360 TESTIMONY 



I know, coupled witli tlie opinion that it was an exceptional and abnor- 

 mal occurrence. 

 Allusion having been made to the absence of excrementitious matter 

 Excrement on u P on the breeding grounds, I may observe that the 

 rookeries. excrement of the seal being of a liquid nature and 



never solid as in allied terrestrial animals it sinks into 

 the ground or is otherwise dissipated by the seals themselves passing 

 over it, but its existence and in enormous quantities is evident to the 

 most casual observer, if by no other means, from the intense ammo- 

 niacal odor which may be perceived at a long distance, and which 

 renders a stay in the vicinity of the rookery most uncomfortable and 

 offensive for any one having a delicate sense of smell. I have on many 

 occasions observed personally the voiding of excrement upon the breed- 

 ing grounds, and it seems impossible that any one should be in their 

 vicinity for teu minutes without detecting the presence in great abun- 

 dance of excrementitious matter, which is mingled with and forms part 

 of the soil. 



Wm. H. Dall. 



Subscribed and sworn to this 14th day of Deer., 1892. 

 [seal.] Sevellon A. Brown, 



Notary Public. 



Deposition of M. 0. Er shine, master mariner. 



State of California, 



Gity and County of San Francisco, ss : 

 Captain M. C. Erskine, being duly sworn, deposes and says: 

 I have been in the employ of the Alaska Commercial Company since 

 the organization thereof, as captain of the supply 

 xpenence. steamer of said company, which carried supplies to the 



Pribilof Islands and other stations of the company in Alaska, and which 

 also brought down annually to San Francisco the fur-seal skins taken 

 on the Pribilof Islands by the said company as lessee thereof. From 

 1870 to 1875, inclusive, 1 was in command of the company's steamer 

 Alexander, and since 1875 I have been in command of the company's 

 steamer St. Paul. The Alexander was not large enough to bring down 

 the full quota of one hundred thousand sealskins in one cargo, so that 

 it was at that time customary for me to bring down from forty to fifty 

 thousand skins to Unalaska, where they were transhipped by another 

 vessel to San Francisco; I then used to return to the Pribilof 

 Islands, take on the remaining skins, and proceed directly with 

 them to San Francisco; since 1875 I have with the St. Paul brought 

 down to San Francisco all the fur-seal skins taken on the Pribilof 

 Islands while the Alaska Commercial Company was 

 fromis?amis 0f 8kins lessee thereof. All the seal-skins delivered to me on 

 the St. Paul from the Pribilof Islands were in bundles, 

 except now and then a few which were bundled on board of said vessel, 

 never more than two skins being placed in a bundle. When the bundles 

 and the few extra skins were placed in the lighter at the islands to be 

 taken on board of my vessel the Government officer always counted 

 them, and when they were hoisted on board the vessel they were again 

 counted as they came over the side by my first officer. On arriving at 

 San Francisco the vessel was unloaded at the wharf and the bundles 

 again counted by a custom-house officer as they were brought up from 

 the hold and also by an employe" of the Alaska Commercial Company. 

 All the bundles were, since 1879, packed in casks at the wharf where 



