FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OP THE COMMANDER ISLANDS 
323 
As shown above, the great calamity of the Commander Islands during the years 
preceding 1911 was supposed to have been the disproportionate falhng off of the bull 
element, which had reached such a low ebb that the Russians thought it necessary 
to slaughter cows by the thousands for the pvu-pose of establishing the desired 
proportion between the sexes. It was with some satisfaction, therefore, that upon 
his return in 1917 Mr. Suvorof found this condition changed. It may be assumed 
that the count of the bulls is approximately correct — at least the number is probably 
not too low. He says that 572 bulls and 172 half bulls were counted, but that a 
number of bulls could not be counted on Lebiazhe and Babitche rookeries and that 
consequently the total was considerably higher. The number of harems given is 
265, and the number of cows per harem about 18.8, but inasmuch as the uncounted 
bulls on the two rookeries were not included in the calculation the average harem 
was even smaller (though it is not explained how the pups could have been counted 
on rookeries where the bulls could not be counted) . Bearing in mind that the average 
harem in 1911 was supposed to be over 96, this reduction to 18 or less in 1917 is 
certainly astonishing, especially if we compare it with what took place on the 
Pribilofs during the same period and under the same conditions, where, with a not 
unduly depleted bull stock in 1911, the average harem in 1917 had not been lowered 
below 26 cows. 
The conclusion is therefore inescapable that if the number of bulls was even 
approximately correct that of the breeding cows was estimated too low. This is 
the more plausible because of the methods used in taking the census, as remarked 
before. Inevitably the number of pups was underestimated both in 1911 and in 
1917. In the latter year for the first time Mr. Suvorof proceeded on the theory 
that the number of black pups on the rookeries is equivalent to the number of breed- 
ing cows. His figure for the two classes of seals for 1917 was 4,982. It would 
not be surprising if this were an undervaluation of 20 per cent. 
While it is admitted that the estimates made by Mr. Suvoi-of in 1911 and 1917 
are comparable with each other because they were made according to the same 
pTinciples and methods, no value whatever can be attached to the figures given 
for each of the intermediate years based upon the enumerations made by the local 
authorities. The figures received in St. Petersburg during the years 1912 to 1916 
(except 1915, for which none were submitted) are given by Suvorof in an article 
published in 1916 (Viestnik Rybopromyshlennosti, vol. 31, Sept., 1916, p. 446), 
as follows: ony.) 
Comparison of figures received in St. Petersburg for Commander Islands seal herd 
1,' • ■ , ■ 
j^j^i f Class of seals 
1912 
1913 
1914 
1916 
Bulls _ _ 
37 
19 
5, 329 
5, 212 
375 
64 
74 
5,240 
5,000 
783 
249 
255 
4,983 
4,647 
671 
533 
252 
3,326 
4, 671 
1, 365 
4,000 
Half bulls. 
Total 
10, 972 
11,161 
1 10, 775 
I 14, 169 
1 These figures are those given by Suvorof; the actual summation gives 10,805 and 14,147, respectively. 
