III. 



OBSERVATIONS OF THE BRITISH COUNSEL 

 UPON THE TABLES HANDED IN BY MR. 

 PHELPS ON JULY 6^", 1893. 



[Note. — In the following observations only those facts or figures asserted or given 

 by the United States have been dealt with. No new controversial matter has been 

 Introduced. The British government does not of course admit the truth of these 

 figures or assumptions, but seeks only to shew that if they are admitted and granted, 

 they establish conclusions the very opposite of those sought to be deduced from 

 them by the United States.] 



I. The object with which Mr. Plielps' Tables are put for- 

 ward is to shew that the animal killing of a number of 

 female breeding seals will have a large effect in perma- 

 nently reducing the ''herd." 



It is not of course denied that the killing of breeding 

 females or males to a very large extent might in time pro- 

 duce a diminution in the "herds", but it is contended that 

 the effects sought to be established by Mr. Phelps' Tables 

 are incorrect and exaggerated. 



The estimate arrived at on page 5 of Mr. Phelps' Tables, 

 is that the annual killing by man of 20,000 breeding females 

 for 10 years, would reduce a "herd "of 1,500,000 female 

 seals (of which 800,000 are breeding females) by 361,810 or 

 24 per cent (see Table " D "). 



But those who prei)ared this estimate, while they have 

 taken into account the loss due to killing by man, have 

 failed to give credit for the natural increase, which accord- 

 ing to table "A" would be going on during the same period 

 among those breeding females not so destroyed. 



It would involve a tedious calculation to fix exactly what 

 this increase would be, but even supi)0sing that the whole 

 number (200,000) killed during the 10 years, were killed in 

 the first year, yet still this would leave over 600,000 breed- 

 ing females to produce the increase; and assuming that 

 this 600,000 increased during the 10 years in the same ratio 

 as that shown on Mr. Phelps' Table "A" (viz from 1,000 to 

 2,189) the 00(),0()0 would become 1,312,200. That is to say, 

 the female "lierd" would by natural increase have been 

 augmented by 712,200 females, an increase which might 

 fairly have been set oft" against the 361,810 killed, but of 

 which the compilers of the table have taken no notice, and 

 for which they have given no credit. 



In fact, the natural increase of the "herd" would more 

 than fill the void created by the killing of the females by 

 man, provided such killing was not pushed too far. 

 Compare Brit- Thus Mr. Phclps' Table "A" shews that the seal does 

 si'ljuers "lieport! not differ from otiicr polygamous animal.s. such as deer, of 

 Paras. 371-376. ■^v^iijch a reasonable proportion of females are annually 

 killed in all carefully managed herds without injury. 

 334 



