298 EXTRACTS FROM VARIOUS PUBLICATIONS. 



that is to say, the protectors of the herd, and consequently so much the 

 more quickly would the orks exterminate them. 



10. Hence a close-time of two years preserved the seal species for 

 more than ten years, and the loss suffered by the company during' the 

 close-times (about 8,500) was far more than repaid; and the more so 

 as, if the company had not observed a close-time in 1826 and 1827 it 

 would not have procured more than 24,000 from 1826 to 1838, i. e., 

 in twelve years; but by having- a close-time for only two years it 

 procured 31,576 sealskins in ten years, and moreover may get more than 

 15,000 more without any close- time. 



11. Thus, if so insignificant a number of seals spared on St. George 

 (about 8,500), and for so short a time, to wit, two years, yielded so large 

 a profit, namely, three times as many as the number spared, how great 

 would be the profits resulting from the recent policy of the board of 

 administration of the company on the island of St. Paul, where there 

 has already been a close-time for four years, and where more than 

 30,000 seals have been spared for breeding purposes up to this time. 



If not for the sake of comparison, at least as a matter of interest, I 

 present here a table of the increase of the seals for fifteen years, from 

 7,000 spared on the island of St. Paul in 1835. (See Table 2.) 1 



By order of the board of administration a close-time, or sparing, was 

 observed on the island of St. Paul, for all the seals in excess of 12,700 ; i. e., 

 in the preceding year, 1834, 12,700 seals were killed there, and in the fol- 

 lowing year, 1835, if there had been no close-time, not more than 12,200 

 would have been procured from the whole island under ordinary cir- 

 cumstances, estimating the decrease at only one twenty-fifth ; but in 

 that year instead of 12,200 only 4,052 seals were killed; consequently 

 8,148 seals, including males and females, were left for breeding in 1835. 



In drawing up the tables of the increase of the seals, however, I 

 assume the decrease as the average one, that is, one-eighth; and it then 

 follows that the number of seals spared will not be less than 7,060. 



In the number of 7,060 seals, we estimate 3,600 females, that is, a few 

 more than the number of males. 



I estimated that one-half of the new cows born during the close-time 

 would have young in the first year following aud two thirds every year 

 subsequently. 



The females must decrease in numbers from natural causes at the 

 expiration of twelve years from the time of their first having young; 

 i. e., at the end of eighteen years of their life, and at the end of the twen- 

 tieth year of their life they would be entirely useless for breeding pur- 

 poses. 



Half of the young seals born at the expiration of four years after the 

 close-time, and subsequently are assumed to be females, and this num- 

 ber is inserted in the table and the males or bachelors are added to the 

 total. 



It will be seen from the second table that — 



1. The old cows — that is, those which were able to have young in 

 1835 — must become extinct by 1850 (assuming the decrease at one-eighth 

 annually). 



2. During the first four years after the close-time, i. e., until the new 

 cows begin to bear, their number will usually diminish. 



3. A number of seals equal to the number spared will be obtained at 

 the expiration of six years; double that number not before the expira- 

 tion of twelve years; treble that number at the end of fourteen years, 



1 For tables, see the original publication. 



