FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 359 



187:5, beiug 25,000 eacli year, wliilsl- oa St. Paul Maud, with 3,030,250 seals ou the 

 rookeries, only 75,000 males were takeu each year, or three times as many as were 

 takeu ou St. George ; while St. Paul, according to Mr. Elliot, had eighteen times as 

 many seals ou the rookeries. For 1879, 1880, and 1881, 20,000 were takeu annually on 

 St. George. Since that time the lessees haA^e not been able to take conveniently more 

 than 15,000 annually, notwithstanding the rookeries have received large accessions 

 of cows and bulls each year since 1873, and now have seven times the number esti- 

 mated by Mr. Elliot to have been there when they took 25,000 seals. The number 

 of seals at present shown to be on the breeding rookeries of the two islands is as fol- 

 lows : 



St. Paullsland 5,148,500 



St. George Island 1,209,250 



Total 6,357,750 



The young male seals haul out separately from breeders, and no estimate of their 

 numbers has ever been made or attempted, so far as I know. It is certain one-half 

 the pups born are males, and that pups equal to 90 per cent, of cows on the rookeries 

 go into the water, that is, exclusive of the young cows which come upon the rook- 

 eries for the first time to meet the males. The estimated loss of 10 per cent, is caused 

 by bulls in preserving rigid discipline, and administering necessary correction m the 

 management of their domestic affairs. Their ideaof afemale'sduty does not admit of 

 any little indiscretions, and at the slightest sign of deviation, regardless of conse- 

 quences, they quickly pounce upon the oflendiug female and shake her by the neck. 

 A number of pups are also lost by being washed off the rocks by the surf and drowned, 

 before they have learned to swim. Fully one-half the pups which go to sea in the 

 fall return as yearlings the following spring, the absent ones having furnished food 

 for their natural enemies in the water. As they grow older the percentage of loss by 

 this cause decreases largely. I have made frequent and close inspections of the rook- 

 eries this year, aud find the lines of occupancy extended beyond those of last year, 

 and the cows quite as densely packed on the ground ou most of the rookeries. Whilst 

 on two rookeries there is some falling ofi', it is certain, however, this vast number of 

 animals so valuable to the Government are still on the increase. The condition of 

 all the rookeries could not be better, and the seals, undisturbed when ashore, seem to 

 take great comfort out of their season of rest, after a long winter voyage at sea. The 

 Department can not place too high an estimate ou the value of this seal property, 

 and the Government, I am sure, will not yield to any demands which would make it 

 jiossible to accomplish the destruction of her seal rookeries and seal life, which, un- 

 der judicious management, and protected by law, may be perpetuated indefinitely. 



THE MARAUDERS. 



Last fall, after the steamer had departed for San Francisco, a number of marauding 

 schooners were sighted from St. Paul Island. One, a steam schooner, laid ofi^' the 

 reef rookery several days from 8th of August, with boats down killing seals in the 

 water. Owing to the distance from land"( though in full view) aud the uncertainty 

 of the weather it was not deemed safe by Captain Loud, .assistant Treasury agent in 

 charge, to go out to her in small boats. She was rewarded by securing a cargo of 4,300 

 seal skins for her British owners, which were delivered and sold in Victoria. 



Had Captain Abbey, with the revenue-cutter Corwin, cruised around the seal islands 

 until August 15, he no doubt would have captured several valuable prizes, which es- 

 caped with large catches of seal, owing to the absence of the cutter. 



On St. George Island, in charge of acting assistant Treasury agent Dr. L. A. Noyes, 

 soon after the departure of the cutter, a schoouer was sighted. She sent her men in 

 small boats direct to a rookery to kill seals. Under .orders from Dr. Noyes, the na- 

 tives watching the rookery fired on the men as they landed, causing them to retreat 

 to their boats and pull for their vessel. Two of the men were wounded, according to 

 their own admission — one shot through the arm and the other in the foot. This warm 

 reception and impressive lesson was not without beneficial results, as it became gen- 

 erally known last fiill and winter among the profession, and may serve to keep them 

 a safe distance from the shore-line of the rookeries this season. 



I understand the captains of British vessels had great difficulty this spring ship- 

 ping their crews of Indian sealers, owing to the few captures of last year. After their 

 experience of this season I am quite sure British Columbia Indians will be hard to se- 

 cure for Bering Sea sealing in the future. 



So far this season four schooners luive been operating around this island, at times 

 within a mile or two of the land, their rifle shots being distinctly heard from the 

 shore, a dense fog concealing the vessel from view. One schooner remained around 

 North East River from 15th instant to 26th, then came down near the village. On 



