170 



FUR-SEAL HEED OF ALASKA. 



Evermaiin conipoUod to admit 

 that ho has had only a few days' 

 experieiico on the seal islands. 



Mr. Elliott! Dr. Evermann, when did 

 you first go to the seal islands? 



Dr. Evermann. In the spring of 1892. 



Mr. Elliott. When did you land there? 



Dr. Evermann. I do not recall the 

 exact date when I landed on either of the 

 islands. 



Mr. Elliott. Do you know the month? 



Dr. Evermann. It was either July or 

 August. 



Mr. Elliott. Was that your first land- 

 ing? 



Dr. Evermann. Yes. 



Mr. Elliott. Which island did you 

 land on? 



Dr. Evermann. I first landed on St. 

 Paul and later I went to St. George. 



Mr. Elliott. About what time did you 

 land on St. Paul? 



Dr. Evermann. Some time in Jaly or 

 August. 



Mr. Elliott. ITow long did vou star 

 there? 



Dr. Evermann. Only a few days. 



Mr. Elliott. What do you mean by a 

 ' ' few days' ' ? 



Dr. Evermann. The exact number of 

 days I can not recall. 



Mr. Elliott. Was it two days? 



Dr. Evermann. It was about a week 

 or 10 days. (I have since consulted the 

 record; I find I was on the Pribilof Islands 

 continuously from July 19 to July 31.^ 

 (Hearing No. 10, p. 621, Apr. 24, 1912.) 



The "Carlisle rules," of Mav 

 14, 1896, which prohibit the kill- 

 ing of yearling male seals, and 

 which have never been amended 

 or revised until 1904. when a 5^- 

 pound limit was made in lieu of 

 tlie 6-pound limit. 



Treasury Department, 

 Office of the Secretary. 

 Washington, D. C, May 14, 1S96. 



Mr. J. B. Crowley, 



Special Agent in Charge of the Seal 

 Islands, care North American Com- 

 mercial Co., San Francisco, Cal. 



Sir: I inclose here^vith for your infor- 

 mation copy of a letter dated 13th in- 

 stant, addressed to me by the Secretary 

 of the Treasury and approved by him, in 

 relation to the taking of fur seals on the 

 Priblof Islands and determining the 

 quota of such seals to be allowed the 

 North American Commercial Co. during 

 the season of 1896. You are instructed to 

 permit said company to take on the 

 islands during the season of 1896 all kill- 



And whilp there learned noth- 

 ing al)out the size and weight of 

 sealskins — he knows nothing. 



Mr. Elliott. Did you make any rec- 

 ords of lengths and measurements, weights 

 and growth of seals while you were there? 



Dr. Evermann. I did of some seals 

 which I assisted in taking on the Com- 

 mander Islands. 



Mr. Elliott. No, no; I mean these 

 islands. 



Dr. Evermann. I made notes of 

 weights and measurements so far as I 

 recall at this time. I did not weigh or 

 measure any seals on St. Paul or St. 

 George. 



Mr. Elliott. You say your observa- 

 tion on the islands does not cover that 

 point at all? 



Dr. Evermann. My statement regard- 

 ing the measurements and weights of fur 

 seals is the one to which I called attention 

 yesterday. 



Mr. Elliott. I know; I have not dis- 

 puted that, but I want to find what you 

 did on the island. You didn't do any- 

 thing, you say. 



Dr. Evermann. I didn't say that. 



Mr. Elliott. You didn't weigh or 

 measure a seal on the islands, did you? 



Dr. Evermann. My recollection is that 

 I did not. 



Mr. Elliott. If you had, you would 

 have made notes of it, wouldn't you? 



Dr. Evermann. I presume I would. 

 (Hearing No. 10, pp. 621-622, Apr. 24, 

 1912.) 



Dr. Evermann, under oath, 

 swears that no regulations were 

 ever issued by the Government 

 forbidding the killing of yearling 

 seals, except in 1904 and 1905. 

 A falsehood, and studied to de- 

 ceive the committee. 



Dr. Evermann. 



2. The second charge is that at least 

 128,478 yearling male seals were killed by 

 the lessee from 18S0 to 1809, both inclu- 

 sive, contrary to law and the regulations. 



In answer to this charge it should be 

 sufficient to say that the law has never 

 made it illegal to kill yearling male seals: 

 nor has it ever been contrary to the regu- 

 lations to kill yearling male seals, except 

 in the seasons of 1904 and 1905, as is shown 

 by the regulations for the various years to 

 which I have called your attention. 

 Therefore, even if 128,478 yearling male 

 seals have been killed since 1890 (which 

 is not admitted), they could not have 

 been killed illegally, because there was 

 no law against killing yearling male seals, 

 and there has been no regulation against 



