THE RUSSIAN FUR-SEAL ISLANDS. 
69 
FOOD OF SEALS AT THE ISLANDS AND EXCREMENTS ON THE ROOKERIES. 
The (question as to wliat animals furnish the bulk of the food of the fur-seals can 
not be solved positively on the rookeries. My investigations last summer coiToborated 
those of twelve and thirteen years ago and tally with those of others, viz, empty 
stomachs with a few stones in them, and occasionally a few beaks of cei)halopods or 
very rarely the backbone of some unlucky lish. Since, however, as 1 have already 
pointed out, the bachelor seals on account of their growth must necessarily take a great 
deal of food during the summer, the above negative result does prove ])retty positively 
that the seals on the Oornmander Islands must, as a ride, obtain their food so far from 
the islands that it is thoroughly digested before they return to the hauling-grounds. 
I emphasize again the “ as a rule,” because there are single observations to the 
contrary. Thus, I was informed on Bering Island that once on the South Rookery a 
dock of bachelors was so full of octopods that they vomited up quantities of these 
mollusks 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 su])port of this contention is quoted the observation by the 
British Bering Sea Commissioners (Rei>. Brit. Comm., p. 42) as to the absence of 
excrementitions matter upon the rookeries. Though my observations, inore particu- 
larly on the Commander Islamls, do not agree with theirs, or Bryant’s, I a.m not going 
to dispute their accuracy on that account, but I do maintain that their negative 
result does not prove anything, while Jiiy positive observations to the contrary do 
pi'ove 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. Tins observation I have not only made on the Commander 
Islands at every killing 1 have there witnessed (and the unpleasantness of handling 
the seals thus soiled has very vividly impressed my mind), but also on St. Paul 
Island during the oidy drive it was my privilege to follow there, viz, on June 20, 
1895. Here is the entry relating to the latter observation: 
Mr. True afterwards opened a number of stomachs without linding any food in them, and I opened 
one, which had just voided a quantity of liuid excrement, with similar result. Quite a number 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 Avas 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 polusikatchi above alluded to 
had been lying (for upon our settling down in their neighborhood all of them sought safety iir the sea). 
The entire narrow and steep beach which lines the precipitous clitts (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 list, and of a light-gray color. (An 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 
