ORAL ARGUMENT OF FREDERICK R. COUDERT, ESQ. 393 



Cross-examination hi/ British Government. (See Brilisli Counter Case, Appendix, vol. II, 



p. 230.) 



Q. The first point on which I desire au exi)lanation is as to the statement in your 

 deposition that you liave often heard, ai^d from dill'erent sources, that the majority 

 of tlie North-west slvins are the sliins of the femak-, seal. As a. matter of fact, Mr. 

 Rdvillon, have yon, in the course of your business, to consider the question of sex at 

 all? — A. No; we never buy or sell by sex. It is never mentioned in any sale cata- 

 logue. We buy in lots, which are made up according to sizes, such as middlings 

 and smalls, large ]>ups, small pups, etc. 



Q. Any of these lots then may contain both male and female skins? — A. Yes. 



Q. The question of sex, therefore, is not an element which you consider in the 

 price, and is one Avhich you never have to consider? — A. That is so. 



The explanation of tbis is that it seems to be more (as far as any 

 difference between Counsel on the other side and ourselves are con- 

 cerned), a play upon the words. They do not consider the question of 

 sex per se — the question is as to the quality of the skins — and there the 

 question of sex with other items comes in arul Mr, Kevillon states this — 

 that the thinness of the hair upon the flanks throujih the distension of 

 the skin afiects the thickness of the fur, and upon the thickness of the 

 fur, to a great extent, depends the value of the skin. It is not likely 

 Mr. Eevillon ever troubled himself to examine the skins, — they come 

 in two, three, five and ten thousands and he being the head of the firm 

 probably never examined a lot iu his life. 



I do not know whether he did or did not — but he knew what the com- 

 mon report was, and he tells us that he has heard, and often heard, and 

 from different sources that the majority of these skins were taken fromi 

 females ; and then he goes on to tell you why that is important — namely,, 

 that by reason of the distension of the skin of this animal in its con- 

 dition as a mother, or one about to become a mother, the value of the 

 fur is aifected. 



We now have the evidence of. 



George Bantle, of San Francisco, packer and sorter of raw skiua. 

 {Case of the JJ. S., Appendix, vol. II, p. 508.) 



Mr. Bantle is 53 years old and has been acting as packer anr sorter of raw skins 

 for the last twentv years. In the last ten or twelve years he has handled annually 

 from 10,000 to 15,000 raw seal-skins. 



I have examined anil sorted a great many thousand seal skins from sealing 

 schooners, and have observed that they are nearly all females, a few being old bulls 

 and yearlings. 



Then the next is. 

 John N. Lofstad, of San Francisco, Furrier, of 28 years experience. 



{Case of the U. S. Appendix, vol. II, p. 516.) 



I have bought and examined the catch of a great many sealing schooners during 

 the last ten years, and have observed that 85 to 90 per cent of the skins taken were 

 from female seals. 



The next is. 



B. H. Steenfels, of San Francisco, Furrier. 



{Case of the U. S. Appendix, vol. II, p. 522.) 



He has been engaged in handling and purchasing furs for 26 years and is thor- 

 oughly familiar with the fur-seal skins in their raw and dressed condition. 



In buying the catch of schooners engaged in the sealing business, I have observed 

 that fully 75 per cent of them were females and had either given birth to their young 

 or were heavy in pup when killed, which was easily observed by the width of the 

 skin of the belly and the small head and development of the teat. 



