292 cause. 



100,000 of these young male Seals annually. When the abundance of 

 seal Life, as evidenced by the areas formerly occupied by seals, is con- 

 sidered I do not believe that, this could account for or play any appre- 

 ciable part in the diminution of the herd. * * * 



From my knowledge of the vitality of seals I do not believe any 

 injury ever occurred to the reproductive powers of the male seals from 

 redriving that would retard the increase of the herd, and that the driv- 

 ing of 1890 necessary to secure about 22,000 skins could not have caused 

 nor played any important part in the decrease that was apparent on 

 every hand last year. 



The whole time T was there there was an ample supply of full-grown 

 vigorous males sufficient for serving all the females 

 Chas. Bryant, p. 7. on the islands, and every year a surplus of vigor- 

 ous bulls could always be found about the rook- 

 eries awaiting an opportunity to usurp the place of some old or wounded 

 bull, unable longer to maintain his place on the breeding grounds. I 

 should except from this general statement the seasons of 1873 and to 

 1875, when the destruction of young males in 18(38, and the error made 

 by the company under their misapprehension as to the character of 

 skins to be taken for market, perceptibly affected the males on the 

 breeding grounds. It is not certain that the fertilizing of the females 

 was thereby affected, and this gap was tilled up, and from this time on 

 there was at all times not only a sufficiency but a surplus of male life 

 fov breeding purposes. 



PleL ty of bulls all the time on the rookeries, and plenty bulls have 

 no cows. I never seen a three-year-old cow without 

 Karp Buterm, P . 103. a pup in July . onIy two-year-olds have no pups. 



I never noticed any disproportion of the sexes that would lead me to 

 suspect that the " bull " seals were too few, nor more 

 H. N. Clark, p. 159. than an occasional barren " cow." These latter 

 were so few as to excite no remark; but if any 

 such disproportion did, in fact, exist in 1888 and 1889 it was the fault 

 of those who killed them at sea, because it never occurred at all until 

 the marine hunters became numerous and aggressive. I mention this 

 matter here because, since I left the island, I have heard it asserted 

 that the mismanagement there caused the decrease of seal life. The 

 management there was just such as I would follow if all the seals be- 

 longed to me. 



I never saw any impotent bulls on the rookeries, and do not believe 

 there ever was any, unless it was the result of 

 C. L. Fowler, p. 25. age; nor do I believe that young male seals were 

 ever rendered impotent by driving. There has al- 

 ways been a plenty of bulls on the rookeries for breeding purposes ever 

 since I have been on the islands. 



I never knew of a time when there were not plenty of bulls for all 



t*ie cows, and I never saw a cow seal — except a 



John Fraiis, p. 109. two-year-old — without a pup by her side in the 



proper season. I never heard tell of an impotent 



bull seal, nor do 1 believe there is such a thing, excepting the very old 



