growing upon it. This 

 spot was visited mnny times during the summer, and as late as the 13th Sept;-mber, 

 but no change in the grass growing on it was a])parent. This particular piece of 

 ground was chosen, as we all three were certain that it had not been occupied by 

 seals in 1891. There were large tracts of yellow grass between this ])lot and Reef 

 rookery on the one hand and Garbotch rookery on the other, i)roving the ground to 

 be well ada|)ted to its growth; yet in two years the grass that had grown upon it 

 would not continuously cover a square yard. 



In only one instance was grass found growing on ground on which seals were 

 known to liave been within a year; this was at Zapadnie rookery on the 12th 

 August. Mr. Brown pointed out to me at this time a snuill area near the southern 

 limit of the rookery, on which, he said, seals had been lying eaily in the season. 

 There were none on it at the time of our visit, but in a drain-like depression that 

 ran across it little clumps of Deschampnia cwspUosa were growing; no young plants 

 of Gli/ceriu aiKjuslata were to be seen. Descliampsia cwspitosa might be called the char- 

 acteristic grass of the islands, as it grows everywhere except in very sandy soil or 

 on the moors and high uplands. Almost every square yard between Tolstoi and 

 Zapadnie rookeries and Bogoslof Mountain is covered with it. It reaches to the 

 limit of most of the rookeries, and in many i)laces where the ground has been long 

 unoccupied by seals, it is encroaching on " the yellow grass limit " 1 had, however, 

 never before seen it growing nearer than Glyceria cuKjustata to occupied rookeries. 

 I made a careful examination of the ground on which it was growing, and found 

 that the little depression referred to above extended back to a large patch of De8- 

 champsia vwiipitosa, from which the seeds had doubtless been carried. No other 

 similar case was afterwards noted on any part of either island. 



When seals have been in considerable numbers on rookei'y-ground, it becomes so 

 smooth and hard that, except in rare instances such as that mentioned above, seeds 

 could not i>ossibly take root and grow upon it until at least one year had passeed, 

 and, as shown above, many years must then elapse before the ground becomes 

 entirely covered by grass. 



At South-west Point (Seolah) Mr. Brown called my attention to the large area 

 covered by yellow grass. More than half of this area was dotted with small seal- 

 polished rocks that were covered with mature lichens, while one large patch of it 

 was com])lete]y surrounded by a luxuriant growth of Elymus. Seals ceased coming 

 to this place in 1887, but for many years previous to that date the number had been 

 growing smaller. 



It seems proljable that these grass-grown areas near rookeries were at some time 

 bared of vegetation by seals. I had many opi)ortunities in 1892 for noting that even 

 a small band of holluschickie would in a week destroy every vestige of vegetation 



