236 ORAL ARGUMENT OF HON. EDWARD J, PHELPS. 



Mr. Clark, who was four years on St. George, from 1884 to 1880, says: 



Dead "pup'' seals, wliicli seem to have starved to death, grew very numerous on 

 the rookeries these hitter years; and I noticed when driving the bachelor seals for 

 killing, as we starti'd them up from the beach, that many small "pnps", half starved, 

 apparently motherless, liad Avandered away from the breeding grounds and became 

 mixed with the killable seals. The natives called my attention to these waifs, say- 

 ing that it did not use to be so, and that the mothers were dead, otherwise they 

 woultl be upon the breeding grounds. 



Mr. Hausson, a sealer, was five years on St. Paul island — from 1886 

 to 1891: I do not stop to give the page of these particular ones, — it is 

 all between the pages I have given, and I must save all the time I can. 

 Mr. Hansson says: 



There were a good many dead pups on the rookeries every year I was on the island, 

 and they seemed to grow more numerous from year to year. There may not in fact, 

 liave been more of them because rookeries were all the time growing smaller, and 

 tlie dead pups in the latter years were more numerous in proportion to the live ones. 



Mr. Mclntyre, whose name has beco7iie quite familiar to yon, was on 

 tlie Islands fiom 1870 to 1882, and from 188(5 to 1889. He says: 



The seals were apparently subject to no diseases; the pups were always fat and 

 healthy, and dead oues very rarely seen on or about the rookeries jirior to 1884. 

 Upon my return to the islands, in 1886, I was told by my assistants and the natives 

 that a very largo number of paps had perished the preceding season, a part of them 

 dying upon the islands, and otlieis being washed ashore all seeming to have starved 

 to death; the same thing occurred in 1886, and in each of the following years, to 

 ■and including 1889. Even before I left the islands in August 1886, 1887 and 1888, I 

 saw hundreds of half starved, bleating emaciated pups, wanflering aimlessly about 

 in search of their dams, and jireseuting a most pitiable appearance. 



Mr. Morgan, who, was 13 years on St. George as the Agent of the 

 lessees from 1874 to 1887, says: 



But facts came under my observation that soon led me to what I believe to be the 

 true cause of destruction. 



For instance, during the jieriod of my residence on St. George Island down to the 

 period of 1884, there were always ii number of dead pups, the number of which I 

 cannot give exactly, as it varied from year to year, and was dependent upon acci- 

 dents or the destructiveness of storms. Young seals do not know how to swim from 

 birth, nor do they learn how for six weeks or two months after birth, and therefore 

 are at the mercy of the waves during stormy weather. But from the year 1884 down 

 to the period when I left St. George Island (1887) there was a marked increase in 

 the number of dead pup seals, amounting perhaps to a trebling of the number 

 oliserved in former years, so that I would estimate the number of dead pups in the 

 year 1887 at about hve or seven thousand as a maximum. I also noticed during my 

 last two or three years among the number of dead pups an increase of at least 70 

 per cent, of those which were emaciated and poor, aud in my judgment they died 

 from want of nourishment, their mothers having been killed while away from the 

 island feeding, because it is a fact that pujis drowned or killed by accidents were 

 almost invariably fat. 



Mr. Loud, Government Agent from 1885 to 1889, states the same 

 tiling. He says: 



I am unable to make a statement as to the number of dead pups on the rookeries 

 in that year, 



That is 1885 : 



but in 1886 I saw a largo number of dead pups lying about. These pups were 

 very much emaciated and evidently had been starved to death. . . In 1887 the 

 number of dead ]jups was much larger than iu 1886. In 1888 there was a less number 

 than in 1887 or in 1889, owing, as 1 believe, to a decrease of seals killed in Behring 

 , Sea that year, but in 1889 the increase again showed itself. I believe the number of 

 dead pups increased in about the same ratio as the number of seals taken in Behring 

 Sea by pelagic sealers. 



Mr. Goif, who was Treasury Agent from 1889 to 3890, testifies in this 

 manner : 



