82 SEAL LIFE ON THE PRIBILOP ISLANDS. 



and its ability to maintain its numbers at the proper limit. It does not cause the 

 seals to change their habits in any way, and I do not believe that even an excessive 

 killing of ^ouug males on the islands would have the effect of altering the habits of 

 the female seals with regard to landing and cause them to remain about the islands 

 iuste:id of coming on shore. 



Cows, except, perhaps, in rare cases of accident or for scientilic purposes, are 

 never allowed to be killed on the islands, and the reason for this is that all cows 

 are needed for breeding purposes. To kill, therelore, any cow except a barren one 

 (and there are few barren ones except amongst the very old cows) inflicts a much 

 greater injury on the herd than the loss of a single life. It is not true that because 

 it is proper to kill a certain number of males it is also proper to kill a certain num- 

 ber of females. Hut assuming that it might at some time become desirable to kill 

 some females, it would still be wholly improper to kill them without regard to size 

 or condition, as is the case when they aie killed in the water. 



There is at the present time upon the Commander Islands an abundance of male 

 lifc for breeding purposes, and there is no fear that any female will not be served 

 from lack of virile males. On the other hand, it is undoubtedly true that there were 

 in 1892 r latively fewer females than in former years, and I attribute this to two 

 causes: First, to killing of se;ils in the water, and, second, raids upon the islands. 

 The tirst of these causes is by far the more important. 



The raids have, owing to the great amount of foggy weather, taken place, to a cer- 

 tain extent, notwithstanding the greatest precautions to guard against them. The 

 raiders Kill males, females, and pups without discrimination; but however injuri- 

 ously the raids have affected the rookeries still they are of much less importance 

 than the killing of Commander Islands seals in the water. During the past two sun> 

 mers, and especially during the last one, this killing in the waters has become so 

 preat that if allowed to continue in future years the herd will be in danger of 

 ultimate extinction. 



1 do not know exactly how wasteful this method may be, from the fact that all the 

 animals wounded or killed are not captured, though I am told that much loss occurs 

 in that way, and I know that under certain conditions a seal shot dead will sink at 

 once. I can state positively, however, from actual experience and personal examina- 

 tion, that a vast proportion, fully 96 per cent, of the skins taken by this method 

 during the present year are those of female animals. In addition, a certain number 

 of the skins so taken are those of very young seals, probably of both sexes, such as 

 are never killed on land. 



Very few of the females killed are barren, no matter when or where they are 

 killed. Females taken early in the season are generally heavy with young, in which 

 condition they travel slowly as compared with the other seals. The killing of such 

 a female involves, of course, the immediate loss of two lives. But even when the 

 femah? is taken alter she has been on shore and given birth to her yonug this same 

 result follows eventually, fora seal will suckle only her own pup, and the pups are 

 for the rirst three to tive mouths dependent altogether on their mothers for food. 

 Consequently when the mothers, who, after thebirth of their pups, leave the rookeries 

 in search of food (traveling sometimes considerable distances, I do not know exactly 

 how far), fail to return, iheir pups must necessarily die. 



There are always a few dead pups to be found on the rookeries whose death is not 

 due to that of their mothers; but during the last year or two a greater number of 

 dead pups have been actually noticed than heretofore, and have attracted the atten- 

 tion of all persons on the islands who are at all familiar with seal life. It can not 

 be successfully contended that they all died of natural causes. There is no disease 

 among the Commander Island seals, and while a certain number of young pups are 

 always exposed to the danger of being crushed to death (but not as a result of the 

 drives which are made to collect seals for killing) or of being drowned by the surf, 

 yet these causes of death will not account for the greater mortal ity of pups which 

 t ok place during the past summer. Besides, the bodies of the dead pups 1 refer to 

 are those of starved animals, being greatly emaciated. 



It is chiefly during the next few years that the effects of the recent killing of 

 females will become most noticeable, because many of the pups which in those years 

 would have become bachelors or holluschickie have never been born or died soon 

 alter birth. 



With regard to the driving of the seals from the beaches to the places of slaughter, 

 while it does not benefit them, yet I believe that there are very few cases in which 

 it does them any harm even if they are redriven. I am sure it does not render them 

 impotent. It should be remembered that, unlike the hair seals, they are fairly 

 adapted to movement on land, as is proved by the fact that they are in some cases 

 actually driven considerable distances over ground that is both rough and steep. 



Since the killing of seals in the water is wasteful, and in every sense contrary to 

 the laws of nature (which require that special protection be afforded to the females 

 and young of all animals), I am of the opinion that it should be entirely forbidden. 

 If it is only partly suppressed or prohibited within a certain distance from the 



