NUMBER OF SEALS KILLED ON KUKILS. 257 



Snow has estimated that in all about 150 skins have been taken there from time to 

 time. 



He, in the Betriever, seems to liave been the first to have made any catch on this 

 island, having taken G seals there in 1893, though it is quite possible that it was 

 previously raided by unknown parties. It was, of course, the custom of raiders to keep 

 as quiet as possible about new discoveries of that kind, in order to preserve the 

 knowledge for themselves as long as possible. It is not improbable that the rookery 

 was known to the Suisan Kaisha people, who, in the Third Chishima Maru, took 2 males, 

 3 females, and 3 pups there early in August, 1895. These must have been nearly all, 

 as Mr, Kitahara, who landed there on August 10, found none. 



ESTIMATE OF NUMBER OF SEALS ON THE KURIL ISLANDS ROOKERIES WHEN 



DISCOVERED.- 



Mr. Snow has estimated the number of seals on the Kuril Islands rookeries at 

 their discovery in 1881 to have been from 12,000 to 15,000 each on Srednoi and 

 Eaikoke; about 2,000 on Mushir, and "a few hundred only" on Makanruru. For the 

 two first mentioned islands this seems to be a rather high estimate, judging from the 

 number of seals which are said to have been taken on them. Allowing in every 

 instance the highest figure claimed, and allowing also all which have been doubtfully 

 alleged to have been taken on the Kurils, the total number of animals killed between 

 1881 and 1896 scarcely reaches 25,000, while the above estimate provides for about 

 29 000 big and small seals in 1881, without allowing for the natural increase which 

 must have gone on, however much decreasing, nor for the number of seals which must 

 of necessity have been at sea when the rookeries were discovered. Noting, moreover, 

 that Mr. Snow did not see the Eaikoke rookery until after the big raids of fully 6,000 

 in 1885, and that more than 3,500 seals were taken on Mushir between 1881 and 1885, 

 we believe ourselves justified in modifying the estimate so as to provide for an original 

 population actually on the rookeries in 1881 somewhat like this: Srednoi, about 

 12,000 seals, large and small; Mushir, about 3,000 seals, large and small; Eaikoke, 

 about 7,000 seals, large and small; or about 22,000 seals on the Kuril Islands, all told. 



NUMBER OP PUR SEALS KILLED ON THE KURIL ISLANDS. 



The exact number of the seals taken on the Kuril Islands may probably never 

 be known. Until quite recently only the vaguest possible statements were available, 

 and these often highly divergent. The authorities of the Fisheries Bureau of the 

 Hokkaidocho, located at Sapporo, have of late endeavored to get at the facts and 

 have for that purpose obtained statements from some Aino hunters who had taken 

 part in the early raids and expeditions to the Kurils. Mr. S. Nozawa, during our visit 

 in Hakodate in 1896, kindly translated from a manuscript report of his relating to the 

 subject, but I am sorry to say that the figures and details given by his informants are 

 totally at variance with the facts and completely worthless. True, it was expressly 

 stated that no attempt had been made to discriminate between the Eobben Island and 

 the Kuril Island catches, but even with that proviso it is plain that the Aino in 

 15183— PT 4 17 



