ORAL ARGUMENT OF SIR RICHARD WEBSTER, Q. C. M. P. 243 



These are tlie same gentlemen who refer to there being 70 or 80 per 

 cent of the female skins in the sea-catch — the same gentlemen whose 

 affidavits are relied upon by my learned friend, properly enough, for 

 that purpose. 



Then Mr. Vyse at page 248 paragraph 3. 



As refjarrls the Alaslia catch, in former years this was entirely composed of male 

 skins, but latterly I have noticed amonj^st them a certain percentage of female skins, 

 which have increased a little in more recent years. It is very diHicnlt to form any- 

 thing like an accurate estimate of what this percentage is. In my opinion, it is 

 about 10 per cent. 



Then Mr. Bevington, page 249, paragraph 3. 



As regards the Alaska catch, I have during the last four or five years noticed 

 amongst them a small quantity — say from 10 to 15 per cent. — of female skins. 



Then Mr. Allhausen on the same page, paragraph 3, says : 



There is another feature in relation to the Alaska skins, viz., that they, for the 

 most part, are entirely composed of male-skins. Of late years, that is to say, from 

 the year 1883 or 1884, I have noticed amongst this consignment a certain percentage 

 of female skins, which percentage has increased in later years. 



Sir, it is corroboration, and corroboration not of an unimportant kind, 

 though, of course, not quantitative, showing what you would expect was 

 happening if males were becoming scarce and if they continued to take 

 more of the twoyear olds and more of the one-year olds, and they were 

 obliged to drive closer to the rookeries and so did include some females 

 who were disturbed from the rookeries. 



Now, passing as rapidly as I can over one or two remaining matters, 

 I Avant to tell you the class of evidence which you have to consider. 

 Will you kindly take map 7 of the United States Case. 



The President. — That is the East Point Eookery Map. 



Sir EiCHARD Webster. — That is the East Point Eookery Map. I 

 desire to call attention to the class of evidence by which the case I have 

 been making is sought to be met. I call attention therefore to n" 7 of 

 the maps annexed to the United States Case, the map of East Point 

 Eookery. I only take this one, without going through them all, because 

 it best illustrates what I mean, and I think the Tribunal will be surprised 

 when I tell them how this has been prepared. The thick red colour is 

 a survey by Mr, Stanley Brown of the breeding ground in the year 1891. 

 The continuous red line, as appears from the colour is supposed to be the 

 condition of the rookery in 1882, and the broken red line is supposed to 

 be the condition of the rookery in 1870; that is to say, this map is sup- 

 posed to show that it had gone from the dotted line up to the thick line 

 between 1870 and 1882, and had shrunk from the thick red line of the 

 hatched colour, as it is called, by the year 1891. 



If any maps or records had been kept in the Islands possibly I say 

 there might have been some value about it but it is somewhat astonish- 

 ing when I tell you that these marks particularly the thick line and the 

 dotted line have been put down by people, two of whom have been 

 absent 14 or 15 years from the islands, from memory not going even 

 upon the islands again — made either in San Francisco or in some other 

 place where they were without a note or memorandum of any sort or 

 kind. I ask you to look at that part by the Sea Lion Point, look at the 

 lines opposite side of the Islands. Look at the way in which minute 

 curves are supposed to be drawn from memory and all I say is that that 

 class of testimony may be of some value to show general increase or 

 general decrease but can be of no value in order to form an estimate as 

 to whether or not the condition of the Islands is due to the killing of 

 females as distinguished from the killing of males. I give my learned 



