54 



THE FUR SEALS OF THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



for since the seal herd is for a great portion of the year quite beyond the control 

 of man it will always be necessary to allow a liberal margin of bulls for breeding 

 purposes. 



As to the proportion of the sexes at birth, the result of several counts, made at 

 various times and in various localities, vShows that the number of males born appears 

 to be slightly in excess of the number of females. In 1872, during the killing of pups 

 for food, Mr. Elliott found that 855 out of 1,670 young were males, while other parties 

 counting at the same time, though possibly with less care, found 3,945 males out of 

 7,330 pups. 



In 1890, 750 pups were examined for sex, and 388 proved to be males, a number 

 in substantial accord with the results obtained by other observers. These results 

 will show a little more closely if put in tabular form: 





Total 



Females. 



Males. 



Excess of 

 males. 





1,670 



815 



855 



3,945 



388 



40 



550 



26 





7, 330 3, 3!»5 

 750 3R2 







Total 



9, 750 4. 572 



5,188 



616 









The following table shows the age and condition of female seals taken in Bering 

 Sea during the month of August and the early part ol' September: 



I Kxumimil by C. II. Towiisend hctwi'Oii AiiK<ist H aii'l Aut;usl 'Jl, 1895.] 



Yearlings i* 



Two yoiiTH old • 12 



Over 2 y pars— all nursing 78 



Total _1<W 



Pregnant 2-ycar-<)l(ls -^ 



Unimprognatod 2-y(^ar-()l(ls - 7 



J 'regnant nursing females' 75 



Uniinpregnatcd nursing leni.ales 3 



Total 104 



Ar/e and condition of female neals eiamiiied in IHDi',. 



Examined August 10 and 11 : 



Two years old 3 



Over 2 years old - *^3 



Nursing, with milk abundant ^^ 



Little or no milk ° 



Pregnant ^'^ 



Examined September 3: 



Two years (dd 1 



Over 2 years old 25 



Nursing, witli milk abundant 15 



Not nursing, no milk - * 



Probably not nnrsing, little milk 6 



Pregnant - ^6 



'These figures diflfer slightly from those given in Mr. Townsend's report for 1895, pp. 42-45, 

 because reexamination shows that some marked qne.stionable were pregnant. 



