40 SEAL LIFE ON THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



restrictions of the modus viveiidi, the destructive operations of the 

 pelagic scaling fleet, so long directed chiefly against the American herd, 

 were suddenly transferred to the Russian herd, and from that time its 

 decimation has been rapid, the slaughter extending annually, from the 

 latitude of Yokohama, in winter, to within 30 miles of the Commander 

 Islands, in summer. The catch for 25 Canadian vessels in 1895 was 

 18,080 skins, as compared with a catch of 50,430 skins in 1894 by the 

 same number of Canadian vessels. The total pelagic catch from the 

 Russian herd for 1895 was only 38,732 as compared with a catch of 

 about 82,000 in 1894. 



A minute inspection of tiie rookeries on the Commander Islands dur- 

 ing the past season revealed such a reduction in the breeding portion 

 of the seal herd as to render immediate restrictions on pelagic sealing 

 necessary, if anything more than a mere nucleus of the Russian herd is 

 to be preserved. 



PROPORTION OF SEXES IN THE PELAGIC CATCH. 



This subject having been commented upon very fully in the report 

 for 1894, further discussion as to the pr()i)oitioii of male and female 

 seals killed by pelagic sealing seems unnecessary. Sealers detecting 

 the danger of restrictions that might follow a discovery of the great 

 preponderance of females in pelagic catches have in numerous cases 

 misrepresented the fa(;ts. American inspectors of seal skins have found 

 the reports nmde by masters of sealing vessels on this point to be sub- 

 ject to correction in cases too numerous to mention. There being no 

 ofiicial inspection of the Canadian catch, the reports of masters are 

 necessarily accepted foi' record. Canadians are the chief offenders, 

 American sealers having in mind the customs inspections that accom- 

 pany the landing of their catches. The American catch is reported 

 (with custom house corrections) to consist of three times as many females 

 as males, no vessel reporting more males than females. Tlie Canadian 

 returns represent the numbers as more nearly equal, no otticial inspec- 

 tion of catches being made, although 11 vessels state their catches as 

 chiefly male. 



The following exami)les illustrate the ditterences usually found be- 

 tween the reports made by masters of vessels and those made by 

 inspectors of seal skins: 



Vessel. 



Schooner Ecrett : 



Master's report 



Otficial examination 

 Schooner Deealika : 



Master's report 



Otlicial examination 

 Schooner Bering Sea: 



Master's report 



Othcial examination 

 Schooner Matilda: 



Master's report 



OtHoial examination 

 Schooner Erlaud : 



Master's report 



Otficial examination 



Discrepancies were found in nearly all the log books in the fleet. 

 The skins were identified in the presence of the masters and others, 

 who acquiesced in the identification as they were tallied. In all cases 



