THE SEX OF PELAGIC SKINS. 



155 



period covered by these returns by the sealers, showing an excess of no more than 

 5 per cent of females, it was possible to secure only 81,000 males on land, whereas 

 187,000 animals, males and females, were taken at sea. That 45 per cent of this latter 

 number should have been males is simply out of the question. 



CUSTOM-HOUSE EXAMINATION BY EXPERTS. 



Fortunately, however, we are not forced to rely merely upon inference or upon 

 the reports of interested parties for our information in this matter. For the past four 

 seasons the United States Government has provided for the examination, by experts, 

 of the pelagic catches of American vessels in the custom-houses on their landing. 

 These returns are as follows for the seasons 1894-1897 : 



Experts' sex returns for American catch. 

 1894. Per cent. 



Northwest coast. 

 Bering Sea 



69 



1895. 



Northwest coast 74 



1896. Per cent. 



Northwest coast 93 



Bering Sea 75 



1897. 

 Northwest coast. .. 93 



Bering Sea 73 



CONTRAST OF SEX RETURNS. 



With these figures may be compared the percentages furnished by the logs of the 

 captains of the Canadian sealing fleet, which we are forced to use, as Great Britain 

 has refused to permit the inspection of the Canadian catch in port. No returns for 

 these vessels are available for the Northwest catch until the spring of 1896, when the 

 percentage of females is given as 40. With it may be compared the expert report of 

 93 per cent for the American vessels on the same grounds in the same season. For 

 the three seasons, 1894-1896, the Canadian reports for the Bering Sea catch are 

 respectively 55, 55, and 61 per cent females. The vessels of the American fleet were 

 engaged during the same time and side by side with the Canadian vessels. The latter 

 average 52 per cent of females and the former 80 per cent. Comment is not necessary. 



This high proportion of females in the pelagic catch is borne out by the expert 

 examinations of furriers in London. See affidavits in Appendix II. 



THE SEX OF SALTED SKINS EASILY DETERMINED. 



It may be remarked that it is entirely feasible to determine the sex of the salted 

 skin, as reference to Mr. Townsend's paper on this subject published in Part III will 

 show. There is, therefore, no doubt of the accuracy of the results of the custom-house 

 examinations. 



THE INVESTIGATIONS OF ALEXANDER AND HALKETT. 



With a view to studying the operations of pelagic sealing in 1895, Mr. A. B. 

 Alexander was detailed to make the cruise on one of the pelagic sealing vessels. 1 The 

 results of his observations are published elsewhere in this report and contain the most 

 complete account of the methods and operations of pelagic sealing yet obtained. Mr. 

 Alexander found in the catch of the Dora Sieward, numbering about 1,500 seals, 62 



'A complete account of the cruise will be found in Part III of this report. 



