TESTIMONY RELATING TO ST. PAUL ISLAND. 



Deposition of J. C. 8. AJcerly, surgeon U. 8. Revenne Marine and resident 

 suTfjeon on St. Paul Island, 



dead pups. 



State of California, 



City and County of 8an Francisco, ss : 



J. 0. S. Akeily, ph. b., m. d., Laving been duly sworn, deposes and 

 says: I am a i^raduate of the University of California, 

 1882, and a graduate of the Cooper Medical College, Experience. 

 1885. From June to August 18th, 1891, 1 was 8urgeon on the Eevenue- 

 Marine steamer Corwin. From August 18th to Novem- 

 ber 24th, 1891, I was resident Physician on St. Paul igfa^^'^^'^gr; ^*- ^''"^ 

 Island, one of the Pribilof or seal islands. I am at 

 present a practicing physician at Oakland, California. During my stay 

 on the islands I made frequent visits to the different seal rookeries. One 

 thing which attracted my attention was the immense 

 number of dead young seals; another was the presence be?of^ ''"^'' '^'"" 

 of quite a number of young seals on all the rookeries 

 in an emaciated and apparently very weak condition. I was requested 

 by the Government Agent to examine some of the carcasses for the 

 purpose of determining the cause or causes of their death. I visited 

 and walked over all the rookeries. On all dead seals were to be found 

 in immense numbers. Their number was more apparent on those rook- 

 eries such as Tolstoii and Halfway Point, the water sides of which 

 were on smooth ground, and the eye could glance over patches of ground 

 hundreds of feet in extent which were thickly strewn with carcasses. 



Where the water side of the rookeries, as at "Northeast Point" and 

 the reef (south of the village), were on rocky ground, the immense number 

 of dead was not so ai3parent, but a closer examination showed that the 

 dead were there in e([ually great number scattered among the rocks. 

 In some localities the ground was so thickly strewn with the dead that 

 one had to pick his way carefully in order to avoid stepping on the car- 

 casses. The great mass of dead in all cases was within a short distance 

 of the water's edge. The patches of dead would commence at the 

 AA'ater's edge, and stretch in a wide swath up into the rookery. Amongst 

 the immense masses of dead were seldom to be found the carcasses of 

 full-grown seals, but the carcasses were those of pups, or young seals 

 born that year. I can give no idea of the exact number of dead, but I 

 believe that they could only be numbered by the thousands on each 

 rookery. Along the water's edge, and scattered amongst the dead, were 

 quite a number of live pups, which were in an emaciated condition. 

 Many had hardly the strength to drag themselves out of one's way; 

 thus contrasting strongly, both in appearance and actions, with tho 



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