FUE-SEAL HERD OF ALASKA. 



215 



these mi»ht be short 3-vear-olds, but I 

 will let the matter stand as stated. Ac- 

 cording to the observations of Dr. Mer- 

 riam and myself, there is about 20 per 

 cent variation from the average either 

 way, 'o that some 2-year-old sealskins 

 would weigh but 4 pounds and others 

 would weigh G pounds. 



Pardon me for troubling you with a 

 number of explanatory details, but I wish 

 above all things to make it clear that 1 am 

 not speaking by hearsay, or making state- 

 ments without foundation, but that Ism 

 writing of matters with which I have di- 

 rect acquaintance. 



Faithfully, yours, 



F. A. Lucas. 



Hon. Edward W. Townsend, 

 fhmmittee on the Library, 



House of Representatives. 



(Hearing No. 14, pp. 947, 948. Julv 25, 

 1912.) 



Lucas swears that he believes 

 5^ pounds is the ''good average" 

 of a 2-year-old skin. 



Dr. Lucas. In regard to the sizes and 

 ages of killable seals. Dr. Evermann has 

 pointed out in his admirable resume that 

 there is no law against the killing of male 

 seals of any age. There have been regu- 

 lations against it, but all I can say is that 

 no yearlings have been systematically 

 killed. I took Mr. Elliott's figures of 

 1873 as a good average. He cites the 

 weight of 2-year-old skins as 5^ pounds. 

 I agree wdth him there. I think that is a 

 good average. I might say that I have 

 not weighed any sealskins myself. (Hear- 

 ing No. 12, p. 708, May 16,'l912.) 



Lucas records the appearance 

 of 2-year-old cows, or nubiles, on 

 the breeding grounds at the height 

 of the breeding season Julv 14-20, 

 1897: 



July 14, 1897. 



I made a count of Ardiguen this morn- 

 ing wdth Mr. Macoun. * * * 



Three or four bulls with 2-year-old cows 

 were seen on Zapadine this afternoon. 

 (F. A. Lucas.) 



July 20, 1897. 

 There is nothing in the condition of the 

 harems to warrant the supposition that the 

 3-year-old cows are the cause of the height 

 of the season on the rookeries. It is evi- 

 dent also that the 2-vear-olds are already 



Mr. Elliott. No, and therefore you 

 made no ret ord that we could get hold of 

 to-day? 



Dr. Merriam. I doubt if I measured 

 any of the 2-year-old seals. 



Mr. Elliott. I have never been able to 

 find it. Therefore, you have no record of 

 the leneth and weight of a yearling seal? 



Dr. Merriam. I think I have none. I 

 think I have weights and measurements 

 of p''ps, but not of vearling seals. (Hear- 

 ing No. 11, p. 699, May 4, 1912.) 



But Lucas recommends, No- 

 vember 23, 1909, a lower weight, 5 

 pounds, for a 2-year-old skin. 



Mr. Fatton. These recommendations 

 were made to your bureau? 



Mr. Bowers. Yes. 



Mr. Fatton. And were not made by 

 you at all? 



Mr. Bowers. No, sir. 



Mr. Fatton. But were made by this 

 advisory board? 



Mr. Bowers. Yes, sir. [Reading:] 



"It is recommended that, for the pres- 

 ent, no fur-seal skin weighing more than 

 8^ pounds or less than 5 pounds shall be 

 taken, and that not more than 95 per cent 

 of the 3-year-old male seals be killed in 

 any one year." (Hearing No. 2, p. Ill, 

 June 9, 1911.) 



Lucas denies the appearance of 

 2-year-old cows, or nubiles, on 

 the breeding grounds at the time 

 of breeding 3 and 4 year olds are 

 there. • They are not there at the 

 breeding season, in July : 



American Museum of 



Natural History, 

 Neiv York, February 18, 1912. 

 Dear Sir: Noticing your remark on 

 page 2168 of the Congressional Record for 

 February 14, I take the liberty of saying 

 that as to the question of 2-year-old fe- 

 males not occurring on the rookeries, I 

 may say that the yearlings and the 2-year- 

 olds come to the islands late. Fardon me 

 for saying that this statement of mine is 

 borne out by the observations of all nat- 

 uralists who have been on the Pribilof 

 Islands. 



