ROOKERY CHARACTERISTICS. 



359 



THE CENSUS FOR ST. GEORGE. 



The fact that Colonel Murray's count of the harems on l^orth rookery of St. 

 George, as reported by Mr. Lucas, is 225, as against aii estimate of 168 for July 9, 

 leads us to conclude that for some reason our count of this island was too early to 

 represent the state of these rookeries in the breeding season. A count of Zapadni 

 rookery, also by Colonel Murray, iucreases the harems from 143 to 182, and on Staraya 

 Artel from 59 to 75. A count made so late in July as these are not truly representative, 

 as doubtless many of the harem bulls are already gone and their places taken by 

 others. On the whole, however, we feel that this latter count may be more near the 

 truth than our own, and we are inclined to substitute its results as to harems for our 

 own, applying to the rookeries of St. George, as to those of St. Paul, the average harem 

 of Kitovi rookery. This is 17.3 cows to the harem. It will be remembered that for 

 the counted portion of North rookery, the largest on St. George, the average harem 

 was found to be about 17 cows. The following, therefore, is th§ revised census of St. 

 George Island:' 



Census of St. George Island. 



Dr. Jordan went to Zapadni in a boat this morning to investigate the seals reported 

 dead on the rookeries there. In the afternoon, with Dr. Voss, Judge Crowley, Mr. 

 Adams, Mr. Macoun, Mr. Clark, and a force of natives, he visited Reef and Lukaniu 

 rookeries to determine whether the yearling males and females mix on the hauling 

 grounds. 



The day was bright, with no wind ; the sea was unusually calm, with occasional 

 drifting fog. 



A great snow bank is still visible on the southern side of the hill between Lukanin 

 and Little Zapadni rookeries, and furnishes a landmark by which vessels steer. 



THE KINDS OF ROOKERIES. 



The Lagoon rookery is but an overflow from Tolstoi, as English Bay or Zapadni 

 Eeef is from Zapadni. The break between Tolstoi and Lagoon is larger, because on 

 the south side of Tolstoi Head the vertical cliffs abut closely on the sea. There is 

 not over 5 feet between the cliff and the high-tide mark, and often when the surf is 

 running there is no space at all. On the west side of Tolstoi there is 30 to 60 feet 

 under the cliffs, and this widens out northward to the broad concave slope of Tolstoi 



'After the investigations of 1897 we are still more dissatisfieil with the connt of harems made at 

 the close of July than with the early count. We have attempted in the complete revision of the 

 census of 1896, which will be found in the notes for 1897, to arrive at a mean between the two. 



