396 TESTIMONY 



the seals reaching the Pribilofs with shot in them bear to those which 

 are fired at and escape (wounded, as I state above) is not known, but I 

 believe that fully as many perish leaving no trace as recover sufficiently 

 to reach the islands. 



Feeding seals shot when raising their heads about the boats from 

 ^ curiosity are more likely to be killed instantly than sleep- 



ing seals, but they sink more quickly. A clear shot at 

 the head is afforded, which knocks the life completely out of them, and 

 the rest of the body being under water at the time it would seem that 

 the pressure upon the limp body forces the air from it. As a rule seals 

 killed instantly, when the head is entirely clear of the water, go down 

 quickly, sinking stern foremost. Sleeping seals killed when the head 

 is low in the water float for a time, the head settling into the water 

 first, the air is retained in the body and it floats. I shot a seal off 

 Guadeloupe Island in May when it raised its head close to the boat, 

 killing it instantly. It sank before we could reach it with the gaff and 

 continued sinking, stern first, as we could plainly see far below in the 

 clear water. 



Another illustration of the wastefulness of pelagic sealing might be 



waste of life found in the number of cartridges expended. During 



the work of the Oorwin no record of this kind was kept. 



The hunter usually carried two or three dozen cartridges, which were as 



a rule expended before they returned to the ship. The number of seals 



lost by sinking, number wounded, and number secured were recorded. 



Repeated firing from the boats was often heard on board ship and a 

 large number of empty shells would be returned, when 



Ammunition used. ° , . , „ x % -, n . , , . ,' 



comparatively few seals were definitely reported as se- 

 cured, lost, or wounded, all other shots being supposed to be misses. I 

 do not think this feature has received proper consideration. The hunt- 

 ers were certainly average marksmen, and it is my belief that the great 

 majority of the sleeping seals fired at were struck. The guns used 

 were 10-bore Parkers, loaded Avith 21 buckshot. Time after time I 

 have seen the heavy charge strike about the sleeping seal, fully expect- 

 ing to see it killed, when, to my utter surprise, it would dive and come 

 up beyond our reach. It is incredible that the great number of seals 

 thus escaping were uninjured. How can one always find traces of 

 blood or signs of injury when the frightened animal is retreating at a 

 rate so rapid that it is soon out of sight, and especially as its course is 

 mainly under water, and it only appears at the surface with a porpoise- 

 like leap to catch its breath and then dives again, 



Charles H. Townsend, 



Subscribed and sworn to before me this 10th day of December, A. D. 

 1892. 



[seal.] Jno. B. Randolph, 



Notary Public. 



Deposition of William H. Williams, United States Treasury Agent in 

 charge of Pribilof Islands. 



District of Columbia, 



City of Washington, ss : 



William H. Williams, being duly sworn, says: 



The British Commissioners, upon their arrival at the Pribilof Islands 

 in 1891, presented me a letter signed by Chas. Foster, Secretary of the 



