SUMMARY OF THE EVIDENCE. 273 



G. R. Tingle, in the same report cited, says the seals probably go 20 

 miles out, in some eases, in search of food. 



The British Commissioners, in this exceptional instance, are to be cred- 

 ited not only with having been diligent, but with disclosing the names of 

 the persons from whom information was obtained. It might have been 

 desirable that these statements should be made in the language of the 

 persons themselves. However, we quote it as it is given us. 



Tingle, in section 312, extends the feeding area from 20 miles, which 

 he has named above, to 30 or even 40 miles from the land. Redpath 

 did not know of the feeding grounds, but believed that the females go 

 from 10 to 15 miles from the islands for the purpose of feeding. Daniel 

 Webster (whom they graciously indorse as a truthful witness) concurred 

 with Ryan, and expressed the opinion that when feeding in the autumn 

 the seals went 60 miles to the southward of St. George Island. He be- 

 lieved that there was a favorite feeding ground in that vicinity, and 

 stated the reasons of this belief. Mr. Webster is a reliable and intel- 

 ligent witness, who has frequently been quoted by the American Com- 

 missioners. While he does not state the distance as being more than 

 60 miles, he certainly places it, with other reliable witnesses, sufficiently 

 far out to sea to enable the poachers to destroy this class of seals. It 

 may not be material whether the distance be GO or 100 miles; when the 

 men bent upon slaughtering seals, irrespective of condition and sex, 

 have discovered the feeding grounds of the mothers, all - that they will 

 ask is that the distance be sufficiently great to secure to them immu- 

 nity in their destructive work. 



Mr. Fowler stated to the Commissioners (Sec. 312) that he be- 

 lieved that there was a favorite feeding ground of the seal about 

 30 miles off the northeast point of St. Pauls Island. This was not 

 from personal knowledge, but dependent upon statements that seals 

 had been seen in abundance there. That the seals caught on the feed- 

 ing grounds must be females is the conclusive inference from the state- 

 ments and argument of the British Commissioners themselves. They 

 state that all seals resorting to the islands seem in a great degree to 

 share in a common abstinence, and assert that the stomachs of even 

 the bachelor seals killed upon the islands are found void of food. As 

 all the authorities cited by them contine themselves to the females, it 

 is worse than idle to argue that those which resort to the feeding 

 grounds are either old males or young ones. 

 14749 18 



