SEAL LIFE ON THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 283 



coast of Alaska the seal would become plentiful and the Indians could 

 kill them once more in canoes. (Yalikah.) 



Since the white men with schooners began to hunt seal off Prince of 

 Wales Island the seal have become very scarce, and unless they are 

 stopped from hunting seal they will soon be all gone. If the white men 

 are permitted to hunt seal much longer the fur seal will become as 

 scarce as the sea otter, which were quite plenty around Dixons 

 Entrance when 1 was a boy. The Indians are obliged to go a long way 

 for seal now and often return after two or three days' hunt without 

 taking any. (Hastings Yethnow.) 



Seal have been decreasing very rapidly the last few years, and it is 

 hard for our people to get them. There are too many white men hunt- 

 ing them with schooners off Prince of Wales Island. (Paul Young.) 



Since the white man began to hunt seal they are becoming very 

 scarce. (Walter Young.) 



Within the last live or six years seals have decreased in number very 

 fast and are becoming very shy, and it is difficult to creep upon them 

 and hit them with the spear. Years ago the heads of seals along the 

 coast would stick up out of the water almost as thick as the stars in 

 the heavens, but since the white men with so many schooners have 

 come and began to shoot and kill them with the guns they have become 

 very scarce. (Hish Yulla.) 



If so many white hunters keep hunting the seal with shotguns as 

 they do now it will be but a short time before they will be all gone. 

 (Thomas Zolnoks.) 



DECREASE OF SEALS RESULTS OF INDISCRIMINATE SLAUGHTER. 



It is impossible to distinguish the sex of a seal in the water, unless 

 it is an old bull. I am unable to state anything as to the proportion 

 of females taken, but the seal hunter shoots every kind of seal he sees. 

 (C. A. Abbey.) 



I can not tell the difference between the male and female seal while 

 in the water, except it be an old bull. (Peter Brown.) 



I shoot all seal that come near the canoe and use no discrimination, as I 

 can not distinguish a young bull from a cow in the water. All hunters 

 shoot everything that comes near their boats. (Akatoo.) 



No discrimination is or can be used; everything is game that comes 

 within range of the hunter's weapon. (A. B. Alexander.) 



It is impossible to distinguish the male from the female at a distance 

 in the water. (H. Andricius.) 



It is impossible to distinguish sex when the seals are swimming, and 

 killing is indiscriminate. (Charles Avery.) 



The sex of seal can not be told in the water. I shoot everything that 

 comes near the boat. (Adam Ayonkee.) 



I used no discrimination, but killed everything that came near the 

 boat in shape of a seal. Never stopped to ask if it is female or not. A 

 few old bulls have been taken by me. (Johnny Baronovitch.) 



Everything that comes near the boat in the shape of a seal is shot, 

 regardless of sex. (Maurice Bates.) 



