REPORT OF AMERICAN COMMISSIONERS. 361 



with a club, the others are allowed to go into Driving, 

 the water and soon reappear on the hauling 

 grounds. In this way about one hundred tliou-- 

 sand young males have been killed annually on 



, the Pribilof Islands for twenty years. 



In addition to the commercial killiny- above ^ Kiiii"S" r"ps for 



^ food. 



described, a number of male pups were formerly 

 killed each year to furnish food for the natives, 

 but the killing of pups is now prohibited by the 

 Government. 



The only obiections that have been urg-ed Criticisms on 



J J o mauner oi ' driv- 



against this mode of taking seals are such as re- ^"°*' 

 late to details of the operations as ordinarily 

 carried on, any of which could be modified if it 

 was found desirable to do so. Much stress has 

 been laid upon the destructive effects of seal 

 driving, and it has even been affirmed that when 

 a male seal has once been 'di'iven' its repro- 

 ductive powers are lost. 



While there is no doubt that in some instances 

 excessive driving has been allowed, that seals 

 have been driven further than is actually neces- 

 sary, and that proper care has not been taken to 

 eliminate the nonkillable seals as far as possible 

 before the driving is well under way, those are 

 matters that are so entirely under control that a 

 proper adjustment may be secured at once. 

 2716 4G 



