28 
FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA, 1909. 
On St. George Island, in 1909, harems were counted on July 14-16 
by the agents, and later these counts Were verified by one of the 
agents and Mr. G. A. Clark. A detailed list of the bulls found on 
St. George Island, as disclosed by the counts mentioned, follows : 
Count of Harems on St. George Island, 1909. 
Rookery. 
Harems. 
Idle 
bulls. 
Quitters. 
Hauling- 
ground 1 
bulls. | 
Little East 
5 
East Reef 
25 
6 
East Cliffs 
42 
5 
Staraya Artel 
42 
10 
7 
Zapadni 
44 
9 
15 
North 
109 
13 
5 
Total 
267 
32 
23 . 
15 
A comparison between the totals of 1908 and 1909 shows the fol- 
lowing changes as having occurred on St. George : 
Comparison of Harems, St. George Island, 1908 and 1909. 
Year. 
Harems. 
Idle. 
Quitters. 
Hauling- 
ground 
bulls. 
1909 
267 
241 
32 
34 
23 
27 
15 
(a) 
1908 
Difference 
+ 26 
- 2 
- 4 
a No data. 
It may be noted from the above table that an increase of 26 harems 
occurred on St. George Island, or 10 per cent. The idle bulls and 
quitters show a slight decrease. 
For the two islands, therefore, the counts made in 1909 show a net 
increase of 35 harems, 48 idle bulls, and 67 quitters, or a total of 150 
full-grown bulls. 
It may be noted that the water bulls on St. Paul Island decreased 
55 between 1908 and 1909. These are the immature 5 and 6 year 
olds hanging about the water fronts of rookeries. They are not 
breeding bulls because they are not stationed in positions where they 
may serve cows, although in the fall they will haul up on the rookeries 
and annoy the cows after the adult breeding bulls have relaxed their 
vigilant harem control. 
The decrease in this class of animals may have been caused by the 
possible fact that, at the particular time these counts were made, 
weather conditions or some other cause may have operated to bring 
fewer of these animals on shore than normally. 
It is more probable, however, that this decrease has its cause 
further back than the present summer and is due to more tangible 
