TESTIMONY OF BRITISH FURRIERS. 413 



the Northwest catch, they are principally the skins of female seals, not 

 easily distinguishable from the skins taken from the herds frequenting 

 the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea, except by reason 

 of their being principally speared instead of shot. 



The most essential difference between the Northwest skins and the 

 Alaska and Copper catches is that the Northwest skins, so far as they 

 are skins of adult seals, are almost exclusively the skins of female 

 seals and are nearly always pierced with shot, bullet, or spear holes. 



The skins of the adult female seal may be as readily distinguishable 

 from the skins of the adult male as the skins of the different sexes of 

 other animals; that practically the whole of the adult Northwest catch 

 seals were the skins of female seals, but the skins of the younger ani- 

 mals included within this Northwest catch, of which we have at times 

 a considerable number, are much more difficult to separate into male 

 and female skins, and I am not prepared to say that I could distinguish 

 the male from the female skins of young animals. 



A certain percentage of young animals is found among the consign- 

 ments received by us at the beginning of each season, which we under- 

 stand and are informed are the skins of seals caught in the Pacific 

 Ocean off the west coast of America, but a much smaller percentage of 

 such small skins is found among the consignments later in the season, 

 which we are informed are of seals caught in the Bering Sea. 



DESTRUCTION OF FEMALE SEALS. 

 TESTIMONY OF AMERICAN FURRIERS. 

 Page 202 of The Case. 



Relative to matter of depletion of seal herds of the Pribilof Islands, 

 this most deplorable fact is due in our opinion in 



great part, if not entirely, to the action of seal- m f G - Gather's Sons, p. 

 ers in the indiscriminate killing of these animals 



while in transit to and from these islands for breeding purposes, the 

 tjemales bting killed in much greater proportionate numbers, owing to 

 heir less aggressive nature and their being less able to escape. While 

 on their way to these islands, the cow (female) seal is in a condition of 

 pregnancy, the period of gestation ending shortly after their landing. 

 If intercepted and killed while in this condition the loss is obvious. 



In 1890 I examined 14,000 fur-seal skins that were brought down on 

 a tender from Sand Point, Alaska. That was the 

 entire catch of the Victoria sealing fleet up to that George Lieles,p. 510. 

 time, the middle of June. It was transferred at 



Sand Point so that the schooners which had the catch on board could 

 enter the Bering Sea clear of all skins, in case they might be overtaken 

 and searched by revenue cutters. The proportion of females in this lot 

 was over 90 per cent. It was very easy to distinguish the males from 

 the females on account of the formation of their heads, the belly being 

 swollen out of shape, the teats showing signs of development, and also 

 showing that the seal had been full of young and had evidently been 

 cut open and the young removed. There were also some black pups 

 among the lot, which are the skins of unborn seals and have no com- 

 mercial value. * * * 



I also examined a portion of the catch brought to Victoria in 1891, 

 and the same conditions as to females existed as in the previous year, 

 except that there was a larger proportion of yearling skins among 

 them. 



