IN BERING SEA AND NORTH PACIFIC. 89 



case" (ibid., p. 430). At another place, quoting" Mr. Blaine's 



V r y l X ° note of March 1, 



from the testimony of Jacob H. Moulton, the 18 90. 

 following appears: "Q. When a female is nurs- 

 ing her young and goes out for food and is 

 killed or wounded, that results also in the death 

 of her young? — A. Yes, sir" (ibid., p. 432). 



This explanation of the cause of the death of ^J"^ ^?^ 

 pup-seals is not recognized by the Report, except port * 

 to contradict it. In place of it four specific causes 

 are advanced, "to which the mortality noted may 

 be attributed with greatest probability" (Sec. 

 356) : First, the killing of the mothers by taking 

 them in "drives" from the borders of the breed- 

 ing grounds; second, an epidemic disease; third, 

 crushing of the pups in stampedes; and, fourth, 

 raids on the rookeries (Sec. 356, a, b, c, d). 



The first cause alleged, namely, the driving and *■ Driving and 



& 1 J ' & killing of the 



killing of the mothers, is unsupported by any mother8discussed - 

 proof whatsoever, and will not account for the 

 deaths on Tolstoi Rookery, where the greatest 

 number of bodies were seen by the Commission- 

 ers (Sec. 350), because no "drive" was had in 

 1891 within a quarter of a mile of that rookery. 1 



The second cause alleged, an epidemic disease, 2. An epidemic, 

 is mere hypothesis, and has already been treated 

 in the Case of the United States. 2 



'J. Stanley-Brown, post p. 388; W. H. Williams, post p. 399. 

 2 Case of the United States, p. 216. 



