I 



REPORT OF AMERICAN COMMISSIONERS. 337 



which case the pup was born in the water and Extracts from 



testimouy taken. 



drowned. 



Mr. J. G. Redpatli, resident agent of the North 

 American Commercial Company, and previously 

 agent of the Alaska Commercial Company dur- 

 ing a period of fifteen years, 



Mr. Redpath has enjoyed unusual opportuni- 

 ties for the intelligent study of seal life. That 

 he has made good use of them may be attributed 

 to the fact that the best interests of the compa- 

 nies which he has represented on the islands 

 demanded that no one should be better informed 

 than he, especially in the matter of increase or 

 decrease in the number of killal^le seals and the 

 causes to which changes are to be attributed. 



He said: "Not more than one-half as many 

 females are on the rookeries this year as were 

 to be found there ten years ago. There is the 

 same loss in the holluschikie, about." 



Cwptain Webster, agent of the North American 

 Commercial Company on the island of St. 

 George, has been on the seal islands for twenty- 

 two years; was a whaler and sealer in these 

 waters before coming to the islands ; has been in 

 the employ of the sealing companies from the 

 beginning of the management by the United 

 States. Captain Webster had a wide experience 



as a sealer in other parts of the world before 

 271G 43 



