EECENT CHANGES IN HABITS AND NUMBERS, ETC. 391 



June, O. S., or the 12th of our style, and continued through 

 the entire season, or until the number ordered was obtained. 

 During June and July, the breeding season, the greater part 

 of the four-, five-, and six-year-old Seals being in the water, the 

 killing naturally fell heaviest on the two- and three-year-olds. 

 After the arrival of the yearlings, they being a more numerous 

 class, the killing fell largely on them for the remainder of the 

 season. This system prevailed not only during 1868 and 1869, 

 when the natives were allowed to kill for food and to sell for 

 supplies, but the same practice was followed during the season 

 of 1870. Although the lease bears this date, it was not put in 

 practical operation until 1871, when all this became changed. 



" Until this year (1871) the Fur Seal skins that had been sold 

 in the market of London had varied greatly in price, ranging 

 from one dollar to sixteen dollars per skin, but only a very 

 small percentage brought the latter price, the average price 

 being about four and a half dollars each. 



" Having now stated the condition and numerical proportions 

 of the different classes of Seals on the islands at the time the 

 United States Government leased the right to take one hun- 

 dred thousand skins per annum to the Alaska Commercial 

 Company, a brief statement of the effects of this provision will 

 throw further light on the habits of the Seals. Owing to the 

 erroneous information prevailing at the time the lease was 

 made, respecting the proportionate number of Seals at that time 

 visiting the islands of Saint Paul and Saint George, 75,000 of 

 the annual quota were assigned to Saint Paul's and 25,000 to 

 Saint George's. 



" The parties having the lease paying a tax of a certain sum 

 per skin, and as it cost as much to get a poor skin to market as 

 a good one, pains were taken to determine at what age the skin 

 was of most value. It proved that Seals of the ages of three, 

 four, and live years were the most desirable, and the lessees hav- 

 ing the right to select their skins, took only Seals of those ages. 



" This matter, however, was not fully understood until the sea- 

 son of 1873, when it was found that the skins of highest value 

 were those taken from animals three years old, those older yield- 

 ing skins of less value, while those older than five years were 

 not worth taking. From this date only the three-year-old Seals 

 have been taken. The selection of this class instead of the 

 younger animals was a great change, the effect of which soon 

 became manifest, as I shall presently show. 



