90 ARGUMENT OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



Page©- The fuitlici' statement made by the British Commission- 



ers, to the eflect that au abnormal abundance of females 

 obtains at the present time, is characterized as not substan- 

 tiated by facts advanced by the Commissioners. The facts 

 relied upon are, it is true, not recapitulated in this particu- 

 lar part of the Eeport, but in Chapter IV (p. 114: et seq.) 

 ample details on this subject will be found. 



But this is still more clearly shown by a comparison of 

 the possible number of skuis of bearing females contained 

 in the whole North-west catch for twenty years, as included 



British Coiin- jq the British Couuter-Case. This possible proportion is 

 aud/o!s'<', p!iro. ' uiiich lower than that given in the statements of sealers 

 quoted by the British Commissioners, which statements 

 refer to the past few years only. 



Ibid., p. 251 et In addition, in the Counter-Case presented by the British 

 *^^' Government, notice is taken of the great number of barren 



females now found at sea, a fact directly bearing out the 

 evidence of other kinds already obtained on this subject. 



Pages 82, 83. As to the uaturc of the "proof" offered in the Case of 

 the United States respecting the number of female skins 

 contained in the pelagic catch, remarks have already been 



British coun^ made in the British Counter-Case such as to show that this 



tcr-(;ase, p. 198 . , • i • i • i . .^ 



etieq. IS eutuely inconclusive and untrustworthy. 



To corroborate the assertions made in the Case of the 

 United States, Captain Hooper, M. Malonavonski, Mr. 

 Grebnitsky, and Messrs. C. W. Martin and Sons are now 



furtiier ad^iuced. 

 109 The United States revenue cutter " Corwin," Cap- 



tain Hooper, was occupied for twenty-six days in 

 hunting seals during the summer of 189U. The whole 

 number of seals killed, however, appears to have been 

 forty-one, a result so small as to evidence either iuex])eri- 

 enced or incompetent hunters. Of this number, twenty- 

 nine are stated to have been females, a proportion which 

 does not differ very largely from that given by several of 

 the pelagic sealers, but which upon so small a total num- 

 ber means little as compared with the experience embodied 

 in their statements. 

 Cfmn'to'l- c^tlV ^^ ^'^^ further be observed, on turning to the Table pre- 

 Appeiidix, p.'2i7'. pared by Captain Hooper, that nearly half (nineteen) ol the 

 seals taken were obtained within ^.i) miles of the Pribyloff 

 Islands, and that no data are given as to the time occupied 

 in the capture of seals at different distances from the 

 islands, such as to show what the respective proportions 

 of males and females might have been in the case of com- 

 mercial sealing. Neitlier is any statement made to the 

 effect that seals were taken impartially, as met with. 

 Page 83. M. Maloiiavouski is next quotcd as aftirming that over 



90 per cent, of 2,700 skins taken from vessels seized in the 

 vicinity of the Commander Islands were those of females. 

 His evidence on this subject will, however, be found to be 

 of the most indetinite character. 

 Ibid., p. 374. Mr. Grebnitsky is next quoted as affirming that 96 per 

 cent, of the seals taken at sea are females ! This gentleman 

 has had long experience as Superintendent of the Com- 

 mander Islands, and any statement made by him must be 



