Northeast Point Rookery, July 22.

Several hours in the middle of the day were spent examining this rookery.

The space now occupied at the southern part is but a small portion of what has been covered in recent years. Near Sea Lion Point I saw four dead sea-lion pups and 9 fur-seal pups, but did not discover the cause of their death. The shore from Sea Lion Point northward to where it bends to the west, a distance of about 4,000 feet, is much less thickly covered than formerly, and back of the occupied strip is a considerable strip showing unmistakable evidence of having been occupied in recent years, but now wholly without seals. Just west of the northeast point is a considerable stretch where there are no seals even along the water's edge, but Mr. Elliott's sketch shows seals to be very numerous at this place. Just west of this is a bunch of about 10 good-sized bulls that had no cows about them at all. These were not old superannuated bulls, but young vigorous ones, and undoubtedly well able to maintain harems were there a greater number of cows. This and numerous other similar sights convince me that there are even now a good many more bulls than are necessary to serve the cows.

Still to the left of this, on the sandy shore, is a very large bunch of bachelor seals, beyond which is a large well-filled breeding ground. The shore here makes out in a blunt point beyond which is a large breeding ground about mile long and soon widening out to about 200 feet in extreme width; this is very thickly covered with breeding seals. Back of this is another strip which I estimate to be fully mile long and 1,000 feet wide, upon which there were only about 150 bachelor seals, though the whole space is bare, the rocks are seal worn, and this area has evidently been in recent use. Back of this and westward is a rocky hill, worn smooth, on which there are no seals now. To the left of this rocky bench is another very large breeding ground which is now about filled. Back from this is a rocky bench of considerable extent, which was in use recently, but which has no seals on it now. Extending along to the left (southwest) are a few scattered families; then comes an immense breeding ground containing more seals than any other on the island. Back from this are a few groups of bachelors, one of which was very large. On beyond these the seals continued in a narrow strip for several rods along the shore.

The Northeast Point rookery shows the same evidence of decrease in seal life that is so marked a feature of all the other rookeries examined.

Mr. Elliott, in his census report, estimated the number of seals on the rookery in 1874 at 1,200,000. While the number is still great, I do not at all think it can even approximate that figure.

Little Polavina Rookery, July 22, p. m.

The shore here resembles that at Northeast Point, some rocky reaches and some sandy beach. At the north end I noted a few scattering families along the shore and a bunch of about 500 bachelors back from the shore some little distance, on an area of compact, reddish sand. South of these is a large space once used as a hauling ground (between which and the water is a large bunch of breeding seals), but upon which there are no seals.

Polavina Rookery, July 22, p. m.

This lies about a mile south from Little Polavina, but between the two are a few scattered families close along the water's edge.

This rookery has a long strip near the shore that presents the most compact appearance of any ground I have seen. The ground rises gently from the water's edge, is not very rocky, and continues over a very gentle bench to a very broad, comparatively level, tract further back that has in former years been used as breeding or hauling ground, or both.

I saw more dead pups here than I have seen on all other rookeries combined. The "lay of the land" here is such as to make it very easy for the pups to wander about a great deal-there is no abrupt wall or bluff to hem them in-as a consequence many of them stray off even far into the grassy mesa back of the rookery. Some of these become lost from their mothers and, of course, starve sooner or later.

I made an examination of this rookery as furnishing the best illustration of dead pups seen by me in 1892. I began at a point towards the eastern side of the rookery, beyond which no dead pups were to be seen, and retraced my steps for a distance of about one hundred and fifty feet, or to a point beyond which no dead pups were visible, and by actual count the number was 125. I believe that this represents at least one-half of all the dead pups on this rookery.

All the plain space enclosed by the line ab is worn smooth, but had no seals upon it at the time of my visit.

SAINT GEORGE ISLAND.

This rookery lies just west of the village and extends about of a mile along the shore. The beach is in most places along here quite narrow and rocky, being limited landward by a rather high rocky bluff.

Seals were thick between a and b; between b and c there were only a few scattered seals, while back of c there were no seals, though the ground showed that it had been covered recently, perhaps within the past three or four years.

4. Cross section at left end of Lukannon Rookery, July 19, 1892.

This is a sandy beach here, used only as a hauling ground by the bachelor seals. The space from a to b was pretty well covered, but back of b toward c there were no seals, though the ground was worn.

water

5. Plan of Lukannon Rookery, St. Paul Island.

The first (dotted) strip along the water front was occupied by seals July 19, 1892; the second strip had no seals upon it except a few near the right end (facing the water); all this space was at one time used as shown by the smooth-worn rocks scattered over the entire area, and the absence of vegetation over the lower part and the coating of algae towards the upper portion.

Still back of this is a strip of varying width where the rocks are evidently seal worn and the ground covered more or less completely by grass, differing, however, greatly in appearance from the grass found further back where the rocks are not seal worn at all.

At this time I am confident that not more than two-fifths of the space which has been used on this rookery is now in use. Making full allowance for the tendency of the pups and bachelors to wander more or less and thus occupy different spots at different times, I think it would be far within the limit to say that the area now occupied by the seals on this rookery is not more than three-fifths of what it has been in recent years.

The space now occupied is entirely free of vegetation; the ground is smooth and hard, and the rocks are all worn smooth. The area, which was apparently used last year, or the year before, but which is not used now, shows the smooth rocks and hard ground, but instead of being bare of vegetation is more or less completely covered with a thin coating or matting of algoid growth. The strip still further back, which evidently was at one time used, is now covered more or less with grass, but it is shorter than is the grass where seals have never hauled, and has a dead or burnt appearance.

At this left end of this rookery is a sandy beach where bachelor seals haul, but at the time of my first visit there were only a few seals there.

Lukannon rookery, July 20, a. m.

Visited this rookery again this morning. Compared with its condition yesterday, very little change was noticed. The families were somewhat less distinct and the bachelors at the left end had shifted their position somewhat.

Lukannon rookery, July 21, p. m.

Visited this rookery again this afternoon. The families are very much more broken up than they were two days ago. The majority of cows have gone out to sea to feed and the pups have collected more into pods or along the water's edge, where they spend much time playing in the water and learning to swim.

Lukannon rookery, July 23, a. m.

Spent the entire forenoon watching the seals at this rookery. Compared with the conditions observed on July 21 a good many bachelors had pretty well filled up the space at the north end of the rookery and had extended further north along the shore. All this space is covered with large well-worn rocks lying from 1-12 to 6 feet apart. There is no grass on this, but southward and westward is a large area, averaging perhaps 200 feet wide, which is covered with seal-worn rocks in the same way, but has been unused for so long a time that it is now well grown over with grass. Near the north end of the breeding ground ́ seals appeared much more numerous than on the 21st inst., due, no doubt, to the return of many cows that had been out at sea feeding.

The families are much more broken up to-day than on the 19th inst., a great many pups being seen with no cows near them. I counted five dead pups on this rookery.

Cows are coming and going all the time, the water near shore being well filled with seals, and the immediate water front being thickly cov ered with cows and pups, the latter venturing into shallow water a few feet, then returning to the rocks. Most of the bulls were lying quietly about, many apparently sleeping.

From to of the pups were crawling about, playing or trying the water; others were lying quietly around in pods of various sizes, while some were scattered about and more or less isolated.

A good many cows were lying some distance away from any families or were moving about the water front without being interfered with in any way by the bulls.

At one place I watched for some time 20 or 30 pups playing in the edge of the water. None ventured out more than four feet, while most of them seldom went beyond the very small pools among the rocks. I saw one pup swimming about 4 feet from the shore, when, what I took to be a cow, but what might have been a bachelor, jumped from a rock into the water immediately in front of the pup and drove it back to the rocks, following it up until it had crawled upon a rock. Whether this was merely accidental or was done intentionally by the cow (or bachelor) to prevent the pup from going too far out in the water I can not, of course, say.

A little later, at the same place, I saw what I took to be a cow pick up a pup, swim with it in her mouth out about 6 feet, then let it go. The pup struck out at once for the rocks, swimming fairly well. Then the cow came on the rocks and fondled the pup. It seems certain to me that this was her pup, and that she was teaching it to swim.

Seals were thick between a and b; between b and c there were only a few scattered seals, while back of c there were no seals, though the ground showed that it had been covered recently, perhaps within the past three or four years.

fairly well covered

water a

none

4. Cross section at left end of Lukannon Rookery, July 19, 1892.

This is a sandy beach here, used only as a hauling ground by the bachelor seals. The space from a to b was pretty well covered, but back of b toward c there were no seals, though the ground was worn.

water

5. Plan of Lukannon Rookery, St. Paul Island.

The first (dotted) strip along the water front was occupied by seals July 19, 1892; the second strip had no seals upon it except a few near the right end (facing the water); all this space was at one time used as shown by the smooth-worn rocks scattered over the entire area, and the absence of vegetation over the lower part and the coating of algae towards the upper portion.

Still back of this is a strip of varying width where the rocks are evidently seal worn and the ground covered more or less completely by grass, differing, however, greatly in appearance from the grass found further back where the rocks are not seal worn at all.

At this time I am confident that not more than two-fifths of the space which has been used on this rookery is now in use. Making full allowance for the tendency of the pups and bachelors to wander more or less and thus occupy different spots at different times, I think it would be far within the limit to say that the area now occupied by the seals on this rookery is not more than three-fifths of what it has been in recent years.

The space now occupied is entirely free of vegetation; the ground is smooth and hard, and the rocks are all worn smooth. The area, which was apparently used last year, or the year before, but which is not used now, shows the smooth rocks and hard ground, but instead of being bare of vegetation is more or less completely covered with a thin coating or matting of algoid growth. The strip still further back, which evidently was at one time used, is now covered more or less with grass, but it is shorter than is the grass where seals have never hauled, and has a dead or burnt appearance.

At this left end of this rookery is a sandy beach where bachelor seals haul, but at the time of my first visit there were only a few seals there.