WHEN COWS ENTER THE WATER. 59 



evident that the period could not have been six Capt. Bryant's 



statements. 



weeks according to his own statements in 1869. 

 Ten years later, after eight years of experience 

 on the Pribilof Islands, he states: "The females 

 after giving birth to their young, temporarily re- 

 pair to the water and are thus never on shore all 

 at once." 1 



He carefully omits to give any definite period 

 between the birth of the pup and the excursions 

 of the cow for food. This omission is of impor- 

 tance in this connection, as he prefaces his state- 

 ment at this time with the following note to Dr. 

 Allen: "You will understand that where any of 

 my former statements are omitted or changed, it 

 is due to correction made necessary by my longer 

 experience." 2 It is evident, therefore, that Capt. 

 Bryant had publicly discarded the opinion used 

 by the Commissioners to maintain their position. 

 One native of the Commander Islands is, there- it y for the Be- 

 fore, the sole authority for the statement of the p01 

 British Commissioners. 



The United States deny the sufficiency of this T Testimony ^of c. 



J J H. lownscnd. 



evidence and offer the testimony of Mr. C. H. 

 Townsend, of the United States Fish Commission, 

 to sustain such denial and to prove to what extent 



Ponograph of North American Pinnipeds, p. 386. 

 s Monograph of North American Pinnipeds, p. 382. 



