CAUSE. 



170 



sure the decrease is caused by the kilhng of Experts. 

 females in the open sea." ^ (It will be shown 

 later in discussing the method and catch of open- 

 sea sealing vessels that a large percentage of the 

 seals thus taken are females.)^. Prof. W. H. DaJl, 

 the well known scientist and author, says: ''It is 

 evident that the injury to the herd from the kill- 

 ing of a single female, that is, the producer, is far 

 greater than from the death of a male, as the seal 

 is polygamous in habit ; the destruction to the 

 herd, therefore, is just in proportion to the de- 

 struction of female life. Killing in the open 

 waters is peculiarly destructive to this animal." ^ 



A large number of Indians along the Pacific Indian hunters. 

 coast from Oregon to the passes of the Aleutian 

 Islands, whose depositions are appended hereto, 

 are unanimous in declaring the cause of decrease 

 in the seal herd to be open-sea sealing as it has 

 been conducted for the past six or seven years. 

 Evan Alexandroff, priest at Soldo voi in Cook's 

 Inlet, unites with several native seal hunters of 

 that locality in stating that "fur-seals were for- 

 merly much more plentiful, but of late years are 

 becoming constantly scarcer. This is, we think, 

 owing to the number of vessels engaged in hunt- 



'Vol. II, p. 212. 



"i'osi p. 196. 



s W. H. Ball, Vol. II, p. 24. 



