222 



FUR-SEAL HERD OF ALASKA. 



Lucas swears pups starve be- 

 cause bulls kill their mothers. 



Mr. McGuiRE. Now, Doctor, you speak 

 of a certain mortality on account of the 

 starving of the young. This starvation 

 may be caused by the loss of the mother 

 cow Imving been killed by the males. 

 That is one cause? 



Dr. LucA.s. Yes. (Hearing No. 12, p. 

 711, May 16, 1912.) 



Lucas tries to deny his "dis- 

 covery" of the "fact" that the 

 fur seal naturally tramples its own 

 young to death. 



The Chairman. About how many 

 days? 



Dr. Lucas. About 50 days in 1896, al- 

 lowing about 9 days' time spent at sea 

 going to and from one island to another. 



Mr. Elliott. In 1897 how many days 

 were you on the islands? 



Dr. Lucas. About 42 days. 



Mr. Elliott. On the Islands? 



Dr. Lucas. That is about the number. 

 I have the exact data right here. 



Mr. Elliott. Now, Dr. Lucas, did you 

 see up there a pup trampled to death by 

 a bull? 



Dr. Lucas. No. 



Mr. Elliott. Did you, in 1897, exhibit 

 a series of trampled pups to the biological 

 society here in Washington and say that 

 11,000 had been trampled to death by 

 bulls? 



Dr. Lucas. I did not. 



Mr. Elliott. Did you not address the 

 society on January 4, 1897, on the subject 

 of trampled pups? 



Dr. Lucas. I did not. 



Mr. Elliott. Didn't you exhibit a 

 series of pups in alcohol? 



Dr. Lucas. I did not. 



Mr. Elliott. Didn't you call attention 

 to the state of these 11,000 pups, which 

 you stated on the platform during the 



Elliott swears that Lucas never 

 saw a bull kUl a cow, that Lucas 

 fakes the statement. 



Mr. Elliott. Right on that point, Mr. 

 Chairman, not one of these scientists^ — ■ 

 Dr. Jordan, George A. Clark, Merriam, 

 Stejneger, Lucas, or Townsend — have 

 published a line in their reports upon that 

 life in which they describe the "fighting 

 of bulls so as to tear the cows to pieces and 

 trample their pups to death." Now, 

 their sole argument to-day, that they 

 brought over to the Senate, is that if we 

 let these young seals grow up in a closed 

 season they will go to fighting and will 

 "tear the cows to pieces and trample the 

 pups to death." It is a fake story; it is 

 contrary to the natural law that governs 

 them; and I am not going to quietly sit 

 here and let it even be hinted at that I 

 am an "enemy " of the fur seals because I 

 believe in the natural laws of their wild 

 life governing them being freed from the 

 checks put upon them by half-baked 

 naturalists. (Hearing No. 14, pp. 954, 

 955, July 30, 1912.) 



But his memory is refreshed, 

 and he does recall it. 



Mr. Elliott. What did you talk about? 



Dr. Lucas. Causes of mortality among 

 seal pups. 



Mr. Elliott. Didn't you say it was due 

 to trampling? 



Dr. Lucas. No. 



Mr. Elliott. The record of your report 

 of 1896 denies it. 



Dr. Lucas. Find it. 



Mr. Elliott. The preliminary report 

 of 1896 — "Cause of destruction of pups is 

 chiefly due to trampling by males." 

 You signed that with Dr. Jordan, didn't 

 you? 



Dr. Lucas. I think I did not sign that 

 report. That report was made by Dr. 

 Jordan. 



Mr. Elliott. Would there be a report 

 by Dr. Jordan or any other member of 

 the board that is not sent to you to sign? 



Dr. Lucas. Yes. Dr. Jordan, as head 

 of the commission, took the combined 

 reports of the various members of the 

 commission and drew up the preliminary 

 report. 



Mr. Elliott. You are associated with 

 him in that preliminary report of 1896, 

 aren't you? You don't deny it, do you? 



Dr. Lucas Deny what? 



Mr. Elliott. The association and quo- 

 tation by Dr. Jordan of you? 



