190 



FUR-SEAL HERD OF ALASKA. 



Evermann tells the committee 

 of his qualification by experience 

 and study on the seal islands: 



Dr. Evermann. One of the interesting 

 phases of this question that has attracted 

 my attention is the attitude which some 

 persons have assumed toward the large 

 numbers of able and distinguished natu- 

 ralists who have visited the seal islands 

 and who are without question the m? i 

 most familiar with the fur-seal herd and 

 the many prolilems connected with its 

 management and effective conservation. 



Within the last 25 years nearly a score 

 of the most distinguished naturalists, not 

 only of this country l)ut of Great Britain, 

 Canada, and Japan, have visited our seal 

 islands for the specific purpose of study- 

 ing the habits of the fur seals and the 

 pro]:)lems connected with tlie proper man- 

 agement of the herd. Among these gen- 

 tlemen I may mention the following: 



Dr. Evermann (reading): 



"Dr. Barton Warren Evermann, in 

 charge of the Alaska fisheries service, 

 who, as special fur-seal commissioner in 

 1892, spent six months on our seal islands 

 in the north Pacific and on the Russian 

 seal islands, studying the fur-seal rook- 

 eries, hauling grounds, and migrations." 



The Chairman. You take most of this 

 information you get from records and 

 documents, do you not. Doctor? 



Dr. Evermann. I have been in the 

 islands myself. 



The Chairman. Or from actual per- 

 sonal observations? 



Dr. Evermann. I have been in the 

 seal islands myself once. 



The Chairman. When was that? 



Dr. Evermann. In 1892. 



Mr. Elliott. How long were you there? 



Dr. Evermann. I spent six months on 

 a fur-seal investigation in 1892. 



Mr. Elliott. How long were you on 

 the islands? 



Dr. Evermann. Only a very few days. 



Mr. Elliott. That is what I thought. 

 (Hearing No. 10, pp. 518-519, Apr. 20, 

 1912.) 



Dr. Evermann. He had knowledge of 

 conditions on the islands in that year 

 which I did not possess, because I was 

 not on the islands in that year. (Hearing 

 No. 10, p. 6.34, Apr. 20, 1912.) 



Proof found of the "value" of 

 his experience and study while 

 "six months on our seal islands" 

 ("studying"): 



journal of the office of the united 

 states treasury agent in charge of 

 ST. Paul's island, alaska. 



Friday, July 22, 1892. 



Messrs. Evermann and Miller visited 

 Northeast Point. Prof. Evermann re- 

 ports the finding of four cow seals dead at 

 Northeast Point. 



Monday, July 25, 1892. 



The watchman at Northeast Point, 

 Martin Nedaragoff, reports that the cow 

 seals reported dead by Prof. Evermann 

 were not fur seals at all, but four sea lion 

 pups. 



Agent Brown and Dr. Voss and Messrs. 

 Macoun and Maynard will go to Northeast 

 Point and make a thorough investigation 

 of the matter. 



Messrs. Brown and Chichester, accom- 

 panied by Dr. Voss, went to Northeast 

 Point and made a thorough investigation 

 ol the dead seal cow question, and they 

 found that they were sea lion pups, and 

 that Prof. Evermann was mistaken, and 

 that the native watchman was right in 

 every particular. 



