362 TESTIMONY 



of ships on voyages from Japan and China to the northwest coast of 

 America, and also received information from others in San Francisco 

 and New York who questioned masters coming over the same route. 

 I further studied the charts of the North Pacific Ocean as to currents, 

 winds, etc., and read all the books and articles which had any bearing 

 on the question and to which I had access. 



All reports tend to show there must be an immense feeding-ground 

 between latitude 40° and 42° north, and extending from longitude 172° 

 west to 135° west. All vessels reported at different places in this area 

 discolored water with the appearance of shoalwater, but upon sounding 

 no bottom has been found except at a great depth. The reports of these 

 vessels all show for the months of November, December, and January 

 large bodies of fur-seal in this locality. I, myself, passed over this area 

 in the latter part of August, 1891, in the brigantine Tahiti, and found 

 at various points from 172° west to 1G2° west on the 41st parallel the 

 appearance of discolored water; sounding, I could obtain no bottom at 

 200 fathoms; the appearance of the water being of a very light color, I 

 am convinced that these patches of discoloration are banks of floating 

 feed, which, from my examination of the currents in that section, are 

 kept in that portion of the ocean by branches of the ocean currents. 

 At the time 1 passed through these waters there were no seals in sight, 

 it being too early in the season; but I found at various points large 

 flocks of sandpipers, kingfishers, and other birds; this is further evi- 

 dence* of the presence of feed in this locality, or of small surface fish. 



My opinion is that, on leaving the Bering Sea, the Alaskan herd pro- 

 ceeds due south until it reaches this feeding ground, and then by de- 

 grees works eastward, following along this area until they begin to ap- 

 pear again off the coast of North America in January and February. 



The only reason I have not fitted out a vessel to seal in these waters 

 is that other business has each year prevented me; but I am certain 

 that if I had been able to embark in such an enterprise I should have 

 made a good haul of seals during the winter months. 



In the latter part of April, 1884, I was on the whaler Caleb Eaton, 

 bound from Honolulu for the Arctic Ocean, about 200 miles south of 

 the Ainukta Pass. In this locality we met quite a number of large fur- 

 seals, having the appearance of bulls, which appeared to be travelling 

 to the northward. My opinion is they had been in this feeding ground 

 I have mentioned, wintered there, and were returning to their home on 

 the breeding islands. W. H. Ferguson. 



Subscribed and sworn to before me this 18th day of November, A. 

 D. 1892. 

 [seal.] Clement Bennett, 



Notary Public. 



Deposition of Nicholas A. Grebnitzki* Russian military chief of the Com- 

 mander Islands. 



I, Nicholas A. Grebnitzki, Bussian military chief of the Commander 

 Islands district with the rank of Colonel, make the following state- 

 ment: 

 I have been residing on the Commander Islands and have directed 

 Ex . all sealing operations there for the last fifteen years, 



and during this whole period have been absent from 



*No writtenevidence having been produced in" the report of the British Commis- 

 sioners in support of the various views attributed to Mr. Grebnitzki, the United 

 States have deemed it desirable to obtain from that official a written expression of 

 his views upon seal life in general. 



