164 ORAL ARGUMENT OF SIR RICHARD WP^BSTER, Q. C. M. P. 



ground on which they were lying was quite deserted by living seals. They extended 

 as far as could be seen along the rookery, but as only the front sloping to the south 

 could be seen, the number beyond the point to the northward could not be estimated. 

 It was at the south end of this rookery that the British Commissioners report hav- 

 ing seen a few hundred dead pups in 1891. Photographs taken the 5th August show 

 this ground with the breeding seals still upon it, but many dead pups may also be 

 seen. The native Neh-an Mandrigan was asked how he accounted for so many dead 

 pups; he replied tliat bethought they had been killed when the old bulls were fight- 

 ing; but a few minutes later said that he was mistaken, that their mothers must 

 have been killed at sea, and the pups have died for waut of food. 



You will notice, Mr. Presideiitj tliat that is exactly the same answer 

 that was given in the year 1891, after consideration. 



He at this time told me that he had never seen so many dead pups on any rookery 

 before. He had seen those on Tolstoi" rookery in 1891, but had not visited that place 

 in 1892. 



Dead pups were first noticed by me on Tolstoi rookery the 19th August, though 

 photographs taken by Mr. Maynard on the 8th August, while I was on St. George 

 Island, show that at that date there were nearly, if not quite, as many of them on 

 this rookery as there were ten days later. 



At the time I first noticed the dead pups I counted over 4,000, but they lay so 

 closely together that it was impossilile to judge what proportion of the whole num- 

 ber was seen. I was told by tiie Treasury Agents on the island and have no reason 

 for disbelieving their statements, that when this rookery was carefully examined 

 late in 1891, as many or more dead pups were found among the rocks or other parts 

 of the rookery as were on the open space, and seen and specially remarked upon by 

 the British Commissiouers in 1891. This beiug so, it is reasonable to assume that 

 such would be the case again this year. The dead pups noticed by me were on the 

 same ground on which those seeu last year were lying, but were scattered over a 

 larger area, and in much greater numbers. 



I accompanied the British Commissiouers when they inspected Tolstoi Rookery in 

 1891, and the date of my visit to that rookery this year coincided with their visit to 

 it last year. Depending upon my memory alone, I had no hesitation in deciding 

 that there was a greater number of dead pups at that place in August this year than 

 at the same da,te in 1891, and a comparison since my return from the islands of the 

 photographs taken during the two seasons proves that this is undoubtedly the case. 



We have here, Mr. President, the photographs of the same place in 

 each of those two years, 1891 and 1892. 



The pups wheu I first saw them appeared to have been dead not more than two 

 weeks, and nearly all seem to have died about the same time. Very few were noted 

 that were in a more advanced state of decomposition than those about them, and the 

 dozen or so that were seen were probably pups that had died at an earlier date, and 

 from some other cause than that to which this unusual mortality among the young 

 seals is to be attributed. 



The photographs taken on the 8th August show that at that time there were sev- 

 eral groups of seals bauled-out on ground on which the dead pups lay, but on the 

 19th August it was almost entirely deserted by the older seals. This rookery was 

 revisited on the 21st August, and at this time an estimate was again made of the 

 number of dead pups. A large baud of holluschickie on their way from the water to 

 the hauling-ground at the back of Tolstoi rookery had stopped to rest on the ground 

 on which the pups were lying and hid a part of them so tliat on this occasion a few 

 less than 3, 800 were counted. On the 23rd August I again visited Tolstoi rookery in 

 company with Assistant Treasury Agent Ainsworth, Mr. Maynard, the photographer, 

 and Antoue Melavedotf, who is the most iutelligeut native on St. Paul Island, and 

 has charge of all the boats and store-house belonging to the Company. This native 

 acted as boat-steerer at the time the British Commissioners visited Tolstoi rookery 

 in 1891, and that I might learn his opinion regarding the relative number of dead 

 pups for the two years 1891-1892, 1 asked him to accompany me on the occassion 

 referred to above. When asked whether there were as many seals in 1892 as in 1891 

 he replied: "More; more than I ever saw before". I, at the same time, asked Mr, 

 Maynard to pay particular attention to what was said, and he has since made an affi- 

 davit to the above effect, which is appended to this Report. 



These dates, Mr. President, are very important, because they extend 

 practically over the same time, rather longer than in 1891, and corre- 

 spond for all practical purposes with it. 



