FUR-SEAL HEED OF ALASKA. 



249 



lings and 2-year-okls. (Fur Seal Inves- 

 tigations, pt. 1, 1898, p. 99. Dr. D. S. 

 Jordan, Rept. Feb. 24, 1898.) 



110 of them killed or one-fifth taken, or 80 

 per cent turned awaj-. All under 7- 

 pound skins, with the exception of a few 

 wigged 4-year-olds and a dozen or two old 

 bulls. This gives a fair average of the 

 whole drive to-day, some 2,500 animals, 

 since 518 only were taken. 



"* * * Those turned away (nearly 

 2,000) were 95 per cent at least 'long' and 

 'short' yearlings." 



That has never been disputed to this 

 hour. 



"June 21, 1890. * * * At 7 a. m. I 

 went down to the killing grounds and fol- 

 lowed the podding and clubbing of the 

 entire drive brought up from the Reef 

 crest and Zoltoi bluffs this morning. The 

 Zoltoi ])()d arriA-ed on the ground long be- 

 fore the Reef pod — two hours sooner. It 

 was made up largely of polseecatchie and 

 yearlings. 



"* * * Seventy-live per cent of this 

 drive was rejected. Every 3 and smooth 

 4-year-old taken and every long 2-year- 

 old. Nothing under or over that grade. 



"The seals released this morning were 

 exclusively yearlings, 'short' 2-year-olds, 

 and the 5 and 6 year old half bulls or 

 polseecatchie. No 'long' 2-year-old 

 escaped, and so, therefore, many 5^ and 

 6 pound skins will appear in this catch. 



" In the afternoon I took a survey of 

 Lukannon Bay and its hauling grounds. 

 * * * Thence over to Tolstoi .^and 

 dunes, where I saw about UOO or 700 year- 

 lings, conspicuous by their white bellies. 



Jordan condemns the killing of 

 yearlings bv the old lessees in 



1889: 



For a time these more rigorous methods 

 had the desired effect, but the scarcity of 

 bachelors as a result of the decreasing 

 birth rates made it necessary finally to 

 lower the age for killable seals, so as to in- 

 clude, first, the 2-year-olds, and in the end 

 many of the larger yearlings, in order to 

 secure the requisite 100,000 skins. By 



'•June 26, 1890 (on p. 174). I walked 

 over to the Zapadnie killing grounds this 

 morning, arriving there about 9 o'clock. 

 The drivers had collected a sciuad of about 

 340 holluschickie, which were clubbed 

 thus — total 344 number driven, and num- 

 ber taken, 97, or about 72 ])er cent unfit to 

 take, being made up chiefly of yearlings, 

 'short' 2-year-filds, and 'wigged' 4-year- 

 olds, and 5-year up to 7-year old bulls." 



I knew what I was talking about, and so 

 did the lessees. They rejected the year- 

 lings and the short 2-vear-old8. (Hearing 

 No. 2, pp. 40, 41, June 8, 1911, H. Com. 

 Exp. Dept. 0. and L.) 



But he approves the^ killing of 

 yearlings by the new lessees, 1896, 

 in violation of the rules ordered 

 May 14, 1896 (prohibiting that 

 killing) . 



East year (1896) the hauling grounds of 

 the Fribilof Islands yielded 30,000 killa- 

 ble seals. During the present season a 

 quota of only 20,890 could be taken. To 

 get these it was necessary to drive more 

 frequently and cull the animals more 

 closely than has been done since 1889. 

 The killins' season was closed oti July 27, 



