November 4, 1898.] 



SCIENCE. 



619 



Owing to the continuance of pelagic seal- 

 ing the seals are still diminishing in num- 

 bers, and the seal catch on land and sea 

 grows less from year to year. The per- 

 centage of decrease in the number of seals 

 born on the islands becomes more notice- 

 able as time passes, the operations of the 

 sealing fleet producing a more marked ef- 

 fect on the reduced herd ; in 1897 there 

 was found a decrease of 11 per cent, over 

 the preceding year, and during the present 

 season a decrease of 22 per cent, since 1897. 

 The decrease is best shown in the annual 

 •counts of seals born on all rookeries small 

 enough to admit of counts being made. 

 These rookeries were, with one exception, 

 on St. Paul Island. A year ago it was not 

 considered feasible to extend the census of 

 pups to any additional rookeries on account 

 of their size. This year it was found that 

 all the rookeries on St. George Island had 

 shrunken to such a degree that actual 

 counts could be substituted for the various 

 estimates hitherto employed. These counts, 

 in connection with those made regularly on 

 St. Paul Island, will be very useful here- 

 after. Since 1896 the land catch has been : 



1896, 28,964; 1897, 20,890; 1898, 18,032. 

 The pelagic catch has decreased as follows : 

 1894, 61,838; 1895, 56,291; 1896, 43,917; 



1897, 24,322. The pelagic catch for 1898 

 lias not yet been made known ; but whether 

 less than in 1897 or not, there is no uncer- 

 tainty about the diminution of the herd. 



On account of temporary difficulties, the 

 fences built for retaining males on land were 

 not as strong as they should have been, and 

 many seals escaped. There will be little 

 difficulty in making them perfect next sea- 

 son. Fencing is practicable, and serves the 

 double purpose of preventing the laborious 

 re-driving of non-killables, and keeping 

 them at home during the presence of the 

 sealing fleet in Bering Sea. 



Some of the females branded, for the pur- 

 pose of lessening the value of their skins, 



were seen, but young females are not con- 

 spicuous about the islands in midsummer. 



Certain smooth rookery grounds have 

 been covered with boulders to afford young 

 pups shelter during the battles of the bulls, 

 and attempts will probably be made to re- 

 pair the injurious worm-infested areas. 



A rational scheme of seal ranching is be- 

 ing developed that will practically do away 

 with the moderate natural mortality, and 

 facilitate such handling of the animals as 

 is necessary. Of course, no care of the 

 seals on the breeding grounds will save 

 them, should pelagic sealing continue. The 

 nucleus remaining is sufficiently strong to 

 restore the herd in a few years. 



C. H. TOWNSEND. 



U. S. Fish Commission. 



THE NATURAL HISTORY 3IUSEUM8 OF 

 BRITISH C0LU3IBIA. 



In proportion to the population and total 

 number of educational institutions, British 

 Columbia has an unusual number of natural 

 history museums. These are exceptionally 

 well administered, considering their isola- 

 tion from other scientific institutions. 



The Provincial Museum at Victoria is by 

 far the most important one in the Prov- 

 ince. It is located in the east wing of the 

 Parliament Building, thus having the facili- 

 ties of the Parliamentary Library. The staff 

 consists of the curator, Mr. John Fannin, a 

 taxidermist and two floor attendants. The 

 Museum was originated some years ago by 

 the government, at the suggestion of Mr. 

 Fannin, whose private collection formed the 

 nucleus of the Museum, after having been 

 the stimulus for its foundation. 



As Mr. Fannin's special interest lies in 

 the fauna of the Province, to the knowledge 

 of which he has made important contribu- 

 tions, the trend of the Museum is in this 

 direction, although the other departments 

 of natural history are by no means neglected. 



Special attention is now being given to 



