FUR-SEAL HERD OF ALASKA. 



115 



and measurement was S9h inches, thus (p. 442, Hearing No. 9, House 

 Committee on Expenses in the Department of Commerce and Labor; 

 Hearing No. 10, pp. 639, 640, May 2, 1912): 



Dr. EvERMANN. Do you know that Mr. Fraser states that the process of dressing 

 skins instead of stretching them rather shrinks them? 



Mr. Elliott. No; he hasn't said so anywhere. Now, Mr. Lembkey said, on page 

 442, that he had measured a yearling seal — three of them. He says here [reading]: 



" Mr. Lembkey. The length of a yearling seal on the animal would be from the tip 

 of the nose to the root of the tail, 39^ inches in one instance and 39^ inches 

 in another 



"Mr. Elliott. Yes. 



"Mr. Lembkey. And 41 in another. I measured only three. 



"Mr. Elliott. Yes." 



Do you dispute those measurements? 



Dr. Evermann. I do not dispute them. 



Here we have the Bureau of Fisheries joining in with Lembkey in 

 declaring that the length of a yearling seal is 39^ inches. Now, Mr. 

 Lembkey, on pa^e 443, Hearing No. 9, tells the committee that the 

 length of the skin of this yearling seal as he (Lembkey) removes it 

 is 362 inches long, thus: 



Mr. Elliott. Then that would leave a yearling skin to be 35 inches long? 



Mr. Lembkey. No; if it was 39^ incheslong it would leave it 36^ inches. That is, 

 all of the animal, from the tip of the nose to the root of the tail, would be 39^ inches 

 long. Three inches off that would leave 36i inches. 



Now, what is the weight of Mr. Lembkey's yearling skin which he 

 has taken and declared to be 36^ inches long ? He tells the depart- 

 ment on September 7, 1904, in a carefully prepared report, as quoted 

 above, that it is "only 3 J pounds." 



Is he telling the truth? Observe the following })art of list of 400 

 tagged 32-36-inch long skin weights which he made himself July 7, 

 1913, on St. Paul Island, and affixing the tags thereto himself, 

 declaring those weights duly registered by himself: 



Record of seals taken and weights recorded of sldns, July 7, 1913, made by W. J. 



Lembkey. 



The above citation of a few of the 400 tagged and weighed skins 

 which are all given in extenso by the agents of the House Committee 

 on Expenditures in the Department of Commerce, August 31, 1913, 

 shows that Mr. Lembke}^ deliberately deceived the department, Sep- 

 tember 7, 1904, when he declared that he ''determined the weight of 

 a yearling sealskin" to be "3J pounds." 



