RELATING TO ST. PAUL ISLAND. 145 



mild weatlier bachelors are found and killed for food late in January. 



The movements of the seals are governed quite considerably by the 

 weather. When they do leave the Island they go southward and pass 

 once more through the passes of the Aleutian Islands and out into the 

 North Pacific Ocean. 



It is usually supposed that seals are like wild animals. This is not 

 so. They are used to the natives and will not run far ^ ^ , 



r. ,1 mi Tj_j_i -11 J- XI 1 Tameuess of seals. 



from them. The little pups will come to them, and even 

 in the fall when they are older we can take them up in our hands and 

 see whether they are males or females. We can drive the seals about 

 in little or large bands just as we want them to go, and they are easy 

 to manage. We protect and take good care of the seals, and if they 

 were not killed in the sea we could make them increase upon the 

 islands so that they would be as many as before. 



Anton Melovedofp. 



Subscribed aud sworn to before me, an officer empowered to admin- 

 ister oaths under section 1076, Revised Statutes United States, this 

 10th day of June, 1892, St. Paul Island, Alaska. 



Wm, II. Williams, 

 Treasury Agent in charge of /Seal Islands. 



Deposition of Simeon Melovidoi^, native Alaslxan^ and employe' of the lessees 

 on St. Paul Island. 



MANAGEMENT — PELAGIC SEALING. 



St. Fan! Island^ Pribilof Group, Alaska, TJ. S. A., ss: 



Simeon Melovidov, being duly sworn, deposes aud says: I am twenty- 

 five years of age, and I was born at Sitka, Alaska, i came to 

 St. Paul Island ill 1807, and resided here ever since. ,,,,,.. 

 I have a practical knowledge of and am familiar with '-^I'^'eiKu. 

 the fur-seal iudustry as it is carried on on St. Paul Island. I became 

 an able sealer in 1879, and worked at it ever since, except in the win- 

 ters, when I was at school. I have driven seals aud skinned them and 

 prepared the skins for shipment. I am at present the school teacher 

 on St. Paul Island, and I can read and write English and Pussian, as 

 well as the Aleut language. I know that as long as I cau remember the 

 driving of seals has been the most carefully done work 

 on the island, and all the drives have been done by our i^rn-mg. 

 own people, urder the immediate orders of the native Chiefs. The aim 

 at all times of all concerned has been to care for aud 

 guard the seals, aud to do everything possible to pre ^•''™ t'*^^'" °f ^-^^'^^ 

 serve and perpetuate seal life. We were always instructed by the 

 Chiefs to drive slowly, and to let the seals stop and rest occasionally, 

 and if a cow happened to join the drive, we had to allow her to drop 

 out and return unmolested to the water. 



It has been the policy and practice of the lessees to do everything 

 that could be done to shorten the length of the drives 

 whenever it could be done without injuring or disturb- ^'^'"^ "'"'^' '^"''• 

 ing the the breeding rookeries, and to this end salt houses have been 

 bnilt, teams and wagons or l)oats used so as to reduce the longest 

 (bive on St. Paul Island to not to exceed 2 miles. Xever since 1879 has 

 a seal been driven on this island to exceed that distance. In likemaii- 

 2716— vol n 10 



