EEPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 21 



ably reduced in face of a steady market, and before the 

 decline in i)rices of tbe two sneceediug years, which decline, 

 no doubt, accounts in part for the still smaller luimber of 



skins taken in these two years. 

 !> 45. It is particularly important to note the effects 



of the excessive killing of the years 18<i7-()8-69, 

 which, combined with those ensuing from the slaughter of 

 male seals of particular ages in various years to 1876, can 

 be closely followed, chietiy by means of Captain Bryant's 

 intelligent notes on this period, Avhich are elsewhere sum- 

 marized (§ 810 et seq.). 



46. It is clearly apparent, and is borne out by the expe- jiu^gj'J"^!;'®. ^^\l' 

 rience of later years, that any severe disturbance of the turbance." 

 natural conditions on the breeding islands is at once re- 

 flected in changes of habits of the seals and in the irregn- 



larities and overlapping of dates in the annual cycle of seal 

 life. Such changes are not prevented by the restriction of 

 killing to males, for an excess in number of males is a part 

 of the natural conditions; and any change in the proportion 

 of males, even if not pushed so far as to become in itself a 

 cause of decrease in numbers born, constitutes a true cause 

 of change in habits, and has a very special effect on the 

 time and ])lace of landing of the females (§ 396 ct seq.). An 

 excess in number of males, with the consequent competition 

 for females, must, in all i)robability, further be regarded as 

 a provision for maintaining the strength of the race as a 

 whole by means of natural selection, and in the case of the 

 fur seal it is not j)ossible to substitute for such provision 

 the artiticial selection of breeding males, as is done with 

 animals under the control of num. 



47. In 1870 the Pribyloff' Islands were leased by the Kiiiinfr fixed 

 United States to the Alaska Commercial Company, and the "* ^'""'""• 

 number of seals to be killed for skins was fixed empirically 



at 100,000 annually. This number was admitted at the 

 time by the best authorities to be experimental (§§ 810, 815), 

 and it was x^rovided by Congress that the Secretary of the 

 Treasury might reduce the number allowed for killing if 

 found necessary, for the sake of preserving the seals and 

 with proportionate reduction of rent. Practically, how- 

 ever, and on grounds not publicly explained, it remained 

 unaltered, and became a fixed limit. 



48. As early as 1875 and 1876 fhe number thus estab- iieported too 

 lished was officially reported as being too great, but it was '"^'''' 



not reduced or changed during the entire twenty years' 

 term of the lease, except by au alteration made in the rela- 

 tive proportions to be killed on St. I*aul and St. George 

 Islands in 1874, when also the time during which the kill- 

 ing for skins might progress was extended. 



49. The limit thus fixed did not include seals killed for Actual killing 

 food at seasons or of ages at which the skins were not mer- «'-'^'''''^'i'''' i^u.^oo- 

 chantable; and, as a result, the total recorded take of seals 



on the islands in each full year of the lease but three, 

 actually exceeded 100,000. Of these three exceptional 

 years, one falls below 1()0,000 by a very small amount only, 

 while two are considerably below it. Thus, excluding the 

 first year, the number known to have been killed in each 



