23 
SEE NOTES FOR DIAGRAMS 
lobe would be subject to considerable abrasion. However, 
when the seal sleeps the flippers are either laid to one 
side or the other, so that in one position the tag will not 
be readable. I can see no solution to this problem short of putting two tags on 
each seal. It is not possible to put them on foreflippers. 
Once the tag has been clinched we then make the seal roll on its back so 
that it may be sexed, and then comes the job of relaxing it. Here again the 
aluminum pole is very useful. Usually, as soon as you slack off on the line 
the seal heads for the water, so it is necessary to work it till it lies still 
for a minute and then slip the end of the pole under the noose and quickly loosen 
it. The seal usually jerks away when it is touched, and it is usually necessary 
to repeat this operation several times till the noose can be slipped off over the 
head. 
If the tags are placed too near the edge of the flipper they may pull 
loose before the pieces come out of the plier, and then it is necessary to 
apply another tag. The female part can be cut so that the numbered half may 
be used over. It is also possible for the seal to jerk away before the tag 
has clinched properly, leaving only the mile shJik embedded in the flipper. 
I do not know how permanent this attachment will be, but there is now one seal 
on Laysan with only half a tag. If the tag is applied where the flipper is 
too thick the female part may split. However, if the seal is still secured 
it is easy to remove the male part and reapply it with a new female part. 
Following are the tagging records for this morning! 
#8 yearling - male - 1010 
