REPOET OP BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 301 



28. Q. What percentage of them would be barren female skinsf — A. About 10 per 

 cent. 



29. Q. Is the percentage of hearing cows greater than that of barren cows? — A. 

 Yes; every year in my experience there have been more bearing cows than barren. 



30. Q. About 15 per cent., then, would be bearing cows, and 10 per cent, barren 

 ones? — A. Yes. 



31. Q. You stated that it would entirely depend upon the groups you struck along 

 the coast whether you got males or females? — A. Yes. 



32. Q, And you base your tigures upon four years' experience? — A. Yes. 



33. Q. Then you know the percentage of bearing cows would be 15 per cent., and 

 the barren cows 10 per cent? — A. Yes. The first year I was with my brother I 

 believe we had not more than 10 per cent of cow seals; one of our seasons we had 

 at least 90 per cent, bulls. 



34. Q. That statement applies to Behring Sea? — A. Yea. 



35. Q. What year was that? — -A. 1889, when I was with my brother as mate of the 

 "Sapphire." The catch on the coast ui> to Behring Sea was about 90 per cent, bulls. 



36. Q. In the Behring Sea, what percentage of females had you, as compared with 

 males — I am told there are less bulls? — A. I think the percentage of bulls in Behring 

 Sea is less than on the coast. 



37. Q. Bachelor bulls? — A. Yes. The greater percentage would be cows — bearing 

 cows; after they have dropped their young we don't get them in Behring Sea. 



38. Q. Do you not find a lot of bachelor bulls hovering about the outskirts of the 

 groups of seals? — A. Yes, we get some, but there are more females in Behring Sea. 



39. Q. Did you find it so last year? — A. Of course, I was not in Behring Sea long 

 enough to know. 



40. Q. Your remarks, then, would not apply to last season? — A. No. 



41. Q. You think there would be about an equal number of cows and bulls in 

 Behring Sea? — A. Yes; I think that the bulls and cows are about equally divided. 



42. Q. It is well known among sealers that the old bulls keep their herds, and 

 drive the "bachelor" bulls off?— A. Yes. 



226 43. Q. Do you find many groups of bachelor bulls in Behring Sea ? — A. We 



do not find them so much in groups as on the coast. 



44. Q. Taking your whole catch for the past year, skin for skin, what percentage 

 of females had you? — A. We had not more than 25 per cent, barren and bearing 

 cows. That would leave us about 75 per cent, bulls. 



45. Q. 25 per cent, females, including barren cows? — A. Yes. 



46. Q. In the years before last would that percentage hold good? — A. I think the 

 previous years would not differ very much. 



47. Q. In the months of Februarjf, March, and April, you think that the females 

 killed are more numerous than in Behring Sea? — A. I think so. We get a good many 

 more grey pups in the winter. 



48. Q. Among all the hunters it is pretty well known that the average of loss by 

 being hit would not exceed 3 to 5 per cent.? — A. Yes; that is well known. 



49. Q. Wounding a seal so that it escapes, you don't consider that lost? — A. No; 

 they carry a lot of shot, and the hunters don't just shoot at it and leave it if it does 

 not die on the spot, but give chase, and if wounded badly it has not much chance of 

 getting away. 



50. Q. Considering the hazardous occupation of sealing, the men get very expert 

 in it? — A. Yes; I have a man aboard who does not lose five seals during the whole 

 season. 



51. Q. Is it your opinion that the female seals with young are somewhat timid, 

 and more on the alert than the old bulls? — A. Yes; they are. 



52. Q. That is one reason why the percentage of females is so small, I suppose? — 

 A. Yes. 



53. Q. In Behring Sea you say the percentage of loss would be more than on the 

 coast? — A. I think the percentage of loss in Behring Sea is less than on the coast, 

 because the sealers get more seals asleep in the sea. They seem to be right at home 

 there, and not travelling about so much. 



54. Q. Have you at any time known any of our vessels (that is, Canadian vessels), 

 registered Canadian vessels, landing on the seal islands for the purpose of raiding 

 and killing seals? A. I can conscientiously say that I have never known of any of 

 our vessels landing there. 



55. Q. And have never heard our masters or sailors encourage that sort of prac- 

 tice?— A. No. 



56. Q. Have you heard of any vessel having done so? — A. Yes; I have. 



57. Q. What vessels?— A. The "Mollie Adams," "George R. White," and the 

 "O. S. Fowler," of San Francisco, I heard, raided the Pribyloff Islands. 



58. Q. That fact is well known to the whole fleet? — A. Yes, Sir. 



59. Q. You were not in Behring Sea last season? — A. I was in, but didn't stay long; 

 I was ordered out of it. 



