160 THE FUR SEALS OF THE PBIBILOF ISLANDS. ' 



THE DESTRUCTION OF UNBORN PUPS. 



Hitherto we have considered only the direct loss to the breeding herd resulting 

 from the killing of females. There is, however, an important secondary loss resulting 

 from the destruction of the young. Not only is the adult female, with the possibility 

 of future increase through her, lost to the herd, but the times and seasons of her 

 slaughter are such that her unborn and her dependent offspring must alike die 

 with her. 



PREGNANT AND NURSING FEMALES. 



The investigations of the commission as to the condition of female seals taken in 

 Bering Sea are given in detail in a special paper on the breeding habits of the seals, 

 by Mr. Lucas, in Part III of this report. We may here quote a brief summary of 

 the results : 



A total of 176 females taken during the seasons of 1895 and 1896 between August 10 and September 

 3 were examined, and may be considered as fairly representing the age and condition of seals taken at 

 sea. Of these 176 there were 14 yearlings, sixteen 2-year-olds, aud 146 over 2 years old. All over 2 

 years old had brought forth young tho season in which they were taken, and 151 of those 2 years old 

 and upward were pregnant. The total number of seals examined whose condition was at all uncertain 

 was 11, and 7 of these were 2-year-olds examined before August 22, which might have been 

 impregnated later in the season. 



PELAGIC SEALING TAKES COMPOUND INTEREST. 



Thus pelagic sealing eats into the life of the herd at compound interest. The 

 rookeries in 1897 showed a direct diminution from the loss of females killed during 

 August and September of 1896 and the spring of 1897. This direct loss was supple- 

 mented by the aftereffects of the premature destruction of the young born in 

 1894, which manifested itself in the diminished quota of killable seals and in the 

 correspondingly diminished increment of young breeders. In like manner the 

 future will show the continued effects of the destructive industry. For the pups 

 starved to death in 1896 and those starved in 1897 the rookeries must suffer in 1900 

 and 1901 whether pelagic sealing continues or not. 



DESTRUCTION OF NURSING PUPS. 



As the starvation of pups has been the source of a great deal of discussion, it will 

 be necessary to consider the matter in some detail. It was strongly contended in the 

 British case before the Paris Tribunal that no such result as the starvation of the pup 

 followed from the killing of the mother at sea. The claim of the United States that 

 the pups were left to die of hunger was denominated in the same connection as " a 

 contention wholly novel." It was further asserted that "it is not known that the 

 breeding females go to sea for food while their pups are dependent upon them." 1 



PUPS DEPENDENT ON MILK UNTIL DECEMBER. 



In the investigations of the season of 1896 these subjects received special 

 attention. It was found that the pups continued to nurse their mothers as late as the 

 5th of December, being up to that time wholly dependent upon milk for nourishment. 



1 British Counter Case, Fur Seal Arb., Vol. 9, pp. 179 and 183. 



