250 



PUR-SEAL HEED OF ALASKA. 



these methods it happened in 1889 that 

 practically the whole bachelor herd of 

 four years and under down to the year- 

 lings was wiped out. The result was the 

 abnormal drop to 21,000 in the quota of 

 1890. * * * 



It is not the intention here to justify the 

 methods of killing employed in the clos- 

 ing years of the Alaska Commercial Co. 

 Such killing ought never to have been 

 allowed. * * * (Fur Seal investiga- 

 tions, pt. 1, p. 124, 1898.) 



For another part of the time this quota 

 was too great, and this led to waste of an- 

 other sort by involving the premature 

 killing of the yearling and 2-year-old 

 bachelors. (Fur Seal Investigations, pt. 

 1. p. 193.) 



Dr. Jordan denies the appear- 

 ance of female yearlings in the 

 drives with male yearlings. 



There remains to be recorded the ar- 

 rival of the 1 and 2 year old females. 

 Their brothers are found to arrive at the 

 islands about the middle of Julj^ and 

 spend their time on the hauling grounds. 

 Whether the young females come with 

 them to the vicinity of the islands or are 

 associated with them on the migrations is 

 not known. But they do not associate 

 with them to any great extent on the 

 islands. (Fur Seal Investigations, pt. 1, 

 1898, p. 06.) 



Jordan makes denial of knowl- 

 edge that the male and female 

 yearling seals haul out together, 

 or come together on the islands. 



There remains to be recorded the arrival 

 of the 1 and 2 year old females. Their 

 brothers, we found, arrive at the islands 

 about the middle of July and spend their 

 time on the hauling grounds. Whether 

 the young females come with them to the 

 \'icinity of the islands, or are associated 

 with them on the migrations is not known. 

 But they do not associate with them to 

 any great extent on the islands. (Fur 

 Seal Investigations, pt. 1. 1898, p. 66.) 



1896. This year it was extended on St. 

 Paul to the 7th of August, and on St. 

 George to August 11. The quota to be 

 taken was left to our discretion and every 

 opportunity was given the lessees to take 

 the full product of the hauling grounds. 

 Notwithstanding all their efforts, the 

 quota of 1897 shows a decrease of 30 per 

 cent in the class of killable seals, and 

 when we take into account the increased 

 number of drives and the extension of the 

 times of driving, the difference between 

 the two seasons is even greater. (P^ur Seal 

 Investigations: Preliminary report of 

 1897: Treasury Doc. No. 1994, p. 18, Nov. 

 1, 1897.) 



But Lcmbkey, with 1,3 years' 

 experience, reports that the fe- 

 males do come out as yearlings 

 with male yearlings. 



On July 1 there were three yearling 

 seals in the drives at North East Point. 

 One of them, a typical specimen, was 

 knocked down at my direction, to ascer- 

 tain the weight of the skin. It was found 

 to be a female. 



Special attention was paid by me to the 

 presence of yearlings in the drives. The 

 first seen was on June 28 in a drive from 

 Zapadnie. It was so small that it was 

 killed to determine its weight. It was a 

 male. * * * (Rept. W. I. Lembkey, 

 Sept. 1, 1904, p. 77, App. A, H. Com. 

 Exp. Dept. Com. and Labor, June 24. 

 1911.) 



But Dr. Jordan's men take a 

 male and a female yearling seal 

 out of a drive from the hauling 

 grounds, and send them as speci- 

 mens to Stanford University. 



Sunday, September 27. 1896.— (F. 12.) 

 A barren cow shot on reef; skin taken for 

 Stanford University. (P. 13.) The skin 

 of a yearling bull smothered in the food 

 drive from Lukannow ' taken for Stanford 

 University. (P. 14.) A yearling cow 

 shot for pin-poses of dissection out of the 

 drive from Lukannon. Skin taken for 

 Stanford University. (Official Journal 

 of the U. S. Agent, St. Pauls Island, 

 entered on p. 53, and copied, July 24, 

 1913, by A. F. Gallagher.) 



1 That drive "from Lukannon" was made on July 27, 1896, from which those yearling male] and 

 female seals were secured, as above entered.— H. W. E. 



