276 ORAL ARGUMENT OF CHRISTOPHER ROBINSON, Q. C. 



Senator Morgan, — Within tlie three mile limit? 

 Mr. KoBiNSON. — I do not know; but if they go to the head of the 

 sound I suppose it wouhl be within the three mile limit. 

 At page 146, a man named Charles Hayuks of Barclay Sound says: 



When the herring .are plentiful and come in close there are plenty of seals, hut 

 when the herring are scarce, or do not come in close, we do not get many. 



At page 147, a man named Oquaghu says : 



Seals come into Barclay Souud every year in the month of January, and are more 

 plentiful some years than others, and years the seals are plentiful have noticed that 

 the herring were very plentiful near shore. Seals are as plentiful as ever hnt they 

 do not come in so close to shore now. 



A great many of the Indians say that the guns have frightened them 

 away from the shore. 

 Then another man, at page 149, says: 



They are most plentiful along the coast and in the Sound when the herring come 

 in to spawn, and the more the fish the more the seal. All kinds of lish that are got 

 on the coast are found in their stomachs. 



Senator Morgan. — Does this testimony show that the herring do 

 come in to spawn ou that coast? 



Mr. Robinson. — jSTo ; I do not remember that it does, Mr. Senator. I 

 do not know that it does. That is a fact, of course, that could be readily 

 ascertained. One of these witnesses speaks of the seals following the 

 herring in when they go to spawn. Others speak of their following 

 them in January; but I do not know anj'thing about that. 



Senator Morgan. — On the Atlantic coast, you say it is quite different? 



Mr. EoBiNSON. — I think it is. The Atlantic Coast and the Pacific 

 coast have different seasons. 



At page 153 another Indian speaks to the same effect: 



Years herring are plentiful the seals are very plentiful. 



Another Indian, at page 159, says : 



Seals come into the Barclay Souud every year, and I have seen them right in here 

 where the hoat is anchored and saw them in here last spring. Some years ago they 

 Avere very plentiful; years the herring are very plentiful in the sound and along the 

 coast seals are very plentiful, ami come in close to land. 



The President. — From all these afSdavits it would appear that the 

 quantity of seals does not merely depend upon the quantity of destruc- 

 tion, but also upon the quantity of food? 



Mr. Robinson. — It nuist to some extent. All wild animals will be 

 found very much to depend upon the quantity of the food that they 

 follow. If we are to talk of natural history, there are mysterious things 

 which cannot be accounted for by us. But I can say at least that the 

 herring are unusually plentiful every few years and scarce in other 

 years. One year they will be unusually plentiful. 'No one knows where 

 they come from ; and the next year there may be very few, and you will 

 not find another influx, so to speak, for several years. 



The President. — Would that be an annual migration ? 



Mr. Robinson. — No; they are not migratory tisli at all, according to 

 the knowledge of my friends. I have seen years, for example, when 

 black squirrels have been swarming. They would swarm one year but 

 the next year they would be very scarce. 



The President. — We all know that about cockchafers. 



Mr. Robinson. — It may be the same with regard to cockchafers. I 

 am not familiar with that; but there is no doubt that in some years 

 the herring are more plentiful than in others; and when they are more 

 numerous, the seals collect there in greater numbers than at other 

 times. That is all I can say about it. 



