6 CONTENTS. 



A.— The Russian Fur-Seal Islands, 1741 to 1897— Continued. ^^K^- 



IV.— The Eussian sealing industry ■ H* 



Historical ^1^ 



Eighteenth century - - H^ 



Eussian- American Company 115 



Interregnum H' 



Hutchinson, Kohl, Philippeus & Co 118 



Eussian Seal Skin Company - 120 



Statistics 122 



Administration 131 



Condition of the Commander Islands rookeries 134 



Preliminary remarks 134 



Comparison between the condition of the rookeries in 1882-83 and 1895 136 



Bering Island 136 



Copper Island 143 



Comparative condition of the Bering Island and Copper Island rookeries 



in 1895 148 



Condition of the Commander Islands rookeries in 1896 149 



South Rookery, Bering Island 150 



Copper Island — 



Karabelni 151 



Glinka , 155 



North Rookery, Bering Island 158 



Dr. D. S. Jordan's notes on the Glinka rookeries, 1896 160 



Starved pups -. 160 



Autopsies 162 



Driveways 162 



Condition of rookeries in 1897 163 



Bering Island — 



North Rookery 164 



South rookery 167 



Copper Island, Glinka rookeries 168 



Mortality of pups 169 



Statistics relative to catch, 1897 171 



Remarks upon Barrett-Hamilton's report on the Russian seal Islands for 1896 172 



Has overkilling on land contributed to the decline of the breeding herd 176 



Scarcity of bulls on Bering Island 176 



Practical absence of yearlings on North Rookery in 1895 177 



Alleged decrease of bachelors before 1892 178 



Overkilling on Copper Island? 179 



Overkilling on Robbeu Island ? 180 



Fluctuations in the land catch 181 



Fallacy of principles upon which the theory of overkilling is based 181 



Summary 182 



Mortality of pups on Commander Islands 183 



Raiding of Commander Islands rookeries : 186 



Pelagic sealing at Commander Islands 190 



Extracts of sealing logs .-_ 203 



V. — A oompiirative study of the conditions of the sealing industry on the Pribilof 



Islands and on the Commander Islands 217 



Introductory remarks 217 



Comparison between the American and Russian Fur-seal Islands 217 



The seal rookeries and the driveways 218 



Methods of driving 220 



Condition of seal life on the rookeries 221 



