ORAL ARGUMENT OF SIR RICHARD WEBSTER, Q. C. M. P. 149 



Joseph Brown states that after the 15th July a few cows in milk were got in Beh- 

 rinu Sea, but as the season grew later very few of these were got. " In the sea we 

 cannot tell whether a cow is barren or not". 



James Stiteman found in Behring Sea that about two-thirds of the females taken 

 "wore breeding females showing milk — some times only a trace, nearly dried up — 

 others with a good supply. 



It caiiuot be said that that is not evidence which is ^iven tiiirly. 

 Some statements tell, of course, against my contention, but I call atten- 

 tion to all that have a bearing on this. 



Then. 



Captain George Scott has taken in Behring Sea many females in which the milk 

 had .just about dried up. 



Michael Keefe states that his vessel the " Beatrice" got 900 ski us in Behring Sea in 

 1890, between the 20th July and the 24th August. Two fifths of these were females 

 "not with a supply of milk, but a good many showing milk dried up". In 1891 his 

 vessel got 500 seals in Behring Sea, of which nearly half were cows. Most of the 

 cows showed dried milk in their breasts. 



Of course, you are aware it is no part of my Case to deny that a larce 

 proportion of the seals killed are females. It must be so I am going to 

 deal with that part of the case when I argue in answer to tlie conten- 

 tion, that which I respectfully say is an unwarranted contention, that 

 it is a crime moral and illegal to kill the female seal. I will show the 

 justice of that when I deal with that part of the Case by itself I 

 merely note in passing that these witnesses state in one point of view 

 that which may be said to be against my contention, that a large pro- 

 portion, some of them a half, and some not so many — say two-fifths 

 were females. If it be a moral sin to kill females, why these witnesses 

 prove it, but my learned friends need not think that I am afraid of the 

 contention that they put forward. I protest, having regard to what we 

 know about seal lile, and having regard to what we know must take 

 place, that it is beyond all reason to contend that it is a crime to kill 

 female seals in the way in which my learned friend, Mr. Coudert in 

 very exaggerated language described it. 



John Coburn says that in Behring Sea in the early part of the season some of the 

 females would be in milk, but later on the milk would be dried up. 



George Wells was in Behring Sea in 1890 and 1891; about two-thirds his catch 

 were females, of which a few were in milk, but the most were dried up. After July 

 all the cows are dry of milk. It is only in the first three or four weeks in July that 

 cows in milk in any noticeable quantity are got. 



I should like to see, if I can, when that man sealed. It is at page 

 107. He says 40 or 45 miles from the Pribiloff Islands, in one year, in 

 1890 — I do not think he states what distance he was from the Islands 

 in 1891. There is a case on which the evidence would correspond with 

 what you would expect from natural causes; during the earlier time 

 there might be more females with milk in them, and after that time, for 

 a considerable period, the milk would be drying up for two or three 

 weeks. 



Then. 



William F. Roland states that of the females taken by him in Behring Sea, more 

 than half were in milk of varying (juantities, from a good supply to a few drops in 

 cows about dried up. It is only in the early part of the season in Behring Sea we 

 get cows in milk, and before the end of the season they are about all dried up. 



Arthur M. Roland says that in the first part of the season of 1891 he got a number 

 of cows in milk, but that after the Ist August the cows were nearly all dried uji. 



John Matthews took in Behring Sea, in 1891, a very few cows in milk; some of 

 them nearly dry. 



Andrew McKil says: up to the 1st August [in Behring Sea] the hunters get cows 

 with milk in them, but after that date the milk cows began to disappear, and very 

 soon none are got in milk. By the 20th August the milk in the cows had ail 

 dxied up. 



