336 ORAL ARGUMENT OF HON. EDWARD J. PHELPS. 



year by 10,000 deaths from killer- whales and other natural 

 causes, and thus the balance will be maintained. 



By comparing the various figures with one another, the 

 yearly mortality from natural causes of the seals of any 

 particular age can also be seeu. Thus, for instance, when 

 the "herd" leaves the Pribilof Islands, it consists of 10,000 

 male pups, 5,000 male yearlings, 3,200 male 2-year-olds, and 

 so on. But owing to the natural deaths in the ocean, wlieu 

 it comes back, the 10,000 male pups, which will now be 

 entering on their second year of life, that is, becoming 

 Ci^e'p^52*''3rd l-jcarolds, will have been reduced to 5,000. The 5,000 

 liiie from bottom, male ycarliugs which left the island in the previous season 

 will now have been reduced to 3,200; and so, in like man- 

 ner, every class of seal will come back older in age by a 

 year, but reduced in numbers, and on the whole, as has 

 been said, the male "herd" will be reduced by 10,000. 

 But as soon as the "herd" thus reduced arrives at the 

 islands, it is again increased by the birth of 10,000 male 

 pups, and so the equilibrium is maintained. (All this can 

 be seen from an inspection of Table (a.). 

 iTnitod States. Diagram (C) in the United States Case shows the state 

 uSted™™tit^es of thiugs produccd by what the United States Commis- 

 case, p. 355. sioucrs designate as '■'■properly regulated IdUing^'' of males, 

 case.^p^. 355, line or as they also express it " the male portion of the same herd. 

 22- when judiciously worked hy man^\ 



This "herd" would, as the United States Commissioners 



United States explaiu, " &« greatly diminished, and the census of the whole 



Case, p. 356, line ^^^^ correspondingly lessened, hut when once reached the 



neic condition ivould he constant and self-sustaining;^^ and 



they estimate this reduction as being "to nearly one-half 



of what it would be in the undistured condition". On their 



United states Diagram (C) they mark the new size of the "herd" as 



ca8e,p.357,i.nei. 23^5^3 male scals. 



A Table (c) has been prepared from the United States 

 Diagram (C) showing the various numbers of seals in the 

 reduced "herd" of various ages. When added up, the 

 total comes to 23,680 (a figure not very diiferent from that 

 giv«n by the United States Commissioners. For all prac- 

 tical purposes the difference is quite immaterial). 



The yearly killing of males between 2 and 5 years on 

 the islands, which has caused this reduction, is estimated 

 by the United States Commissioners at 2,100,* and has 

 been marked by them on Diagram (C). 



At a first glance, it may appear surprising that so small 

 a killing as 2,100 males per annum can reduce the "herd" 

 so largely as is shown on Diagram (C). But it must be 

 remembered that the killing all takes place among male 

 seals from 2 to 5 years of age. Thus, for instance, the male 

 3-year-olds, which under natural conditions would be 2,400 

 in number, are by land killing reduced to 1,900. That num- 

 ber 1,900 is next year by natural deaths reduced to about 

 1,587, and then by killing on land is further reduced to 

 1,000, and next year the 1,000 by death from natural causes 



• See Note at end. 



