FUR-SEAL HE"RD OF ALASKA. 



257 



Jordan again emphasizes the 

 "need" of a trained natnralist to 

 ascertain the real facts — 



I wish to emphasize again that in recom- 

 mending the transfer of tlie fur-seal mat- 

 ter to the Bureau of Fisheries I had in 

 mind the fact that this bureau could pro- 

 vide the scientific ins])ection and control 

 necessary. I do not wish to embarras the 

 Secretary with sugge.stions as to the de- 

 tails of administration of the bureau under 

 his charge. This would not be pertinent. 

 If expert knowledge and supervision 

 could be brought to bear on the control 

 of the herd through any other method of 

 administration than the one proposed the 

 essential point would be met. It will be 

 noted that in my memorandum only two 

 of the four agents need be natui'alists or 

 have any connection with the Bureau of 

 Fisheries. The addition of a naturalist 

 to the present staff would answer the pur- 

 pose if he had power to carry out his plans. 

 (A])pendix A: Jordan to President Roose- 

 velt, Jan. 16, 1906, pp. 328-332; H. Com. 

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

 1911.) 



Jordan declares that the folly 

 and injury of the "seal corral" 

 were not his idea, or of his order. 



The plans of fencing and branding the 

 seals were suggestions of earlier investiga- 

 tois which the commission of 1896-97 

 merely teste:! as a part of its duty. They 

 were expected to assist only in the dis- 

 couraging of pelagic sealing should other 

 means of prohibiting it fail. It is true 

 that many suggestions haA'e been barren 

 of practical results, but others arising 

 from scientific sources, as the control of the 

 parasitic worm, might be made fruitful 

 under competent direction. Other ways 

 of improving conditions on the rookeries 

 would suggest themselves to a trained in- 

 vestigator. (D. S. Jordan to President 

 Roosevelt: Jan. 16, 1906, Appendix A; 

 pp. 828-332: June 24, 1911, H. (\)m. Exp. 

 Dept. Com. and Labor.) 



But Lembkey puts a "trained" 

 naturalist's finding of "fact" up 

 against Jordan. 



On one occasion a celebrated naturalist, 

 walking on the rookeries at Northeast 

 Point, discovered what he supposed to 

 be a number of dead seal cows and re- 

 ported it to the Treasury agent in charge 

 of St. Paul Island. The Treasury agent 

 telephoned to the watchman at Northeast 

 Point and ordered an investigation, and 

 was shortly after amused by a report from 

 the watchman that the dead animals sup- 

 posed to be seal cows were in fact sea-lion 

 pups and not fur seals at all. The story 

 is repeated here not with the intention of 

 ridiculing anyone, but for the purpose of 

 showing that in matters pertaining to seal 

 life practical experience is often of greater 

 importance than abstract biological knowl- 

 edge. 



The foregoing facts are not adduced for 

 the purpose of attaching discredit to any- 

 one. Their citation here is excusable 

 only in showing that, instead of the seal 

 herds suffering from any lack of practical 

 direction by biologists, every possible sug- 

 gestion that could be made by as eminent 

 a body of scientists as can be gathered in 

 this country was adojated, fairly tried, 

 and resulted in each case in the abandon- 

 ment of the idea as impractical, if not 

 positively dangerous. In the light of 

 these facts the position assumed by Dr. 

 Jordan that the need of such trained 

 supervision of the herd is clearly shown 

 is plainly untenable. (Appendix A: 

 Lembkey to Secretary Commerce and 

 Labor, Feb. 8, 1906, p. 339; H. Com. Exp. 

 Dept. Com. and Labor, June 24, 1911.) 



But Lembkey says that Jordan 

 approved and directed this work 

 of folly and injury. 



Mr. Lembkey. 2. A method was sought 

 by the commission for the prevention on 

 land of the killing of seals at sea and the 

 redriving of ineligibles. The plan adopt- 

 ed was the erection by the natives, under 

 direction of the agents, of about 4 miles of 

 wire fencing around a salt lagoon and a 

 fresh-water lake on St. Paul. Into these 

 all bachelors rejected from the l<illing field 

 were to be driven. After the 1st of Au- 

 gust di'ives were to be made, also from 

 the hauling grounds, and the animals ob- 

 tained to be incarcerated in the inclcsures 

 without food for as long a period as pos- 

 sible, thereby reducing by thousands the 

 available number of animals from which 

 the pelagic sealers made their catches. 



In evolving this theory, no account 

 was taken bv the scientists of the fact 



21588—13- 



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