242 PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION. 



Professors Nor- liuiitino;' of the seals ill the open sea on the way 



(leiiskiold aud * . . 



Liiijeborg. to aiicl from 01' arouiid the rookeries will very 



soon cause the complete extinction of this val- 

 uable, and, from scientiiic point of view, so 

 extremely interesting and important animal."^ 

 Besides these declarations above quoted, other 



Otlier natural- , , t i n i -n • 



ists. scientists, of France, Italy, Sweden, Kussia, Ger- 



many, Austria, Norway, and Argentine Republic, 

 to whom Dr. Merriam's letter was sent, unite in 

 commending the conclusions set forth and affirm 

 the need of protection to the seal herd.^ 



Dr. Allen. J)y Alleii sliows plainly the need of protecthig 



the Alaskan herd, in a brief summary of the 

 results of pelagic sealing.^ 



Canadian recog- i^ the Canadian Fisheries Report for 1886, 



UltlOU. ^ ' 



already adverted to, Thomas Mo watt, esq.. In- 

 spector of Fisheries for British Columbia, in his 

 rej^ort, after giving the catch for the year by 

 sealing vessels, and stating the fact that it was 

 composed almost entirely of female seals, adds : 

 "This enormous catch, with the increase Avhicli 

 will take place when other " vessels fitting uj) 

 every year are ready will, I am afraid, soon 

 deplete our fur-seal fishery, and it is a great pity 



1 Letter of Professors NordeusKiold and Liiijeborg, Vol. I, p. 429. 



2 Letters of Dr. A. V. Middendorf, Dr. Eniil Horub, Dr. R. Collett, 

 Dr. Leopold Van Schranck, and others, Vol. I, pp. 418-433. 



» Article by Dr. Allen, Part III, Vol. I, p. 410. 



