RECORD OF J. W. BEAMAN 271 



June 23. — A drive from Middle Hall and Tolstoi yielded 2,300 skins; about 25 per 

 cent of the drove were released. More cows are out on l^ah Speel rookery. 



June 24.^A drive was made from Soutliwest Bay and 1,822 skins taken. A walk 

 along the driveway showed that many seals had fallen out on account of the heat and 

 the length of the drive. 



July 2. — At the drive from Lukanin and Zoltoi, 1,885 skins were taken ; about 

 25 per cent were released ' on account of the size, being 5-year-olds and upward. 



July 4. — Cows are still arriving on Nah Speel (Spilki) rookery; about 80 per cent 

 have pups. 



July 9. — We found on passing around the Lagoon the bodies of numerous dead 

 seals with fur on, probably 100.=' 



July 10. — ^The bad weather of the week has driven the seals from the hauling 

 grounds so that only 11,978 skins were taken during the four working days. 



July 12. — The guard on Otter Island reports the hauling out of several hundred 

 seals, which he drove off. 



RECORD KEPT Bf H. G. OTIS. 



July 16. — To-day ends the sealing season; a drive was made from Middle Hill, 

 yielding 2,282 skins, making up the full quota for the island. 



July 27. — At a conference with the native chiefs complaint was made by them 

 that the smoke and offal from the oil-making plant was driving away the seals. The 

 agent promised to report the complaint to the Treasury Department.' 



RECORD KEPT BIT J. 'W. BEAMAN. 



July 29. — In footing up the tally sheets it was found that the quota has been 

 exceeded this year to the extent of 572 skins, and these were withdrawn and charged 

 to quota of 1880. 



July 31. — The Eeef was visited to-day; the hauling grounds are thickly covered. 

 A pup was taken from the Eeef plateau for dissection and investigation by Dr. White. 

 The rookeries seemed quite destitute of cows, which were probably off in the water. 



August 1. — The pup taken from the Eeef was examined for heart pulsation and 

 respiration; heart pulsation 22 to one-fourth minute; respiration 12 to the minute. 



August 4. — The young pup from the Eeef was probably not a week old, but was 

 provided with a full set of teeth in upper jaw, viz, 20. The nerve running to the 

 whiskers was |ound to be very large. 



August 5. — The Eeef was visited. Seals were quite thickly hauled upon the 

 plateau. The inspirations of pups were counted; result in one case, 10 in one minute; 

 in another, 23 in three minutes ; a 4-year-old bull gave 13 in three minutes. There 

 are 16 teeth in the lower jaw of a pup. 



August 8. — On Eeef seals are hauled out about as usual. The young half bulls 

 seem to be holding pods of two or three cows on the upper grounds away from the 

 water edge. 



' This Bkould be contrasted with Captain Bryant's claim that a sufficient reserve was not being 

 left in 1875 and 1876. 



^These were evidently seals that had died on drives from Zapadni or Tolstoi. 



^ What credence was given this absurd complaint is not known. The seals show utter indifference 

 to the smoke of the vessels that ply about the islands. / 



