206 



FUR-SEAL HERD OF ALASKA. 



amendment for a 15-year closed season on 

 male seals. 



This amendment is a vicious one, 

 which will certainly lead to the complete 

 extermination of the seals. I understand 

 it was proposed by Mr. Elliott, who has 

 no standing in this country as a zoologist, 

 and I believe is supported by my friend 

 Dr. Hornaday, who, I regret to say, has 

 come under the influence of Mr. Elliott. 

 Dr. Hornaday's position in the matter is 

 entirely personal, and does not in any 

 way represent the judgment of the New 

 York Zoological Society. All the zoolo- 

 gists of note in this country, all the scien- 

 tific experts whose opinions are worthy 

 of consideration, all the trained experts 

 who have made a special study of the fur- 

 seal problem, all naturalists who under- 

 stand that an excess of males is fatal to 

 both the females and the young, and 

 finally all those who desire through in- 

 telligent study of the question from 

 motives of humanity as well as from mo- 

 tives to protect the economic interests of 

 the United States, are opposed to the 

 15-year closed season. 



The reason is a very simple one, which 

 yoii can yourself readily understand, 

 namely, that there is an unnatural excess 

 of males on the islands, due to the fact 

 that pelagic sealing has destroyed 85 

 females out of the 100 in the herd; thus 

 the balance of nature has been destroyed. 

 When there are not enough females to go 

 around , the bulls will fight for them, and 

 in doing so will kill both tlio females and 

 the pups. Under natural conditions of 

 breeding there would be an equal number 

 of females and males : nature takes care of 

 these things, but the pelagic sealers have 

 produced a set of new and entirely arti- 

 ficial conditions; consequently the pro- 

 posal of the United States Fish Commis- 

 sion experts to keep down the resulting 

 excess of males, and thus to restore 

 gradually the balance which nature has 

 instituted for all time between the sexes 

 is the only one which will preserve this 

 great herd . 



I have gi\en this matter very prolonged 

 sttidy and have read all the documents, 

 and 1 regret to say that your committee 

 has been given a great amount of misin- 

 formation under the guise of sentiment 

 for the protection of these animals. I am 

 one of the most ardent advocates of pro- 

 tection of the wild animal life of this 

 country and in this spirit and in the 

 interests of my country I can not express 

 myself too emphatically. My opinion is 

 identical (with the exception of my 

 friend Dr. Hornaday) with that of all 

 the leading zoologists and mammalogists 

 of rank in the United States, and if you 

 desire I can liaA^e prepared for your com- 

 mittee at short notice a document signed 

 by all these men. The article by Hugh 



which liave been brouglit about on the 

 islands through prolonged and fateful 

 pelagic sealing. 



I am, very respectfully, 

 Henry ^''airfield Osborn, 



President. 



Hon. William Sulzer, 



Chairman Committee on Foreign 

 Affairs, House of Representatives, 

 Washington, D. C. 



I am strongly in favor of the bill itself. 



Now, how did he get the idea that they 

 would be exterminated after he had con- 

 ferred with your scientific acumen? 



Dr. LucA.s. Men may confer, you 

 know, and do something entirely different. 



Mr. Elliott. How (lid he get that im- 

 pression, if not from you? 



Dr. Lucas. I do not know. You will 

 find all my publications entirely differ- 

 ent from that. 



Mr. Elliott. So you will not be re- 

 sponsible for what Dr. Osborn says? 



Dr. Lucas. Not in this case; certainly 

 not. 



Mr. McGillicuddy. Did you have any 

 part in causing Dr. Henry Fairfield Os- 

 born to write to Hon. William Sulzer a 

 letter dated January 22, 1912, in which 

 the former tells the latter that unless the 

 surplus young males are all killed by man 

 these animals will, if left alone by man, 

 grow up and exterminate the species in a 

 few years? Did you inspire that letter? 



Dr. TowNSEND. That is not such a let- 

 ter as I would write. 



Mr. ]\IcGillicuudy. Do you think he 

 stated it sensibly or correctly? 



Dr. TowNSEND. No; I do not think he 

 stated it correctly. 



Mr. McGillicuddy. Have you ever 

 made any statement about it or protested 

 against his statement of it? 



Dr. TowNSEND. Only as I have written 

 about it since then; I have not ventured 

 to criticise him, but I have stated the case 

 with regard to the seals very plainly a 

 number of times. I have not attempted 

 to criticise him. (Hearing No. 12, pp. 

 722, 723, May 16. 1912 (Lucas's testimony) ; 

 Hearing No. 13, pp. 824, 825, June 8, 

 1912 (Townsend's testimony).) 



