350 THE FUR SEALS OP THE PEIBILOF ISLANDS. 



remarkable. Mr. Macoun points out the spot where be to-day counts 25 dead pups 

 as the place where the great mass of dead pups, estimated by him at over 4,000, was 

 seen in 1892. 



So far as could be made out with the glass, no other cause of death than that 

 already noted in similar places on other rookeries can be discovered, namely, crushing 

 under foot by inghting bulls. The pups seem small at a distance, but may be partially 

 concealed by the sand. They show a uniformly flattened appearance aind are not 

 curled up. They seem to have died about the same time, or to have been dead about' 

 the same length of time. Their appearance seems to indicate that they died in the 

 height of the season. In many cases the far is worn off in patches. 



Mr. Macoun remarks that the mortality is not so great to-day as it was in 1892, 

 but his observations of that year were made somewhat later and under more favorable 

 conditions. In his opinion, not starvation, but some epidemic, was the cause of death 

 in 1892. He agrees that 200 would probably cover the dead pups to-day on Tolstoi 

 Sands. 



MR. LUCAS'S NOTES. 



On East rookery of St. George, the hauling grounds and breeding grounds are 

 now but a mere fraction of the space formerly occupied. The character of the ground 

 and the vegetation shows that within very recent times — say five or six years — the 

 rookery covered twice the area and the hauling ground ten times the present area. 



There are some idle bulls about, mostly young, and many bachelors. Old bulls 

 are hauled out on the beach at various points. The harems are small, the rookeries 

 sparsely populated. 



Little East and Great East rookeries were once continuous; now they are 

 separated by a considerable space, and East contains 135 harems and Little East 40. 



One fresh placenta seen at the water's edge. 



JULY 30. 



Dr. Jordan and Mr. Clark visited Gorbatch and Reef rookeries in the afternoon. 

 Mr. Macoun visited Lukanin. 



The day was cloudy and foggy; southwesterly winds.' Thermometer 46; barome- 

 ter 30.45. 



ZOLTOI. 



An old bull with a broken flipper, which lay in the "hospital" at the angle of 

 Zoltoi Sands, was killed. He was going about on three legs, holding up the injured 

 flipper like a dog would its paw. 



THE COLORATION OP THE COWS. 



There does not seem to be much truth in the current idea that the light-colored 

 cows are recent arrivals and the brown ones those which have been ont long enough 

 to get sunburned. It seemed plausible enough when we first landed on St. George, 

 but there are more of these silvery ones now on the rookeries than there have been 

 at any time this season. Tlie season is now far enough advanced to make it possible 

 to assert that all the adult breeding cows are on the rookeries or else have gone to 

 sea after having given birth to their pups. It seems almost certain that the lighter 



