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



Senator Morgan. — I believe it is true that the female seal, Sir 

 Eichard, never nourishes her young in the water. 



Sir liiCHARD Webster. — Certainly, but that is not my point. My 

 criticism is with reference to the statement that it is necessary for the 

 cows to remain on the land until the young are weaned which is when 

 they are four or live mouths old. I addressed the Tribunal last Wednes- 

 day or Thursday on the matter and for reasons which I gave, I con- 

 tended that apparently the i^eriod of actual nursing by the motlier seal 

 before the pup becomes to a certain extent independent cannot be put 

 at the outside at more than five or six weeks. 



Senator Morgan. — My question only related, you know, to the fact 

 that whatever nursing there was and whatever time was occupied was 

 necessarily on land. 



Sir Eichard Webster. — And I never contradicted that. 



Senator Morgan. — 1 was not aware Sir Eichard, that you had or 

 that I said you had. 



Sir Eichard Webster. — I will deal with anything I can, of course, 

 but it does not really bear upon my point. My point of attack is the 

 statement that they are not weaned till they are four or live months 

 old. I say that that is not accurate. Then at the beginning of para- 

 graph 10 copulation takes place only on land, I say that that is not 

 accurate. Then 14: 



Cows when nursing, and the non-breeding seals, regularly travel long distances to 

 feed. They are commonly found 100 or 150 miles from the islands and sometimes at 

 greater distances. 



It is not too much to say that that is, at any rate, a very disputed 

 point. Here, it has been treated as an ascertained fact. 

 Then 17: 



• The nonhreeding male seals ("holluschickie"), together with a few old bulls, 

 remain until January, and in rare instances even until February. 



That, again, as a statement of fact, cannot be supported. 

 Then 18: 



The fixr-seal as a species is present at the Pribilof Islands eight or nine mouths of 

 the year, or from two-thirds to three-fourlhs of the time, and in mild winters some- 

 times during the entire year. 



The breeding bulls arrive earliest and remain continuously on the islands abont 

 four mouths; the breeding cows remain about six months, and the non-breeding 

 male seals about eight or nine months, and sometimes during the entire year. 



I think that Is a grossly exaggerated — I will not say more than 

 that — . 

 Then 20: 



In addition to the commercial killing above described, a number of male pups 

 were formerly killed each year to furnish food for the natives, but the killing of 

 pups is now prohibited by the Government. 



When I remember that this report was written in 1892, and that the 

 killing of pups continued under protest, up till the year 1890, I think 

 the fact had perhaps better have been more distinctly stated. 



Then at the top of page 417 — (I am only calling attention to the 

 most pointed ones) — You will see this: 



Inasmuch as the number of seals annually secured by pelagic sealing represents 

 but a fraction of the total number killed, a glance at the above figures is enough to 

 show that the destruction of seal life thus pi'oduced is alone sufficient to explain 

 the present depleted condition of the rookeries. 



Mr. President, I cannot but wonder whether, when this was written 

 Mr. Merriam had or had not been allowed the privilege of seeing Mr. 

 Elliott's Eeport? Those words obviously mean but a very small frac- 



