SEAL LIFE ON THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 65 



H. N. Glidden, Treasury agent: 



During these years there was always a sufficiency of vigorous male life to serve all 

 the female seals' which came to the islands, and certainly during this period seal life 

 was not affected by any deficiency of males. 



Alex. Hansson: 



The orders of the boss of the gang in which I worked in 1888 and 1889, under the 

 management of the Alaska Commercial Company, were not to kill the 5-year-old 

 bulls, because they were, he said, needed on the rookeries. 



Aggei Kushen, native sealer, St. Paul Island: 



We noticed idle, vigorous bulls on the breeding rookeries, because of the scarcity 

 of cows, and I have noticed that the cows have decreased steadily every year since 

 1886, but more particularly so in 1888, 1889, 1890, and 1891. 



H. H. Mclutyre, general superintendent Alaska Commercial Com- 

 pany : 



And I am satisfied a sufficient number of males was always reserved for future 

 breeding purposes. 



That during the twenty years I was upon said Pribilof Islands as general agent of 

 said Alaska Commercial Company there were reserved upon the breeding rookeries 

 upon said islands sufficient vigorous bulls to serve the number of females upon said 

 rookeries; that while I was located upon said islands there was at all times a greater 

 number of adult male seals than was necessary to fertilize the females who hauled 

 upon said rookeries, and that there was no time when there were not vigorous bulls 

 on the rookeries who were unable to obtain female consorts. 



So well was this necessity for reserving sufficient mature male life recognized that 

 when in 1887, 1888, and 1889 the depleted rookeries (depleted from causes that will 

 be explained further on) would not furnish the quota of 100,000 large skins, 2 and 

 3 year-old male seals were taken to make up the quota in preference to trenching 

 upon this reserve of maturer male life. 



The policy of the Alaska Commercial Company during the whole period of its 

 lease was, as might be naturally expected, to obtain the best possible skins for 

 market and at the same time preserve the rookeries against injury, for it was not 

 only in their interests to be able to secure every year, until the expiration of the 

 lease, the full quota allowed by law, but they confidently expected, by reason of 

 their good management of the business and faithful fulfillment of every obligation 

 to the Government, to obtain the franchise for a second term. I was, therefore, 

 always alert to see that the due proportion of breeding males of serviceable age 

 was allowed to return to the rookeries. This was a comparatively easy task prior 

 to 1882, but became from year to year more difficult as the seals decreased. No very 

 explicit orders were given to the bosses upon this point until 1888, because the bulls 

 seemed to be plentiful enough, and because it was easier to kill and skin a small seal 

 than a large one, and the natives were inclined, for this reason, to allow the large 

 ones to escape ; but in 1888 and 1889 there was such a marked scarcity of breeding 

 males upon the rookeries that I gave strict orders to spare all 5-year-old bulls and 

 confine the killing to smaller animals. 



Anton Melovedoff, native chief of St. Paul Island: 



I have never known or heard tell of a time when there were not bulls enough and 

 to spare on the breeding rookeries. I never saw a cow 3 years old or over in August 

 without a pup by her side. The only cows on a breeding rookery without pups are 

 the virgin cows who have come there for the first time. I never went onto a rook- 

 ery in the breeding season when I could not have counted plenty of the idle, vigor- 

 ous bulls who had no cows. 



Talk of epidemics among seals and of impotent bulls on the rookeries, but those 

 who have spent a lifetime on the seal islands and whose business and duty it has 

 been to guard and observe them have no knowledge of the existence of either. An 

 impotent bull dare not attempt to go on a rookery even had he a desire to do so. 

 Excepting the extremely old and feeble, I have never seen a bull that was impotent. 



Simeon Melovidov, native school teacher, St. Paul Island : 



Nor is there any shadow of fact for the idle statement made from time to time 

 about a dearth of bulls on the rookeries or of impotent bulls. 



I have talked to the old men of our people, men who can remember back over fifty 

 years, and not one of them knows of a time when there was not plenty of bulls, and 

 more than enough on the breeding rookeries, and no one here ever heard of an impo- 

 tent bull. It has been said that cows are barren sometimes because of the 



S. Doc. 137, pt. 1 5 



