RELATING TO FUR-SEALS AND SEALSKIN INDUSTRY. 385 



Deposition of Joseph Stanley-Brown, Treasury Agent. 



District of Columbia, 



City of Washington, ss : 



Joseph Stanley-Brown, being duly sworn, deposes and says: 



I am 37 years of age ; am a citizen of the United States ; reside at 

 Mentor, Ohio, and am by profession a geologist. 



I spent the entire season of 1891 upon the Pribilof Islands, and dur- 

 ing the summer of 1892 again visited them and spent 

 the period between June 9th and August 14th upon x P enence - 

 the islands of St. Paul and St. George in continuation of my investi- 

 gations concerning seal life. This season, in addition to the continu- 

 ous general examination of all the rookeries and the plottings of the 

 breeding ground areas upon charts, certain special stations were se- 

 lected at points within easy reach of the village and daily visits made 

 thereto. This method of work gave me an excellent opportunity to 

 make comparisons between the breeding areas of 1891 and those of 

 1892. 



As the result of my observations during the past season it is my opin- 

 ion that there was no increase among the females — the B ■ 

 producing class — but on the contrary that there was a ree ingg101 

 perceptible falling off. This decrease was the more noticeable at points 

 on the rookeries where the smaller groups of breeding seals are to be 

 found. 



There was so little driving during the season of 1892 that an excel- 

 lent opportunity was given to observe life upon the hauling grounds, 

 several of which were not disturbed during the entire season. There 

 seemed to be a slight increase of the young bachelor seals, although 

 this may have been more apparent than real from the fact that being 

 unmolested they accumulated in large bands. 



It is quite certain that the normal habit of the " holluschuckie" is to 

 remain most of their time upon shore, and if left to themselves would 

 spend more time there than in the water. I have kept a close daily 

 watch upon groups of young males, the members of which did not go 

 into the w r ater for a week or ten days at a time. 



Any statement to the effect that the occasional occurrence of large 

 harems indicates a decrease in the available number of Hareiu8 

 virile males aud hence deterioration of the rookeries, 

 should be received with great caution, if not entirely ignored. The bulls 

 play only secondary part in the formation of harems. It is the cow which 

 takes the initiative. She is in the water beyond the reach or control of 

 the male and can select her own point of landing. Her manner on coming 

 ashore is readily distinguished from that of the young males which con- 

 tinuously play along the sea margin of thebreeding grounds. She comes 

 out of the water, carefully noses or smells the rocks here or there like a 

 dog, and then makes her way to the bull of her own selecting. In this 

 incipient stage of her career on shore there is but little interference on 

 the part of the male, but once well away from the water and near the 

 bull she has chosen, he approaches her, manifests his pleasure, and 

 greetings are exchanged. She then joins the other cows and as soon as 

 dry lies down and goes comfortably to sleep. I have seen this selec- 

 tive power exercised repeatedly and the result is that one bull will be 

 especially favored while those within fifteen or twenty feet will be ig- 

 nored. 



The size of harems, therefore, has of itself but little to do with the 

 question of lack of virile males, but indicates only the selective power 

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