704 ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 



stones," etc., the "prolonged, unusual, unnatural, and violent effort," 

 the effect of which " must leave a lasting mark upon the physical con- 

 dition of every seal thus driven and then suffered to escape from the 

 clubbed pods on the killing ground." It is worthy of note in connection 

 with this that in the Kussian times, up to the date of the transfer of the 

 islands to the United States, all animals were driven to the village kill- 

 ing grounds, this involving a distance of 12 miles for the Northeast 

 Point seals, and 5 and 6 miles, respectively, for the seals from Polovina 

 and Zapadni. Notwithstanding this treatment the seals flourished, and 

 in 1872 Mr. Elliott found them in excellent condition. Under the 

 American regime, against which he brings the chargeof injurious over- 

 driving, we find that salt houses were established at Northeast Point, 

 Stony Point, and Zapadni, reducing the longest drives to a minimum 

 of less than 3 miles. In support of this we may cite Mr. Elliott him- 

 self on page 406 of this very report: " On St. Paul, at Northeast Point, a 

 regular salt house and killing ground has been ordered and maintained 

 by our people ever since 18(i8. * * * Also, * * * a small killing 

 ground has been established at Stony Point, or Tonkie Mees, ever since 

 1879. * * * Another killing ground at Zapadni, St. Paul, close by 

 Antone's House, has been used ever since 1879." He also notes that a 

 salt house was established in 1868 on St. George, at Zapadni, which 

 removed the necessity of driving the seals from this rookery across the 

 difficult and rocky trail of 5 miles to the village killing grounds, which 

 was the regular thing throughout Kussian times. It is against a man- 

 agement which had reduced the difficulties and hardships of driving to 

 a minimum that he brings the charge of " overdriving," a charge which 

 is utterly groundless. 



Page 320: Mr. Elliott here asserts that the injuries sustained by the 

 driven seals are such as to "work physical disability or death there- 

 after to nearly every seal thus released, and certain injury to its virility 

 and courage." The seals released were certainly either those too young 

 to kill or too old. The former made up the quota of subsequent years, 

 and as this quota did not fail we may infer they did not die. That 

 bachelors appeared each year to be driven and ledriven proves clearly 

 enough that the birthrate was maintained and that a sufficient number 

 of the older ones must have escaped to replenish the stock of bulls 

 upon the rookeries. 



The oi)ening sentence of the note to this page shows clearly enough 

 the inconsisteiu'.y of Mr. Elliott's position. The animals, as he says, 

 "have a power of resistance to shocks which would certainly kill any 

 other animal." That an animal which can buffet the storms of winter 

 in tlie North Pacific and J'ering Sea through months of continuous 

 travel should succumb, or receive permanent injury from a few hours of 

 land travel, is absurd in the last degree. The fur seal, though clumsy 

 and unused to it, is perfectly well adapted to land travel. Its discom- 

 fort arises from the effects of overheating, due to its thick coat of 

 blubber and fur. If care is not used in driving, the seals will die of 

 exhaustion. If they survive, it ma}^ be inferred tbat no real injury has 

 been sustained. 



Page 321: The dissatisfaction here ex[)ressed by Mr. Elliott over the 

 failure of pelagic sealing to satisfactorily account for the reduction of 

 the herd must have arisen from one of two causes: (1) A failure to 

 ai^preciate the full effect of the pelagic catch, which had averaged for 

 five years about 30,000 animals actually secured, of which Mr. Elliott 

 himself says 85 per cent were breeding females; or (2) a desire to find 

 some more congenial reason. While this discussion was going on in 



