ORAL ARGUMENT OF SIR RICHARD WEBSTER, Q. C. M. P. 127 



Mr. Justice Harlan. — Is there any evidence as to what the females 

 weigh when they arrive'? 



Sir Eichard Webster. — No, only at various periods of their life. 

 There is evidence that at tlie period of three years old they weigh so 

 much, and when four years old they weigh so much. 



Mr. Justice Harlan. — What are those weights? 



Sir Eichard Webster. — Well, unless you wish me to give it now 

 I have it in connection with another i)art of the case, and I could not 

 exactly give if off-hand. 



Mr. Justice Harlan. — That will do. 



Sir Eichard Webster. — My recollection is that a female that bears 

 young weighs about 80 pounds, I think it is, but 1 am afraid I must 

 ask the Tribunal to let me correct that if necessary. 



Senator Morgan. — It must weigh more than that. 



Sir Eichard Webster. — I think not, speaking of the female, but 

 do not let it be assumed that I state it positively, because I am not pre- 

 pared to answer the question at the moment. I have it in connection 

 with another matter. 



At page 46 of Mr, Elliott's first Eeport, it will be seen in one week 

 they are from 6 to 7^ lbs; 6 months, 30 lbs; 1 year, 30 lbs; 2 years, 

 58 lbs; 3 years, 87 lbs (you see my memory was not very far out); 4 

 years, 135 lbs ; 5 years, 200 lbs ; 6 years, 280 lbs ; and from 8 years to 20 

 years, 400 to 500 lbs. 



Senator Morgan. — Those are male seals'? 



Sir Eichard Webster. — Both; that is the table showing the 

 weight, growth and size of the fur-seal from the i>up to the adult, male 

 and female; and he adds this as to the weight of female seals. 



The adult females will correspond with the 3 year-old males in the above Table, 

 the younger cows weighing frequently only 75 lbs, and many of the older ones going 

 as high as 120 lbs; l)ut an average of 80 to 85 lbs is the rule. Those specimens of 

 the females which I weighed were examples taken by me for transmission to the 

 Smithsonian Institution; otherwise I should not have been permitted to make this 

 record of their weight, inasmuch as weighing them means to kill them; and the 

 law and the habit, or rather the prejudice, of the entire community up there is 

 unanimously in opposition to any such proceeding, for they never touch fenuiles 

 here and they never set their foot on or near the breeding grounds on such an errand. 

 It will be noticed also that I have no statement of the weights of those exceedingly 

 fat and heavy males which first appear on the breeding grounds in the Spring. 

 Those which I have referred to in the Table above given were very much heavier at 

 the time of their first appearance in May and June than at the moment when they 

 were in my hands in July, but the cows and the other classes do not sustain pro- 

 tracted fasting, and, therefore, their weights may be considered substantially the 

 same throughout the year. 



Then at the end of paragraph 242 in page 42 of the British Eeport 

 there is a statement which I think was read yesterday but the lastx)art of 

 paragraph 243, was not read which is the commissioners own statement. 



Though not at the time aware of Bryant's statement, above quoted, the absence of 

 excrementitious matter was one of the first points noted and remarked on by us 

 after landing upon the Pribilofi" rookeries, and it is to the absence of such matter 

 alone that the continuous herding together on one spot for several months of so 

 many thousand animals is on sanitary grounds rendered possible. 



I remember that it was read. 



Now I have read suflQcieutly from the Counter case and if you will 

 kindly turn to page 144 of volume 1 of tlie Appendix to the Counter 

 case you will find some very important evidence by Mr. Macoun on that 

 matter. 



No visit was paid to any rookery on either St. George or St. Paul without a careful 

 examination of the rookery and hauling-grounds being made, for the purpose of 

 recording the amount of excrement to be seen on them; the matter being Of iuipor- 



