428 



THE FUR SEALS OF THE PRIBILOP ISLANDS, 



the call of otter cows. The mothers seem to rely most on the sense of smell for their 

 recognition. 



An old bull is seen playing in the water among the other seals. 



Zoltoi bluffs are now very thinly populated. 



ST. GEOEGtE DEAD PUPS. 



The complete count of dead pups and cows on St. George is as follows: 



Eookery. 



ITorth 



Staraya Artel 



Zapadni 



Little East.... 

 Great East — 



Total 



Dead 

 pups. 



259 

 135 

 199 

 31 

 112 



736 



Dead 

 cows. 



On Little East rookery 1,319 living pups were counted. The count of cows for 

 this rookery in the height of the season was 355.i 



AUGUST 22. 



LAGOON PUPS. 



A count of the pups on Lagoon rookery was made this morning at low tide. 

 This rookery was carefully counted for cows in July and found to have 1,474. The 

 number of living pups this morning was 2,406. There were 78 dead pups counted, 

 making a total of 2,484 pups, and consequently an equal number of cows actually 

 on the rookery. A number of starving pups were seen among the living ones, many 

 of whom will die within a week. 



In numerous places on the rookeries dripping blood marks are to be seen. This 

 was noticed on Gorbatch, at Zapadni, Polovina Cliffs, and on the Lagoon this 

 morning. It looks as though blood was dripping from freshly wounded seals. None 

 seen in x>ools, but drop by drop over the stones as if left by the animal while moving. 



It is getting late to count pups. They swim so freely and are so active that it is 

 difllcult to keep the count from getting confused. The pups had covered the entire 

 width of the reef of Lagoon this morning and were going into the water on both 

 sides. The entire forenoon was spent in the work and the result is fairly accurate, 

 though not satisfactory.^ 



' It 18 now known that this early count was very inadequate, as the position froni which the 

 rookery was inspected left a large part of it concealed from view. In 1897 the rookery was more 

 closely inspected in July and found to cover space which was not seen 1896. 



' The fact that in 1897 with fewer harems and fewer cows this rookery showed more pups than 

 in 1896 leads us to helieve that in the latter year the count was an underestimate. For 1,474 cows iu 

 1896 there were 2,484 pups; for 1,319 in 1897 there were 2,598. There were 5 less harems in 1896. 



