FUR-SEAL HEED OF ALASKA. 7 



see last July, we found that this herd consisted of 80,000 breeding 

 cows, with only about 750 to 800 breeding bulls in real service on 

 the rookeries; the reason for that loss of perfect balance was at 

 once looked up. That one bull should have four times the strain 

 devolved upon him as a sire, which the natural law of his life orders 

 him to endure, is the cause of just concern for the future of this 

 species ii it is to continue; for that continuation means more and 

 more strain added annually until the harems will show 200, 250, yes, 

 500 to 1,000 cows to the bull, as they have been shown to the greedy 

 Russian agents in 1896; and, soon thereafter, their herd collapsed. 



What was and is the cause of this practical extmction of the virile 

 male life on the breeding grounds of the Pribilof Islands ? 



It is due wholly to the killing of all the young male seals that the 

 lessees could annually find on the islands, first begun m 1896, in 

 violation of regulations or the Carlisle rules of May 14, 1896, and 

 then continued up to 1904, when the Hitchcock rules of May 1 were 

 published, but which the lessees nullified completely by 1906, and 

 continued to do so to the end of their lease, May 1, 1910. 



A plain statement of the facts which were given to Mr. F. H. 

 Hitchcock, chief clerk of the Department of Commerce and Labor, 

 and upon which he ordered the "Hitchcock rules" of 1904, is of 

 interest at this point, to wit: On January 8, 1904, I gave hun the fol- 

 lowing analysis of the reason why he must step in at once and check 

 that close killing of all the young male seals which his agents then 

 were permitting the lessees to take or face the complete extinction 

 of the breeding male life on the islands by 1907 or 1908: 



On the seal island rookeries of St. Paul and St. George there were 

 (I wrote thus) — 



In 1872-1874 there were some 90,000 breeding bulls and 1,250,000 cows (primipares, 

 multipares, and nubiles), showing a birth rate of 1.125,000 pups. 



In 1890 this herd was reduced to some 14,000 breeding bulls and about 420,000 

 cows (primipares, multipares, and nubiles). showing a birth rate of 380,000 pups. 



In 1896 this herd was still further reduced to some 5,000 bulls and about 144,000 

 cows (primipares, multipares, and nubilesj, showing a birth rate of 130,000 pups. 



In 1903 this herd i.s reduced to some 2,200 bulls and about 75,000 cows (primipares, 

 multipares, and nubiles), showing a birth rate of 68,000 pups. 



These 2.200 breeding bulls of 1903 are the survivors of those young males which 

 were spared in 1890 and by the modus vivendi of 1891-1893, and thus allowed to 

 grow up to the age of 6 years, and then take their places in 1894, 1895, and 1896 on 

 the rookeries as 6 and 7 year old " seecatchie. " 



In 1894 and in 1895 a few hundred 4-year-olds may have escaped the club on the 

 killing grounds and thus came in as 6-year-olds in 1896 and 1897. 



But in 1896 no 3-year-old seal was passed over the killing grounds which was not 

 killed in 1897 as a 4-vear-old. 



And in 1897 and 1898 no 3-year-old seal escaped the killer's club, except to die on 

 the killing grounds as a 4-year-old in 1898 and 1899. 



And in 1899 no 2-year-old seal was permitted to escape on these grounds unless to 

 die as a 3-year-old in 1900. 



And in 1900 no well-grown yearling seal was spared on these slaughter fields ex- 

 cept to perish as a 2-year-old in 1901. 



And in 1901 every yearling that came ashore was taken, and if a few escaped they 

 met the club in 1902 sure, as 2-year-olds. 



And in 1902 every young male seal that landed was taken, so that out of 22,199, 

 16,875 were "long" and average yearlings, or ■'5-pound'' or "eyeplaster" skins. 



In this clear light of the close killing of the young male life as given above, it will 

 he observed that no young or fresh male blood has been permitted to mature and 

 reach the breeding grounds since 1896. 



The average life of a breeding bull is from 15 to 18 years; he does not keep his 

 place longer" for good and obvious reasons. The youngest bulls to-day upon that 



