ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL INDUSTRIES, 1920. Eb 
The brands of this series consisted of one or more bars burned 
across the back or in a few cases with a longitudinal bar on the side 
combined with a cross bar. The work had for its object at the time 
of its inception the depreciation of the skin of the female to such an 
extent that it would be unprofitable for pelagic hunters to take it. 
The first experimental brands were put on in 1896, and when the 
eperation was found to be practicable it was continued each season 
thereafter until 1902 on St. Paul Island and to 1903 on St. George 
Island, when it was abandoned. W. I. Lembkey states! that it was 
stopped in 1903 by departmental order. It was found a useless pro- 
cedure in so far as the original objective was concerned. 
A table was published in the 1918 report, page 122, which showed 
the totals branded each year on St. Paul. It included St. George 
also for 1896 and 1897. Subsequent records for the latter island 
could not then be located. Mr. C. E. Crompton has since found some 
of them and has kindly furnished them to me for use in this report. 
His records show the brandings on the smaller island for 1901 to 
1903, inclusive, and they are embodied in the tables given below. 
Thus we now have the complete record of this work in so far as the 
island journals are kept, except for St. George Island, for the three 
years 1898, 1899, and 1900. 
The records secured by Mr. Crompton failed to include one for 
October 12, 1903, of which I find a published statement in Appendix 
A to Hearings before House Committee on Expenditures in the De- 
partment of Commerce, page 100. It is there stated by Chichester 
that 274 pups were branded on that date. These have been added to 
the St. George totals for that year. 
FEMALE Pups BRANDED 1896 To 1903. 
= St. Paul | St. George 
Year. Island. Talend: Total. 
ofa pi, ., SPS ce ae nee ee ce ee Oe aan 1315 | 162 377 
Patieee Cae PES? SE Tie ere Me Ae ae de So 25,371 31, 880 7,251 
SRM eee ey eee ct eet bose! ome yee tea detnade od 2, 363 Q) 2) 363 
TISAI, cue 2 Ss Sey Ue SE ae Se ee ae ie Rae 3 Oak Aen 2,191 (4) 2,191 
HOV shin Le he EE eet age ES SAP Sea sere Lie Weta Lak 0 A Pe 1,698 (4) 1, 698 
TTY - Seo ee kate ie ERS WR ere mee er oe en SS 4,173 686 4, 859 
ChAT ge ke eagle a Sd 95 a Ee RES eet eee 2 ee ee eee 1, 416 1, 326 2,742 
TELS eg So OE ale ame CE Fr ik ee ES (*) 1,352} 1,352 
ORT pal eee rr oe et ateie a an ei ete raya mtetalein alate © eislata(aiaiarate 17, 527 5, 306 22, 833 
1 Jordan and Clark, Mur Seal Investigations, 1896-97, p. 326. 
2 Murray, ibid., pp. 337, 338. 
3 Judge, ibid., p. 338. 
4 No record. 
It seems desirable to record here the character of brands used 
when it has been possible to ascertain them. During several years 
when branding was done, a few cows were also captured and received 
the mark, but the number was so insignificant as to need no further 
mention in this connection. 
1 Appendix A, Hearings House Committee on Expenditures, Department of Commerce, 
p. 388. 1911. 
