THE RUSSIAN FUR-SEAL ISLANDS. 
107 
strict orders not to accept a single skin under 8 pounds. During that year 50 ])er cent 
more skins could easily have been taken, but for business reasons tlie company wislied 
to reduce the catch as much as possible, and it was only after some strong pressure 
was brought u])on Captain Sandman by Mr. trrebnitski that he agreed to take as many 
as he did . 
It is a fact well worth mentioning that even in those days females and pups got 
unavoidably mixed up in the drives. The percentage was not very great, but great 
enough to be a distinct feature of the drives on this island. However, as the drive 
progressed they were pretty successfully weeded out, and comparatively few reached 
the killing-grounds. Killable seals being plentiful, pods of females were allowed to 
escape along the route of the drive, even though they might include a few bachelors. 
X(.)RTH KOOKERT, 1895. (Plate 8.) 
Upon inspecting the North Eookery again last summer I found a. great change in 
many respects. Before reaching the rookery itself the absence of fresh or decaying 
carcasses on the killing-grounds was in marked contrast to the noisome sight and smell 
which used to form the lirst impression of the visitor arriving at the village. Nowa- 
days every carcass is utilized. The choice parts of the meat are salted down in the 
many boxes and barrels dotting the ground in the rear of the killing-grounds, while 
the rest, including the entrails, are put in holes in the ground for winter food for the 
sledge-dogs. 
On the rookery itself the first change which struck me was the fact that the 
entire beach between Babin and Kishotchnaya, was depleted of seals — not a single 
breeding seal between Babin and the creek, nor a bachelor — all the way to Ixishotchuaya. 
Later on I found that the hauling-grounds south of the latter ]dace were also deserted. 
Instead of the imposing series of breeding and liauling-grounds from Sivutchi Kamen 
to Kisikof, I found only two patches of breeding-grounds, now forming almost two 
distinct rookeries — the Beef and Kishotchnaya. 
I was prepared for a diminution of the seals, and it caused me, consequently, 
no surprise. On the other hand, I was considerably surprised at hnding (July 8-10 
and July 15-20) the breed! ng-(jrounds of the Beef outlined very much as 1 had seen 
them in 1883.^ The bulk of the harems were located on the western side of the Beef, 
rounding the point of the “sands” and extending in a long, narrow horn south along 
the eastern edge of the latter. A narrow band obli(p.iely across the “sands” formed 
a connection and separated off an oval bald spot of the white ground toward the 
northern extremity of the “sands.” It is a noteworthy fact that this “bald spot” was 
an equally characteristic feature of the rookery in 1883 as in 1895. But what I did 
miss was another connecting band, viz, between the southeastern extremity of the 
breeding-seals toward the one alluded to above. While thus the distribution on 
the whole was the same as formerly, there was a perceptible shrinkage in the width 
of the areas covered by the seals, and it seems to me also in the density of the seals, 
though of this I can not be so sure. The rookery is looked at so much from the side 
that it is very difficult to judge correctly of the space between the seals. 
1 When I first saw the rookery on July 4 it had not quite filled out yet, and I thought the depletion 
very great indeed; there was then tio .sign of the oblique belt acros.s the sands, and the seals at the 
southeast corner i'ormed a small, isolated herd. 
