FIFTY-THIRD DAY, JULY 8^", 1893. 



Mr. Phelps. — I had nearly finished yesterday, Sir, what I desired to 

 say in reoard to sealing in the North Pacific, in su])port of our propo- 

 sition that the principal sealing — tlie largest months, the result of which 

 is far beyond that of any of tlie others, takes plnce in May and June, 

 and occurs in the localities indi(;ated by the logs of the 19 vessels 

 whose logs we happen to have; and I entertain no doubt, because it is 

 open to no doubt, for all the general evidence in the case proves it, 

 tliat all the vessels that are engaged in that season of the year follow 

 just about that course; so that if we had all the logs, they would be 

 very nearly coincident or substantially coincident with these. 



I wish, however, before (piite leaving that point, to eni])hasize the 

 fact that the very large proportion of seals taken in those months and 

 in those localities not merely by these but by all sealers, are females in 

 pregnant condition. 



I will only add one reference, in a very few Avords, to what I gave 

 yesterday on this point by reading one section from the British Com- 

 missioners Eeport. It is section 132 at page 21 and after that distinct 

 admission of the fact we need not support it by any further marshal- 

 ling of testimony. 



With further reference to the effect of proposed time limits or close seasons on the 

 shore and sea-sealiui;' res])ectively, and in order to prove that snch an apparently 

 siiiiiile method of rennlation is not equally applicable to both industries, it may be 

 sliown tbat geuerally tbis effect would be not only inequitable, bat often diametric- 

 ally opposite in the two cases. 



Now this part of the section is what I cite this for: 



In pelagic sealinjj, the weather is usually such as to induce a few vessels to go out 

 ill January, but the catches made in this month are as a rule small. In February, 

 March, and April the conditions are usually better, and larger catches are made, tu 

 May and .June the seiils are found further to the north, and these are good sealing 

 months; while in July, August, and part of September sealing is conducted in 

 Behring Sea, and good catches are often made till such time as the weather becomes 

 so uncertain and rough as to practically close the season. 



There can be no question therefore that, accepting my learned friends 

 suggestion that to do anything towards ])reserving these animals you 

 must put a stop to the slaughter of gravid females, he is entirely mis- 

 taken in his idea that you would effect that by keeping your vessels back 

 till the 1st May on the theory that before they overtook the migration 

 of the held the female seals would have reached the I'ribilof Islands. 

 Because all the evidence demonstrates that they do not pass through 



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