200 



FUR-SEAL HERD OF ALASKA, 



As to the criticism of niy general state- 

 ment about the Uncinaria parasite, I can 

 only reply that our diminished rookeries 

 are not at present overspreading into the 

 parasite-infected sand areas. In fact. 

 Mr. Heath states, as cpioted )iy Mr. 

 McLean, "'these areas have been aban- 

 <loned." They must of course be fenced 

 to protect the younger seals from infec- 

 tion as soon as the breeding grounds 

 begin to expand. As to shooting some of 

 the liig males when they get too numer- 

 ous, it would puzzle the experts, as well 

 as Mr. McLean, to say which were the 

 fittest to survive. They all look alike. 

 Old ocean attends to the matter of selec- 

 tion in the case of tlie fur seal, weaklings 

 do not survive the seven months" migra- 

 tion swim among tlie killer whales of the 

 Pacific. If Mr. McLean will bring his 

 committee to my office where there is a 

 fairly complete set of rookery photo- 

 graphs and charts, he will get a clearer 

 understanding of (he Pril)ilof l^reeding 

 grounds than he has at present. The fact 

 is that the innocent Camp Fire Club is 

 being used by the unsci'upulous lobby 

 which has always l)een kept at work by 

 the pelagic sealers. One excuse suits it 

 as well as another; this time it is the kill- 

 ing of sur])lus males. It is a pity that 

 year after year it should siu'ceed in getting 

 the support- of men of good stand iiig who 

 happen to he ignorant of the real facts 

 involved. 



('. H. TOWSEND, 



Mevibcr Advisory Board Fur Seal Srrrii'f. 



(Healing No. 10, pp. 597, 598, Apr. 20. 

 1912.) 



Townsend, in 1895, declared 

 that the Lind kiUiiij^ was injuri- 

 ous. 



In the investigation made by said com- 

 mission the methods of land killing as well 

 as pelagic sealing should be studied. It 

 paay be remembered that Mr. Henry W. 

 Elliott, formerly United States special 

 agent, in his report of 1890, claimed that 

 the methods of driving and killing the 

 seals on the land were injurious to the 

 herd. In this conclusion he is corrobo- 

 rated by Mr. Townsend. of the Fish Com- 

 mission, whose report is also annexed. 

 (Report of Chas. S. Hamlin, Asst. Secy. 

 Treasurv, Mar. 1, 1895, p. 452: "Seal and 

 Salmon Fisheries." Vol. I, 1898.) 



"Jtnnrs Ihunilton Lewis" for th.e purpose 

 of rrclifi/iru/ the rnrong done by said Liehes, 

 ('. //. Toimsend, and H. H. D. Peirce, 

 against the Government of Russia, a friendly 

 ■power. 



(4) That with a view to carrying this 

 recommendation into effect the Clerk of 

 the House l)e directed to forward to the 

 Secretary of State a certified copy of this 

 report, together with a complete set of 

 the official hearings before this com- 

 mittee 071 this subject. 



John H. Rothermel. 



Jas. T. McDermott. 



James Young. 



D. J. McGlLLICUDDY. 



(H. Rept. No. 1425, Jan. 31, 1918, (i2d 



Cong., ?)d scss.. pp. 4, 5.) 



But he fell down in the shadow 

 of Jordan and found that the 

 lessees do no harm. 



Mr. McGuire. Have you made any 

 investigations recently as to what the 

 Government is doing, and as to whether, 

 in your judgment, the killing is being 

 carried on just as it should be done, result- 

 ing in a reduction of the number of the 

 surplus males? 



Dr. Townsend. I am of the opinion 

 that the matter is being very carefully 

 handled by men who understand it; that 

 they are harvesting such of the crop as 

 should be harvested, and that they are 

 saving a sufficient number of breeding 

 males. Now that the convention with 

 Russia, Japan, and Great Britain looking 

 to the cessation of pelagic sealing has been 

 held, I think that the treaty should be 

 ratified and pelagic sealing put an end to. 

 I do not think that the males should be 

 killed too closely, and I am not of the 

 opinion that they have been killed too 

 closely. (Hearing No. 13, p. 810; June 

 8, 1912; H. Com. Exp. Dept. C. and L.) 



