SUMMARY OF THE EVIDENCE. 247 



1 never saw but one fur-seal in the water. It was a young male 

 which was killed in this bay in September, 1884. I do not know of 

 any fur-seal rookery or other places where fur-seals haul out on the 

 land to breed or rest in the Aleutian Islands, nor where the old bull 

 fur-seals spend the winter. I do not know at what time or by what 

 routes the seal herds move to and from the Bering Sea; have heard 

 old hunters say the Commander Islands herd used to pass close to the 

 western shores of these islands on their way north. 



Eliah Prokopief (ibid., p. 215) is a native of Amchitka Island of the 

 Aleutian chain; 52 years of age; had been a hunter all his life, but bad 

 never hunted or killed a fur-seal. His hunting ground was about 

 Attu, Agattu, and the Semichi Islands. His testimony is as follows: 



Fur-seals do not regularly frequent these regions, and I have seen 

 none but a few scattering ones in twenty years. Thirty years ago, 

 when the Russians controlled these islands, I used to see a few medium- 

 sized fur-seals, one or two at a time, in the summer, generally in June, 

 traveling to the northwest, and bound, I think, for the Commander 

 Islands. The farthest east I have ever seen them was about 30 miles 

 east of the Semichi Islands; do not think those going to the Commander 

 Islands ever go farther east than that. Those most seen in former 

 times were generally feeding and sleeping about the kelp patches be- 

 tween Attu and Agattu, and the Semichi Islands, where the mackerel 

 abounds. They decreased in numbers constantly, and now are only 

 seen on very rare occasions. Have seen but half a dozen in the last 

 twenty years; they were large seals — bulls, I judged from their size — ■ 

 traveling to the northwest, about 30 miles east of the Semichi Islands. 

 This was in May, 1888. 



Have never seen any pups, black or gray, or nursing female seals in 

 this region, and do not think they ever visit it. Do not know of any 

 rookeries in the Aleutian Islands, nor any places where fur seals haul 

 out regularly on the land or kelp to breed or rest except the Russian 

 and American seal islands of Bering Sea. Do not know where the 

 old bull fur-seals spend the winter, nor what route the fur-seal herds 

 take to and from the Commander and Pribilof islands, nor at what 

 times the herds pass to and from. Am quite sure the herds do not 

 come near enough together to mingle in these regions. Have never 

 known of fur-seals being seen between Amchitka and a point 30 miles 

 east of the Semichi Islands. Do not think there are now as many 

 fur-seals as there were thirty years ago, but do not know the cause of 

 the decrease. Sealing schooners do not regularly visit these islands. 

 Last August (1891) three of them came in here to get water, but only 

 stayed a few hours each ; they had been to the Commander Islands 

 and were going south. 



Gustave Niebaum (ibid., p. 202) : The testimony of Mr. Niebaum has 

 been cited above and his qualifications given. Upon the subject of the 

 alleged or possible commingling of the different herds, he says (ibid., 

 p. 204) : 



I am satisfied that the seal herds respectively upon the Pribilof 

 group, the Commander Islands and Robben Bank, have each their 



