220 THE FUR SEALS OF THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



At sea the sea bears feed on fish and shellfish ; they have a cry like the bleating 

 of a sheep. They pass northward into the Kamcliatkan Sea through the straits 

 between the different groups of the Aleutian Islands, especially through Unimak 

 Pass; they are not found to the north of St. Paul. The sikatchi are the first to 

 arrive. They always approach St. Paul Island about the 20th of April' — i. e., between 

 the 18th and 23d, even if the island is still beset with ice. The sikatch takes his 

 station on shore, at exactly the same spot he occupied the preceding year, not seldom 

 lying down on snow and ice. Sandy shores are never chosen for breeding grounds 

 [literally laying grounds], but always flat beaches covered with large stones and 

 mostly on the southern side of the island. At the time of their arrival the sikatchi 

 are usually extremely fat, but later, about the middle of July, they become lean. Oa 

 land they sleep almost without interruption, and they are never heard to utter a 

 sound except when they catch sight of a new comer. By the middle of May they 

 begin to look out over the sea, because at that time the females begin to arrive. 

 From now on the sikatch does not leave the shore unless it might be to intercept 

 some female trying to leave him. Before the female has been delivered she is watched 

 by her lord with jealous supervision, nor is she, under any conditions, allowed to 

 leave him; later she is even permitted to go into the water, but he keeps the young 

 as a hostage. 



When the females arrive at the island every sikatch tries to get hold of as many as 

 possible. This frequently causes bloody contests between the males, who besides 

 endeavor to frighten their rivals by* roaring loudly, ijater on they steal the young 

 from their mothers in order to entice them into their own harem. ^ 



From one to one hundred and fifty females have been observed with one sikatch, the 

 number depending entirely on the courage of the male. The sikatch is the unrestricted 

 lord, the guardian and protector of his harem. He takes no food whatever while 

 staying on shore; on very hot days he will drink a little sea water, discharging it 

 however after an hour, in the fotm of a white foam. 



The polusikatchi and holostiaki arrive later than the sikatchi. They do not 

 always occupy the positions held the preceding season, choosing their resting place 

 apart from that of the sikatchi, collected in large companies, and rather distant from 

 the sea. Ifor do they remain all the time in one place, like the sikatchi, often 

 changing their position, and even from time to time returning to the sea. 



The females begin arriving about the 26th day of May (very seldom on the 2Ist), or 

 shortly before giving birth to their young. They do not haul out immediately, or 

 without discriminating, but spend a day or two swimming up and down along the 

 shore before associating with the chosen sikatch, or, as is more frequently the case, 

 being violently seized by the enterprising male. Bach harem is separated from all 

 others by a space which is not allowed to be intruded upon by any outsider. 



The arrival Of the kotiki usually takes place during a southerly, or sometimes 

 during a southwesterly wind, but rarely when it is blowing from any other direction. 

 BoT do they all arrive at the same time, but gradually and singly.; not all being 

 assembled by the middle of June, as there are instances of yearlings having arrived 

 as late as July. When gathered in bands, these young fur seals keep up a constant 

 calling, day and night, particularly, as has been observed, betbre bad weather. 



'All dates are "old style."— Tr. '^A misinterpretation of the "podding" of the pups.— Ed. 



