326 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OP FISHERIES 
of seals hauling out on the Commander Islands in 1917 did not exceed 18,000. 
Nevertheless, the Russians decided to proceed with the killing. Mr. Suvorof 
gives the following result: 
Seals killed on the Commander Islands in 1917 
^' Classes 
'.-:»': " 
Bering 
Island 1 
Copper 
Island 
Total 
3-year-old males 
296 
4 
238 
211 
36 
17 
3 
634 
216 
36 
17 
9 
4-year-old males 
Half bulls 
Bulls 
6 
Total — 
306 
504 
810 
' From the"akts" in the Bering Island archives theseals on that island werechiefly taken in three drives: July 18, 60; July 26, 
152; and Aug. 3, 88 seals. 
The few females were killed accidentally or because they were "sickly," and 
the bulls and half bulls to reduce the dangerous excess of these classes. . 
The latter fact is the most eloquent demonstration of the value of the treaty 
in protecting the Commander Islands seals against pelagic sealing. The amazing 
reduction of bulls before 1911, which even served the Russians as an excuse for the 
desperate expedient of the wholesale killing of breeding females, was not only over- 
come, but it was even found necessary to kill off some of the superfluous adult 
males to protect the cows and pups against the dangers resulting from the crowding 
and fighting of the bulls. 
In order to complete as far as possible the history of the sealing in 1917, the 
following details relating to the drives on North Rookery are given: 
Weight of skins taken in drive on North Rookery, Bering Island, July 18, 1917 
. i Glass 
Weight 
in pounds 
Number 
of skins 
Class -.'MiT M 
Weight 
in pounds 
Number 
of skins 
Bachelors 
6 
1 
8K 
m 
8M 
1 
6 
Do 
1 
Do 
Do - - 
6}i 
m 
6% 
1 
Do 
2 
Do 
4 
Do 
9 
3 
Do - 
6 
Do 
9M 
9H 
9% 
2 
Do - 
7 
7 
Do -.- 
2 
Do 
VA 
VA 
7'A 
8 
9 
Do - 
1 
Do 
3 
Cow.s 
1 
Do 
7 
Do. 
3 
Total 
6(, 
Count of seals on North Rookery, Bering Island, July 18, 1917 
Class of seals . ' ' r ; ' 
Reef 
Hauling 
ground 
Mali 
Sivutchi 
Kamen 
Bdlshoi 
Sivutchi 
Kamen 
In water 
or on 
outlying 
rocks 
Total 
Bulls .-- 
96 
20 
15 
1,031 
1, 157 
65 
13 
42 
379 
29 
2 
3 
191 
2 
3 
138 
64 
402 
1, 222 
1, 159 
68 
87 
Half bulls 
57 
? 
87 
Total - 
2,384 
434 
5 
230 
87 
t 
> 3,140 
1 Of these, 69 bachelors and 1 cow were killed, as shown in preceding table, and 25 3-year-old bachelors were branded on the 
shoulder with the figure 7. 
