FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA, 1909. 29 
reasons. It can be sought in the large number of young seals released 
from the killing fields in 1904 and following years. 
In that year (1904), according to the statistics of rejections, 8,019 
small seals were released uninjured from the drives brought to the 
killing fields, in addition to 2,162 young seals marked and released 
for breeding purposes. This made a grand total of 10,181 young 
seals released in this one year (1904). In 1905, 10,288 rejections of 
the same character were made. 
Take, for example, the 2-year-olds of 1904, of which there were 
approximately 8,000 rejections. These seals would be 3-year-olds 
in 1905, 4-year-olds in 1906, 5-year-olds in 1907, and 6-year-olds in 
1908. The 2-year-olds of 1905 would be 5-year-olds in 1908, one 
year behind those of 1904. 
Theoretically, therefore, in 1907 and 1908 we would have a large 
number of young males which would be either 5 or 6 year olds. At 
this age they would be true water bulls — not old enough to fight their 
way upon the rookeries to serve cows, but old enough to be obsessed 
by the breeding instinct and to loiter about the water fronts of rook- 
eries flirting with cows coming and going to feed. For this reason, 
in 1907 and 1908 we should have had more of this class of young males 
than hitherto. 
A reference to the annual reports of 1907 and 1908 will show that 
this increase occurred. In 1907, 100 water bulls were noted on the 
rookery fronts of St. Paul Island, where, before, the number was so 
small as to fail to suggest the advisability of enumeration. In 1908 
only 68 water bulls were noted, and from this it is to be inferred that 
some of the water bulls of 1907 graduated into the idle bull or 7-year- 
old class of 1908. This is further borne out by the increase of 29 idle 
bulls in 1908. In 1909 these young bulls should have progressed into 
active harem masters and increased the number of harems. This is 
also borne out by the fact that in 1909 on St. Paul Island an increase 
of 9 occurred in the number of harems, the first increase in the number 
of harems that has occurred on St. Paul for years. 
But why should the supply of 5 and 6 year old males be less in 
1908 than in 1909? Because the practice of releasing 10,000 annu- 
ally from the killing fields was continued only through the years 1904 
and 1905. In 1906 only about 7,000 were released, and in 1907 only 
about 4,000. This lessening of the number of rejections in previous 
years must find its echo in the lessening number of young bulls 
apparent several years thereafter. 
PURPOSE OF BREEDING RESERVATION. 
Since 1904 an annual reservation has been made of 1,000 3-year- 
old males, together with 1,000 2-year-old males designed to insure a 
supply of 3-year-olds the season following. The purpose of this 
