FUR-SEAL HERD OF ALASKA. 



179 



Evermann takes Hornaday to 

 task for expression of opmion ; for 

 lack of experience unfits him — 



DR. hornaday' S STATEMENTS REGARD- 

 ING THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE FUR 

 SEAL. 



Dr. Evermann: It is with extreme re- 

 luctance that I venture to call attention 

 to what I believe to be fundamental mis- 

 takes in Dr. Hornaday's testimony before 

 this committee and the Senate Committee 

 on Conservation of National Resources. 

 Dr. Hornaday and I are good friends, and 

 have been such for many years. I fully 

 appreciate the splendid work he has done 

 as director of the New York Zoological 

 Park and his interesting contributions to 

 popular natural history literature. I 

 realize, however, that in this fur-seal 

 matter he has relied chiefly upon Mr. 

 Elliott for his data. Dr. Hornaday ad- 

 mitted before this committee that he had 

 never been on the seal islands; that he 

 had never seen a fur-seal herd; that he 

 had never seen a live fur seal except the 

 two now at the Bureau of Fisheries and 

 the one in the New York Aquarium fur- 

 nished it by the United States Bureau of 

 Fisheries; and, moreover, that he does not 

 claim to be an expert on the life history 

 of the fur seal. He even admits that he 

 does "not pose as having expert informa- 

 tion of that kind" and that his "interest 

 in that phase of the subject is largely 

 academic." Those statements are en- 

 tirely frank and fair. One who has never 

 been on the seal islands or who has not 

 seen considerable numbers of fur seals 

 can not possess any knowledge of the sub- 

 ject. Knowledge is acquired only through 

 personal experience; this Dr. Hornaday 

 has not had . The life history of an animal 

 can be studied only by observing the 

 animals themselves; this Dr. Hornaday 

 has had no opportunity to do. The most 

 that he can have is information, and that 

 will be reliable and of value only if ob- 

 tained from trustworthy sources. (Hear- 

 ing No. 10, pp. 601, 602, Apr. 25, 1902.) 



Evermann quotes 22 men in 

 support of a self-confessed bio- 

 logical untruth. 



Dr. Evermann. Here we have a list of 

 more than a dozen naturalists, practically 

 all of whom are men of international repu- 

 tation and all of whom are known as men 

 of education, intelligence, and unim- 

 peachable character. Then there is an 

 equal number of careful business men of 

 unquestioned honesty and ability. 



These 22 men are all men of ability and 

 integrity. Each and every one of them 



But, it soon develops that 

 Evermann himself lacks experi- 

 ence in the same premises. 



statement of DR. BARTON W. EVER- 

 MANN, CHIEF, ALASKA FISHERIES SERV- 

 ICE, BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



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 July or 

 August. 



Mr. Elliott. How long did you stay 

 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. 

 25, 1912.) 



Elliott exposes the deceit prac- 

 tised by Evermann in asserting 

 that untruth. 



The Chairman. Just make a note that 

 the statement will be found in hearing 

 No. 3 at page so-and-so. 



Mr. Elliott. Hearing No. 3, page 155. 

 It is in connection with a "comparison of 

 the proposed lease of the seal islands with 

 the present lease," and under section 4 

 these words occur: 



"The lease should be renewed. It is 

 foolish to abolish killing on land while 



