SEAL LIFE ON THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 19 



Oil the Pribilof Islands, the returns of the Canadian sealers operating 

 in Bering Sea may well be questioned. They report but 14,G3G females 

 in a catch of 26,341, while the American fleet reports 3,813 females in 

 a catch of 5,201 — a much greater proportion. JSTot one American sealer 

 reported more males than females. One of them, the Deeahkn — captain 

 and all hands being Indians — reported only 155 males in a catch of 

 1,023, while seven Canadian sealers reported more males than females. 

 One Canadian sealer, the master of the Borealis, apparently without 

 guile, has come very near the truth in reporting only 90 males in a catch 

 of 1,050 seals. 



I ascertained upon inquiry at the custom-houses at Port Townsend 

 and San Francisco that the catches of but three of the American sealers 

 from Bering Sea had been examined by experts in furs to determine 

 the proportions of the sexes represented. These were the Therese, 

 Jane Grey, and Ease iSjiarls. The catch of the Louis OLsen, an American 

 sealer, landed at Victoria, was examined by my colleague, Mr. A. B. 

 Alexander, of the United States Fish Commission. 



None of the others, either American or Canadian, were subjected to 

 such an examination, but their returns, as a whole, are still capable of 

 correction in the light of depositions by the London furriers, who 

 received and inspected the bulk of the pelagic catch. 



The examination of the catches of the four vessels named above 

 shows the proportion of females to range from two-thirds to four fifths 

 of their catch. As to the catches of the Ella Johnson, Decakks, Stella 

 JErland^IdaJEtta, Cohcmbia,iindAllie Algar, that of the Deeahlcs has evi- 

 dently been faithfully recorded, while the others have at least i)laced 

 themselves on the safe side. Of the Canadian fleet, the Labrador, 

 Aurora, Mary Ellen, Walter Earle, San Jose, Beatrice, etc., reporting 

 from two-thirds to three-fourths females, are also on the safe side, while 

 the Borealis stands unique in reporting almost an entire catch of females 

 (only 90 males in a catch of 1,149). 



As to the Sapphire, Ainoho, Walter Rich, Favorite, Henrietta, etc., 

 the less said the better. They are convicted of inaccuracy by their 

 own admissions. If there was intention to deceive as to the proportion 

 of the sexes in Bering Sea, discrepancies should have been guarded 

 against, as comparisons with the returns madeby the-BoreaWs, Beeahks, 

 Walter Earle, etc., are damaging. 



The proportion of females in the Canadian catch has not been repre- 

 sented in good faith, as it does not correspond with what the fur trade 

 know to be the actual conditions; with what nine sealers out of ten say 

 about the composition of pelagic catches in general, and with what we 

 known by count and observation to have been the loss of young seals 

 by starvation. 



ABSENCE OF FEMALES FROM ROOKERIES AFTER AUGUST FIRST, 

 AND EASE WITH WHICH THEY MAY BE TAKEN AT SEA. 



On August 1, 1894, just before leaving the Pribilofs on an extended 

 crnise on the pelagic sealing grounds, I examined two small rookeries 

 very carefully (Ketavie and Lukannoiij,f()r the purpose of ascertaining 

 the proportion of females upon the breeding grounds. On that date I 

 estimated that about 80 per cent of the seals present consisted of males 

 and young, clearly indicating the great extent to which the females 

 were feeding at sea. 



The cruising ground of the Albatross for the first week in August was 

 far to the northwest of the islands, where very few seals were seen. On 

 the 7th, just outside the protected zone and to the northwest of St. 



