
on 200 young male animals [Isino was on the Pribilofs for 40 days in the 
summer of 1926, actually a year before tagging operations tock place]. Some 
of these tags were discovered on animals caught in December 1929 in the sea 
off the northern provinces of the Pacific seaboard of our main island. There 
is a no question about seals visiting Japanese islands from America" (1939: 
43-44) 0 
(2) In 1941 an experiment in tagging seals was carried out on St. Paul 
Island as a basis for studies.of migration, growth, mortality, reproduction, 
and pelage. Ten thousand pups were both tagged and iron branded by Ford 
Wilke and A. Henry Banner between September 23 and October 8, For experimental 
purposes, a number of variables were introduced. Tags of two sizes and of two 
metallic alloys were applied to three different parts of the body. Specifica- 
tions of the tags: 
Small size: Sheep ear-tag (Salt Lake Stamp Company, Salt Leake City, Utah); 
dimensions before folding 0.6 x § x 69 mm. (0.025 x 5/16 x 2-3/4 inches; U. S. 
Gauge 24); weight 2.7 g.; monel metal (nickel 67%, copper 30%, manganese 1f, 
iron 1.4%; cold-rolled strip); on obverse numbered consecutively 1 to 5,000 
with numbers 5 mm. high; on reverse stamped "USA"; cost 3.25 cents. 
Medium size (fig. 4): Hog ear~-tag (Salt Lake Stamp Company); dimensions 
before folding 0.5 x 11 x 81 mm. (0.028 x 7/16 x 3-1/4 inches; U. S. Gauge 23); 
weight 4.5 ge; stainless steel (iron 73%, chrome 18%, nickel 8%, carbon 0.094; 
type 302, finish 2=B); on obverse numbered consecutively 5,001 to 10,000 with 
numbers 6.5 mm. high; on reverse stamped "USA"; cost 3.5 cents. 
On each seal a tag was applied to the hind margin of the fore flipper near 
its base--the right flipper in males and the left flipper in females. On 
2,000 seals a duplicate tag, bearing the same number, was fastened to the hind 
flipper either in the interdigital web or over a digit. The duplicate tags 
were evenly divided between monel and stainless steel. The clinching or lock- 
ing tip of the tag, as well as the arm bearing the numbers, was downward in 
the final position. 
Seals were tagged on the major rookery groups as follows: Reef (2,000 
tags in duplicate), Northeast Point, Zapadni, Tolstoi, Polovina, and Kitovi; 
total 10,000 pups and 12,000 tags. The greatest number of pups marked in a 
single day by 24 men was 1,618. In the marking operations 49 seals were 
killed, a mortality of 0.49 percent. Thirty-seven were killed at one time 
in a pile-up. 
(3) In 1945, we started an experiment designed to test the value of a 
large metal tag in lieu of a hot-iron brand. Our thought was that a tag 
flashy enough to be seen at a distance of ten paces or more would effectively 
substitwbe for a brand. (A secondary purpose of the experiment was to provide 
known-age seals for study of reproduction). Altogether, 973 pups were tagged 
on Tolstoi Rookery on August 24 and 25, about one week earlier than the opti- 
mum season for this kind of work. Specifications of the tag (fig. 5): 
