68 TESTIMONY 



atic arrangement and distribution that any expansion or contraction 

 which may take pLice of the rookery boundaries must show a cor- 

 responding increase or diminution of their popuhition; and further, 

 that, as the rookeries enhirge or diminish so in a like ratio will the 

 general body of the seal life be affected. By careful and intelligent 

 study, then, of the breeding grounds, any material changes which may 

 take i3lace from year to year in the numerical condition of the seal life 

 on the two islands may be determined. I may state that the sum of 

 my observations in the above relation on the Pribilolf Islands at the 



close of the season of 1878 clearly indicated that since 

 isTolnTisTs.^*^^*^*^" 1^^^^ ^^^ rookeries had increased in an apx»reciable 



manner, and I may add that such was the opinion of 

 everybody on the islands who had given the subject any careful study. 

 During the years I have mentioned, to wit, from 1870 to 1878, inclusive, 

 the stock of killable seals was always more than sufBcieiit to meet the 

 annual demands made upon it by the lessees and still leave in reserve 

 a proper supply of males for future use on the rookeries. 

 The slaughter of animals for their skins was always conducted care- 



fnlly and systematically, and in accordance with wise 

 ^°^' regulations looking to the j^roper protection and con- 



servation of the seal life. The killing of females was prohibited, and, 

 fortunately, a strict adherence to the law in this respect was entirely 

 practicable by reason of the fact that the " bachelors " or killable seals 

 occupy i)Ositions on the islands separate and apart from the breeding 

 animals, so that the latter were never disturbed in the drove." There 

 . . were often driven to the killing grounds at the same 



"^°^' time as many as two or three thousand seals, from 



which were selected without difficulty such animals as were suitable 



for slaughter, while all others were allowed to return to 

 b/aSfdeu^"^'^ ^""^^ t^^ water. Females might occasionally appear in the 



drove, but their presence was generally known and 

 none were killed except by accident, which occurred very rarely. 

 In the matter of driving, great care was exercised to prevent over- 

 heating and exhaustion on the road, and the loss of 

 seSs from drMng*^'' auimals in this respect was very slight. I may state 



here that I have never seen any evidence that the seals 

 derived any material injury from their overland trip to the killing 

 grounds. It has, I believe, been claimed by some one writing on the 

 subject, that the large seals whicli have been thus driven, and subse- 

 quently in the culling-out process dismissed from the herd and per- 

 mitted to return to the water, sulfer a loss of virility or the power of 

 procreation by their journey. Such statement seems to me to be puerile 

 and altogether unworthy of serious consideration. As I have said, the 

 driving was done carefully and without undue haste, and while an 

 animal might occasionally succumb to the heat of an unusually warm 

 day, as a rule the physical exertion called for on the part of the seals 

 on these enforced journeys was not greater than they customarily put 

 forth in their voluntary ramblings over the dunes and rocks of the 

 islands. Indeed, the mortality among the seal life from whatsoever 

 cause, outside of that incident to the killing of the animals for their 

 skins, was always surprisingly small, and could not have affected the 

 rookeries in any appreciable manner. 



The seals are never visited by physical disorders of any kind, so far 



as I could ascertain, and I have never seen on their 

 ^^No diseases among bodics any blcuiishes, humors or eruptions which miglit 



be attributed to disease. 



