94 THE ASIATIC FUR-SEAL ISLANDS. 



flock of bachelors was so fall of octopodsi that they vomited up quantities of these 

 moUusks while being driven. 



It is true the statement that the bachelor seals must necessarily feed because 

 they are in a stage of continued growth is a purely theoretical one, and it has 

 been seriously denied that they feed during the season to any much greater extent 

 than the old bulls. In support of this contention is quoted the observation by the 

 British Bering Sea (Jommissioners (Eep. Brit. Comm., p. 42) as to the absence of 

 excrementitious matter upon the rookeries. Though my observations, more particularly 

 on the Commander Islands, do not agree wLth theirs, or Bryant's, I am not going to 

 dispute their accuracy on that account, but I do maintain that their negative result 

 does not prove anything, while my "positive observations to the contrary do prove that 

 the seals take nourishment throughout the season. And now for my facts. 



Anyone examining the carcasses on the killing grounds immediately after the 

 killing can not help observing that a good many of the dead seals at the moment they 

 were slain had voided a greater or less quantity of ocher-yellow excrement of a 

 creamy consistency. This observation I have not only made on the Commander 

 Islands at every killing I have there witnessed (and the unpleasantness of handling 

 the seals thus soiled has very vividly impressed my miud), but also on St. Paul 

 Island during the only drive it was my privilege to follow there, viz, on June 26, 

 1895. Here is the entry relating to the latter observation : 



Mr. True afterwards opened a number of stomacLs without finding any food in them, and I opened 

 one, which had just voided a quantity of fluid exorementj with similar result. Quite a numher of 

 seals voided excrement of like nature. 



On the 2d of August, 1895, Mr. Grebnitski and I landed and established our camp 

 at Babinski Padjom, Glinka rookery, Copper Island, on the former hauling ground 

 of the bachelors. A few half bulls only were located at the eastern end of the bay, 

 all that was now left of this rookery. Here are the words of the diary : 



After supper I went over to the eastern end of the bay, where the polusikatohi above alluded to 

 had been lying (for upon our settling down in their neighborhood all of them sought safety in the sea). 

 The entire narrow and steep beach which liues the precipitous cliffs (300 feet and more), forming the 

 coast here consists of rounded stones of various sizes, from that of a marble to that of a man's head, 

 but averaging perhaps that of a fist, and of a light-gray color. On this pearl-gray ground the station 

 of each half-bull was clearly marked with a brown stain, and all around patches of semifluid 

 excrements were found in various stages of drying up and disintegration. The freshest excrements 

 were of a blackish-brown color and of a very penetrating and disagreeable odor, while the dried ones 

 were of a pale drab color. In spite of the humidity of the climate things on the beaches dry up 

 remarkably fast and thoroughly, but I suppose it is partly due to the perfect drainage of the sandy 

 or pebbly beaches. ' * » The fact is that the excrements contain comparatively few solids and 

 are easily dissipated. 



This observation is particularly conclusive because it showed at the well-defined 

 station of each half bull (hauling up much after the fashion of the old bulls) a 

 quantity of fecal matter in the various stages of disintegration, from that of the 

 semifluid, nearly fresh excrement to the dry and odorless "chip." Taken as late as 

 August 2, yet a considerable time before the close of the season, it has a very important 

 bearing upon the question. 



The third and last entry in my diary in regard to this matter is dated August 22, 

 and relates to what took place during the big drive on that date on the North Eeef 



^ More probably squids; decapods. 



