166 THE FUR SEALS OF THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 
THE HUNGRY PUP. 
While the pup was merely hungry, it called frequently for its mother. It hung about the water’s 
edge as if awaiting her there. It would even follow a wet cow back for a distance from the water, 
but, on being repulsed, it would return to its position. In one or two instances starving pups were 
seen to attempt to nurse sleeping cows, but never with success. 
While their strength remained the starving pups played about as usual with their healthy 
companions; always, however, with an effort. They went into the water, and that they swam 
farther at times than their strength warranted was evident from the fact that occasionally they 
landed to die on the rocks at considerable distances from the rookeries to which they belonged. 
Thus two pups came ashore in the little cove across the neck from Zoltoi and died there in 1896. 
THE BREAKING DOWN. 
After the first stage of sharp hunger was passed the little animals seemed to weaken physically. 
They lay about on the rocks, sometimes sleeping, but always easily startled. When aroused, some 
would run away, crying in terror; others would turn at bay and bite savagely at the boots of the 
disturber, perhaps only to fall down helpless the next instant. In crossing the sand flat of Tolstoi, 
which was deserted by the living seals in September, a dozen or more of these gaunt little specters 
would start up from among the dead and stumble away, crying piteously. ; 
One day, on the ‘‘death-trap” gully of Zapadni, a little sleeping starveling was aroused with 
difficulty. When it caught sight of the intruder it fell in a fit of terror, then stumbled off in a 
frantic manner, only to fall in convulsions, which ended in unconsciousness. This pup was about to 
die. It was as thin as a shadow. 
THE DEATH OF THE STARVELING. 
When undisturbed, the starving pups in the last stages showed little evidence of pain. They 
looked utterly miserable, but indifferent and stolid. Their healthy companions occasionally attempted 
to play with them, but they either resented the interference or else ignored it. For the must part 
they were left to themselves. Toward the end they slept most of the time. This sleep merged into 
unconsciousness and torpor, from which they could not be awakened. Death finally came after a brief 
period of convulsive shuddering and gasping, in which the animal bitthe ground and voided quantities 
of black, tarry feces 
DIFFICULTY IN DISTINGUISHING EARLY DEAD PUPS. 
It was not possible at the time of the first count of dead pups in August to remove 
the bodies from the rookeries, and it was believed then that when the time came for 
counting the starved pups it would be possible to distinguish between the earlier and 
later dead. As the season advanced, however, it became evident that it would not 
be possible to make the distinction. Those dying in September could easily be 
separated from those which died in July, but no distinction could be drawn between 
those which died between the 1st of August and the 10th and those which died 
between the latter date and the 20th of August. When the count of starved pups 
was made about October 1 it was necessary, therefore, to count every carcass to be 
found at that date. From the total thus counted those dead before the middle of 
August were deducted to determine the number of additions which had resulted from 
starvation. 
Of the details of this count a full record will be found in the daily journal and 
need not be repeated here. A total of 20,331 dead bodies were found on St. Paul 
Island and 897 on St. George. As against this total of 21,228 dead pups found in 
October, 11,045 were found in August, which, being deducted, left 10,183 pups shown 
by the actual count to have died of starvation. 
