86 TESTIMONY 



hig gronnds still lield a vast population of these animals and it re- 

 quired an expert to perceive the fact that they had been depleted at all. 

 Duiiug those years the sealing season commenced about June 1st to 

 Seaiin season "^^^ ^"^ closcd invariably before the 20th of July, so 

 bea mg season. ^^^^ _^^^ disturbance to the herd was confined to the 

 shortest possible period of time and reduced to the minimum. The 

 efl'ect of this was of course most excellent. In addition to which fact 

 sta e season *^^^ skins were always in prime condition during that 



agey season. period; whcrcas, later on, the "stagey" season com- 

 mences, when the skins are inferior and not marketable. 

 The conspicuous fact most apparent to me during all those years was 

 . that by the enforcement of the wise laws enacted by 



lonjus e . QQj-,oj^^.ggg early after the acquisition of Alaska, this 

 precious animal life could be and was protected and preserved in the 

 fullest measure, and that being so protected the natural increase of the 

 herds more than offset the annual killing, great as it was. 



The most scrupulous care was always taken by all persons at the 

 .^ , ^ , , islands, including Government agents, the Alaska 



Females protected. „ • i /-i i j. i j.i j_- i • jc 



(Jommercial Company's agents, and the native chiefs 

 and people, to spare and protect the mother seals, whether upon the 

 rookeries or elsewhere on the islands; so careful were we in that re- 

 gard that whenever a female seal happened to be driven up along with 

 a herd of killable seals, or "bachelors," she was promptly distinguished 

 from the males, never killed, but separated from the mass and allowed 

 to make her way again to the sea. In all resi^ects great care was taken 

 to prevent the unnecessary harassment of any class of seals, whether 

 old or young, male or female. 



The breeding rookeries themselves were never under any circum- 

 stances disturbed. There was indeed no occasion to 

 tuSS^"^' '"'* *^''" disturb them, because the killable seals, or "bachelors," 

 from 3 to 5 years old, were so numerous that the whole 

 catch could be taken from this class with the ease and facility which 

 I have already described. 



Besides, under the operation of the natural laws governing the species 

 „ , in their habitat, the classes are distinctly separated on 

 land, the bulls, cows, and pups occupying the breeding- 

 rookeries proper, while what are known as the " bachelors," to wit, 

 those young males which have not arrived at the dignity of being the 

 heads of harems, haul out of the sea and gather upoji the shores sep- 

 arate and apart from the breeding rookeries, so that the driving for 

 killing purposes could then be readily done without interfering with 

 the breeding rookeries. Thus a wise deference on the part of man to 

 the habits of this systematic race of animals can be turned to valuable 

 account and nature be made to reinforce commerce in her work. 

 During those years the lawless occupation of seal poaching was in 

 .,._„, its infancv. Marauding vessels, it is true, appeared 



No raids in 1881. ,. ,. l 4.- -4.1 4. \ 1. 4.^ • \ i 



from time to time in these waters, but the islands were 

 so well guarded that during my term of office there never was a suc- 

 cessful raid or landing upon either of the islands of St. Paul or St. 

 George. The only landing upon any island of the group was made in 

 June, 1881, upon the unoccupied island of Otter (not included in tlxa 

 lease), as described in my special report to the Secretary of tlie Treas- 

 ury, dated July 4, 1881. On that occasion a predatory schooner suc- 

 ceeded in landing a boat's crew, who killed forty or fifty seals, when 

 they were driven off" by a boat • sent by me for that purpose from St. 

 Paul, about 6 miles distant. 



