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



wheu the first cows come iu. I do not know if you have it in your 

 minds, I read it yesterday, as soon as the cowsbeyin to arrive the fights 

 are worst of all, — in that time the most dire fights take place to get 

 possession of these cows; that is, as the Islands used to be. 



The hauling of the cows on Zapadnie to-day is extraordinary in contrast with its 

 appearance here in 1872 at this time, and only a week from the hour of its utmost 

 limit of expansion. Really, I cannot see much increase since my notes last week, 

 but snch rusty cows, such somnolent stupid bulls! such an abnormal average as 

 60 to 75 cows in the harems! while lots of sleeping bulls all around, though only 

 some 40 or 50 feet away from these harems, where the bulls in charge are so feeble 

 that they have refused the advances of eager cows repeatedly under my eyes within 

 less than 20 minutes after I had set a fixed watch on half a dozen right within my 

 view and near by. 



Sir, I have picked those out. That is the same rookery to which one 

 of the extracts from Mr. Macoun's lieport ai)plies. That is by jio means 

 an isolated specimen of what the gentleman saw, but may I with 

 respect, Mr. President, kindly ask the attention of every member of 

 this Tribunal to this fact: everybody, prior to these years, has described 

 the tiglits between the bulls as occurring when these cows were com- 

 ing — as scenes of perpetual fights — the bulls fighting to get their cows. 

 Would you look at page 385 of tlie United States Counter Case, and 

 let me read Mr. (Stanley Brown's picture, pofectly fair I dare say, and 

 you cannot have a better contrast. Ue says : 



Any statement to the effect that the occasional occnrrence of large harems indi- 

 cates a decrease in the available numlier of virile males and hence deterioration of 

 the rookeries, should be received with great caution, if not entirely ignored. The 

 bulls play only a secondary part in the formation of harems. 



Why, Sir, there is not a single man who has ever been on that island 

 for four or five seasons who can possibly corroborate that statement. 



It is known ])erfectly well; and expert after expert recording the life 

 of these animals has, for a period of a quarter of a century, negatived 

 this suggestion. 



Senator Morgan. — How could the sleepy lord of the seraglio compel 

 the allegiance of these great numbers of cows? 



Sir KiCHARD Webster. — They do not compel it. 



Senator Morgan. — Then what becomes of the question of selection ? 



Sir Richard Webster. — If you will pardon my saying so, Senator, 

 you are not following my proposition. The evidence is that tliey did 

 not compel it in the year 1890-91, — the evidence is that they used to 

 compel it. 



Senator Morgan. — I thought it was quite their practice. 



Sir EiCHARD Webster. — It was their practice. N'ow, they are not 

 in the condition to do it. The fact of animals — bulls and others — 

 becoming incompetent for service is perfectly well known, though they 

 are strong and quarrelsome. All that is perfectly well known. But 

 what Mr. Stanley Brown is describing is the selection of harems by the 

 females — not by the buUs at all. 



Senator Morgan. — I understood that the evidence and argument 

 hitherto proceeded on the ground that these old seals compel the alle- 

 giance of the females. 



Sir Richard Webster. — That is exactly so. The whole evidence 

 is that it was not so in 1890, 1891, 1892. Semitor, I can only submit it 

 to y(mr judgment on the matter, and I only ask your criticism upon 

 what I say. The evidence is universal and overwhelming that prior to 

 the decrease of bulls on these rookeries, the formation of the harems 

 was by the bulls. The fact spoken to by the United States witnesses 

 is that in 1890, 1891 and 1892, the bulls did not exercise any promi- 



