304 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMIRSIONERS. 



27. Q. What months have yon seen more cows in proportion than other months? — 

 A. In February, March, and April. 



28. Q. But even when you see more cows th« average of the seals killed is in 

 favour of the bulls, is it not ? — A. No ; it is about equal. 



29. You say the cows travel quicker towards the Behring Sea? — A. Yes; when we 

 get further up the cow seals seem to leave the bulls behind. 



30. Q. Has it always been so? — A. Yes; I have got 181 seals in a day, and not a 

 cow amongst them, but you sometimes get one. I think the average is about 1 in 90. 



31. Q. You always get more bulls than cows? — A. Yes, up there. 



32. Q. How many out of every hundred seals you had on board your vessel last 

 year would be femaleei? — A. I think fully a half of them would be cows. 



33. Q. How many of them would be bearing cows, and how many of them would 

 be barren cows? — A. Of bearing cows, I think about 18 or 20 per cent, would be 

 bearing cows. I do not think there would be so many as that. I had 2,000, and I 

 think there would be only about 12 or 14 per cent, with pups; the others would be 

 what are called barren cows, and a lot of them would be dry cows. 



34. Q. With the barren cows and the ones bearing young you say would make up 

 about half your catch? — A. Yes; about half and half. 



35. Q. The proportion of males and females, though, depends upon the crowds or 

 groups you get into? — A. Yes; it depends upon the band you strike. 



36. Q. You never, at any time, had more females than males in any of your 

 catches?— A. No; never. 



37. Q. While in Behring Sea during the last four years had you ever heard of any 

 Canadian schooners " raiding" the Pribyloflf Islands? — A. No. I never heard of any 

 of my crew being engaged in such. Several of my crews told me of the American 

 sealers raiding them, but I never heard of a Canadian vessel doing so. 



38. Q. If you were bound to make a statement on your oath, you would say you 

 believed no Canadian vessels ever raided the Pribyloff Islands for seals f — A. Not as 

 far as I know. 



39. Q. You believe, as a matter of fact, that the owners of Canadian sealers and 

 their masters have never countenanced this raiding? — A. I believe that is the feeling 

 that prevails among them all. 



40. Q. You have heard mentioned the names of the American vessels that raided 

 those Islands? — A. Yes ; I heard of the " MolUe Adams" and " George R. White," but 

 not any others. 



41. Q. You have not heard of any others? — A. No; I have not heard of any others. 



42. Q. You have heard of vessels raiding the Copper Islands? — A. Yes; I have 

 heard of the "Hamilton Lewis" and "Webster" raiding Copper Island. 



43. Q. Those vessels you name are all American vessels? — A. Yes. 



44. Q. Manned by American crews? — A. Yes. 



45. Q. Have you any recollection of seeing any of those vessels in this (Victoria) 

 Harbour? — A. No. 



(Signed) Theo. M. Magnesen. 



Sworn, before me, this 23rd day of January, a. d. 1892. 



(Signed) A. R. Mii-ne, Collector of Customs. 



Henry Crocker, hunter on board the schooner "Annie E. Paint," having been 

 sworn : 



65. Q. How long have you been engaged in sealing? — A. I have been hunting now 

 for three years ; this is my fourth. 



66. Q. From your observation, do you think that the seals were as plentiful last 

 year as they were during the previous seasons? — A. Yes; from what I saw of them 

 I am sure they were just as many as before. 



67. Q. In what months do the female seals seem to be the most plentiful in the 

 sealing grounds? — A. I believe that from February to May the females seem to pre- 

 dominate in numbers; that is, when the cows are getting heavier with young, they 

 make for the Islands sooner than the bulls. 



68. Q. Is it more difficult to shoot a female seal than it is a bull?— A. The males 

 are more easily killed than the females, owing to the inquisitiveness of the males, 

 and the females being more shy, and also as they move along the water with only 

 their nose visible. 



69. Q. As an experienced hunter, what percentage of loss have you had by seals 

 sinking? — A. It is very rarely that a seal will sink. I have been a whole season and 

 have not had more than half a dozen sink during the whole season. 



70. Q. Can you form any estimate of what your loss has been?— A. I would say not 

 more than 3 or 4 per cent. 



