FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 



177 



The cause of the excess of females on tlie islands is owing to a regulation of the 

 Greek Church which forbids the marriage of parties where the most distant relation- 

 ship exists; it even extends to the relatives of the contracting parties' godmothers 

 and godfathers. This absurd obstacle makes it almost out of the question for resi- 

 dents of the island to marry. The priest controls ali marriages ; his permission is ab- 

 solutely required before a marriage can take place. Thisrulo of the church forces the 

 men to go to Oonalaska or other islands for wives, aud every year pilgrimages are 

 made for that purpose. The priest first beiug applied to tells the wife-seeker whom 

 he may marry. Whilst accessions of females are made to tlie population in this way, 

 no adult males are allowed to come from other islands and l)ecome citizens of the fur- 

 seal islands without special permission of the Secretary of the Treasury. 



THE BREEDING ROOKERIES. 



As I was unable to accompany my report of last year with a statement showing the 

 number of seals on the breeding rookeries of St. George Island, I made arrange- 

 ments with the acting assistant Treasui-y agent, Dr. L. A. Noyes, in charge, to make a 

 complete measurement of ail the rookeries on the island, which he did, and the result 

 is here given : 



JSIcasurcment ofhreeding rookeries hi/ Dr. L. A. Noi/es, acting assistant Treasury aqent, of 

 St. George Island, January 4, March 1, and April 22, 1887. 



Kame of rooteiy. 



Sea margin. Depth. Square feet.. Seals 



RECAPITULATION.— (Seventeen rookeries.) 



St. P.aul Island, 18S6 5, 148, ,500 



St. George Island, 1887 !_' 209] 250 



Grand total of breeding seals only (j, 357, 750 



Note.— I think that a deduction of one-fonrth from the ahove would show more nearly correct the 

 true number of seals on the islands. In my judgment Mr. Elliot does not allow them space enough. 



The breeding grounds on St. George Island, surveved July 12 and 15, 1873, gave 

 the following figures (H. W. Elliot's " Condition "of Affairs in Alaska, 1874," p.'^H) : 



The information furnished by the estimates of seal life are very valuable, though 

 of course not absolutely correct. 



The measurement on St. George Island is undoubtedly as near correct as it is 

 po,ssible to make it, aud differing so widely from the estimate made by Mr. H. W. 

 Elliot, July 12 aud 15, 1873, I am forced to conclude that that gentleman, so uni- 

 formly correct in his voluminous and interesting history ot the fur seal and his home, 

 has made a great mistake somehow in his work of measuring tlie rookeries at that 

 time. It is quite evident such is tlie case, as the number of seals he makes on the 

 breeding rookeries, viz, 172,500, is out of all proportion to the number of males killed 

 in 1872 and 1873, being 25,000 each year, whilst on St. Paul Island, with 3,030,250 

 seals on the rookeries, only 75,000 males were taken each year, or flifee tlmQS 



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