32 
and are collected together in communities or families, each 
family being governed by one of the old seals who possesses suf¬ 
ficient power to maintain his ground and guard them ; the young 
males and superannuated old ones are forced to take their places 
outside of the arena occupied by the families, and if they: at¬ 
tempt to interfere with the domestic arrangements described, 
they are summarily driven off by the heads of families. In 
these troubles many terrible affrays occur. This arrangement 
of the animals on and around the rookeries makes it very simple 
and easy for the native hunters to place themselves between the 
families and the young males, from whom only the skins are 
taken. Parties of forty or fifty, armed with clubs, go out to kill 
the seals ; they get between the families and young males, and 
drive them inland some two or three miles, letting all not wanted 
for slaughter drop out by the way; these return to the rook¬ 
eries. After getting only as many as they can skin and salt in 
one day, to the proper places, they are killed by striking them 
on the nose with clubs. The next day is devoted to packing for 
shipment. By this means the families are not disturbed and 
remain to breed and rear their young. As far as I can judge 
the business of the old males is to compel the females to take 
care of their young until they have grown sufficient to take care 
of themselves ; they then appear to give up all control over the 
families, who are permitted to leave their young and go in the 
water, the old males still guarding and overlooking the young. 
In September all are permitted to enjoy the water, where they 
swim and sport during the day, coming on shore in the evening 
to rest during the night. At this period all move further inland 
and mingle together indiscriminately. If the autumn continues 
mild they remain on the island till the latter part of October, 
when they disappear very suddenly within a day or two, and 
have been seen going through the passes between the Aleutian 
islands, traveling in a southerly direction. Nothing more is 
seen of them until next spring, neither is it known where they 
pass the winter. The number of seals on the island, after the 
young are born, is estimated all the way from Jive to Jifteen mil¬ 
lions; but they are countless , lying in the rookeries , covering hun¬ 
dreds of acres , like sheep in a pen. The habits of these animals 
are such that, if permitted to be hunted by everybody at ran¬ 
dom, they would very soon be driven from the islands. This 
has been proved by the Russians, who totally destroyed some 
