THE SEALS. 151 



seals should be killed.^ Capt. Moulton, for elg'ht Protection of 



females. 



years assistant Treasury agent on the islands, 

 says: "No female is ever killed, and it is very 

 seldom a female is driven."^ Samuel Falconer 

 assistant Treasury agent on the islands from 

 1870 to 1876, states that not more than two 

 female seals a season were driven on St. George 

 Island, and that he believed those wea'e barren 

 cows which had hauled up with the bachelors.^ 

 If a female seal was killed either intentionally or 

 accidentally, the employ^ was fined.^ This regu- 

 lation preserves the producing sex, is not only 

 observed by the native sealers on the Pribilof 

 Islands, but the need of strictly conforming 

 thereto is fully realized as a means of preservation 

 of the species. Karp Buterin, the chief of the 

 natives on St. Paul Island, who was born on the 

 islands, and is the most intelligent of the natives,^ 

 says: "I know, and we all know, if we kill cows 

 the seals soon die out and we would have no meat 

 to eat; and if anyone told me to kill cows I would 

 say no ! If I or any of my people knew of any- 

 one killing a cow, we would go and tell the 



1 Louis Kimmel, VoL IT, p. 173 ; George Wardman, VoL II, p. 178 J 

 H. G. Otis, VoL II, p. 86; Anton Melovedoff, VoL II, p. 142. 



2 Vol. II, p. 72; Daniel Webster, Vol. II, p. 181. 

 J. C. Redpatli, Vol. II, p. 149. 



3 Vol. Il, p. 162. 



"Anton Melovedoff, Vol. II, p. 139. 

 •Milton Barnes, Vol. II, p. 102. 



