THE EUSSIAN FUR-SEAL ISLANDS 
75 
making successful snap-shot photography an imi)ossibility. We proceeded, Indian 
tile, to the rookery and in short order drove off nearly all the grown seals located 
on the reef itself, over 4,000 animals all told. Most of these were females (about 
3,000) and bachelors (about 1,000). As it was late in the season, only 8 bulls were 
caught. As many pups as possible were allowed to escape into the sea, and they 
availed themselves of the opportunity offered to go off' in large flocks. Nevertheless, 
about 300 pups were driven off to the killing-grounds before they could be released. 
The whole breeding-ground not located on outlying rocks — and it was now low 
water — was gone over and swept absolutely clean. Not a living seal, except a few 
pups too weak from starvation to move, was left on the “Eeef.” 
As usual, the seals were driven in squads of 200 to 300. The length of the drive 
was only 650 yards and in the cold morning entailed no hardship on the seals. On 
the killing-ground they were again collected into two large herds. The segregating 
of the “pods” to be killed was done very quietly and deliberately, without worrying 
the entire herd. Only about 190 grown males (too large and too small) were allowed 
to escape, or 20 per cent of all the males driven. Whatever injury the driving might 
inflict would consequently be trilling so far as the male element was concerned. 
But how about the females? More than three times as many females were driven 
and returned to the sea as there were bachelors to be killed. How did it affect them? 
Did they suffer much physically? Does the driving of the females seem to have any 
influence upon their return to the rookery? 
These and many related questions will find an answer in the notes and remarks 
which I wrote down on the siiot during an earlier drive on the same rookery, viz, on 
July 19, 1895. 
A separate tally of the number and kind of seals driven is submitted elsewhere 
(j). 110), and some of the following notes refer to the “pods” therein enumerated, by 
“pod” meaning each little flock of seals taken out of the big herd to be killed. Each 
pod usually consists of bachelors, females, bulls, and pups. The killing gang atteinjit 
to hit as many of the bachelors on the head with their clubs as possible, while the 
other classes are allowed to escape. Occasionally the club glances off and hits the 
wrong animal or, more rarely, a mistake is made in the identification of the animal 
clubbed. The following remarks are transcribed from the diary without any attenq)t 
at classification : 
Female seals were accideutally tnirt, more or less severely, during tlie killing. I noted the more 
severe cases as follows : 
In pod 4, 1 stunned ; soon recovered and scampered off. 
In j)od 18, 1 so severely stunned that a man carried her off hy the hind legs; recovered in fifteen 
minutes. 
In pod 25 the most severe case occurred ; she was perfectly unconscious for a long while ; liually sat 
up, but could not be induced to move; at 2 p. m. I found her still in the same place in a dazed condition. 
In pod 31 a female was also badly hurt and bleeding, but not so severely as one in pod 35, which 
received a very big scalp wound; both ran away with the others, however. 
In pod 7 a yearling was so badly hurt that it was thought best to kill him. 
In pod 28 a pup was hurt, but I don’t believe it was done by clubbing ; it was luobahly injured 
in the crush. At 2 p. m. I found it still unconscious in the place where it first fell, but as I roused it 
by lifting it U 2 » by the hind flijipers it came to and in a little while ambled off. 
Returning to the killing-grounds at 7 2 >.m., I found there a lonely pup roaming about aimlessly. 
As I saw the other x>«ps escape with and follow the various pods of females, I am inclined to believe 
that this was the same jiiq’ which was hurt and which I was s^ieaking of above. If so, it was very 
