DECREASE OF THE ALASKAN SEAL HERD. 



EVIDENCE OF DECREASE. 



PERIOD OF STAGNATION. 

 Page 165 of The Case. 



After 1882 tliey seemed to stay about the same, as for as the number 

 of breeders was concerned, as long as I was 

 there ^ no ' ^ rmstro,> y> p- !• 



I ascertained by questioning those who had had years of continuous 

 experience with the seals that up to the year 1882 

 there was an annual expansion of the boundaries j. Stanley Brown, p. 18. 

 of the breeding grounds; that this was followed 



by a period of stagnation, which in turn was followed by a marked 

 decadence from about 1885-'8G down to the present time. 



I am unable to state whether the seals increased or not during my 

 residence on St. Paul, but they certainly did not 

 decrease, except perhaps there was a slight de- H.A.GHdden,p.l09. 

 crease in 1884. In all my conversations with the 



natives, which were, of course, a great many, they never spoke of the 

 seals being on the decrease, as they certainly would have done if such 

 had been the case. 



While on St. Paul Island I do not think the number of seals increased, 

 and in the last year (1881) I think there was a 

 slight decrease. J - H - M ™ l t™,P- 71. 



Upon the Commander Islands, as I have already said, the increase 

 in seal life was constant for many years, but in 

 1890 we noticed a decided disturbance in the rook- Gustave Niebaum p. 203. 

 cries and a considerable decrease in their popula- 

 tion. This we subsequently attributed, when the facts were ascertained, 

 to pelagic sealing in the adjacent waters. 



I noticed during this period no perceptible in- B. F. Scribner, p. 89. 

 crease in the breeding rookeries on St. George. 



ON PRIBELOF ISLANDS. 



Page 166 of The Case. 



In 1882 there was no scarcity of killable seals. 

 The men drove up as many every day as they could w. c. AlHs, p. 98. 

 handle, and those selected for killing comprised 

 only the choicest ones. 



269 



