240 SEAL LIFE ON THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



I Lave known of one or two schooners operating in Bering Sea as 

 early as 1877 or 1878, and tliey were on the rookeries occasionally during 

 the past ten years, but they can not damage the seal herd innch by raid- 

 ing the rookeries, because they can not take many, even were they per- 

 mitted, which they are not by any means. (John Fratis.) 



Raids on the rookeries by marauders did not, while I was on the 

 island, amount to anything, and certainly seal life there was not affected 

 to any extent by such incursions. I only knew of one raid upon St. 

 Paul Island while I was there. It was by a Japanese vessel, and they 

 killed about KM) seals, the carcasses of which we found on hoard when 

 we captured the vessel. (El. A. (Hidden.) 



We sailed about January from Victoria, British Columbia; sailed 

 along the coast until the latter part of June and went into Bering Sea, 

 and sealed as near to St. George Island as we could. We caught about 

 300 or 400 seals in the sea. Our intention was to make a raid, but were 

 driven away by a revenue cutter. We left the sea about the latter part 

 of July. (Joseph G-rymes.) 



Max. Heilbronner, having been duly sworn, deposes and says: I am 

 secretary of the Alaska Commercial Agency, and as such have in my 

 custody all record books of the company, and among them the daily 

 records or " log book" kept by the agents of the company on St. George 

 Island from 1873 to 1889, inclusive, and on St. Paul Island from 1870 to 

 1881), inclusive. In these books every occurrence was carefully noted 

 from day to day by the agent in charge at the time. They have been 

 examined under my supervision, and show only the following raids on St. 

 George Island during the time covered by them, to wit: 



October 23, 1881: The carcasses of 15 dead pups and a cargo hook 

 were found on a rookery. It was supposed that the crew of a schooner 

 seen about the island a few days previous landed in the night. 



October 10, 1884: Fifteen seal carcasses were found on Zapadnie 

 rookery. A guard was stationed, and the following night the crew of 

 a schooner made an unsuccessful attempt to land. The boats were fired 

 on by the guard and retreated. 



July 20, 1885: A party landed under the cliffs in a secluded place 

 and killed about 500 adult female seals and took the skins away with 

 them. They killed about 500 pups at the same time, leaving them 

 unskinned. 



July 22, 1885: A party landed at Starry Arteel rookery and killed 

 and skinned 120 seals, the skins of which they left in their flight, when 

 pursued by the guard. They killed also about 200 pups, which were 

 left unskinned. 



November 17, 1888: A crew landed and killed some seals at Zapad- 

 nie; how many is not known, but at this season of the year the number 

 must have been small, because the seals have nearly all migrated. 



September 30, 1889: Eighteen dead pups and four clubs were found 

 on a beach near a rookery. It is not known whether any others were 

 killed. 



An examination of St. Paul record does not show any destructive 

 raids upon the island. It is a fact, however, that in July, 1875, prior to 

 the beginning of the record, the crew of the schooner San Diego landed 

 on Otter Island, a small islet 6 miles from St. Paul, and killed and 

 skinned 1,660 seals. She was captured before leaving the island, and 

 both the skins and vessel were condemned to forfeiture by the United 

 States court. 



