148 TESTIMONY 



The Alaskan fur soul is a nativcot tlio Pi ibilcf Islands, and, uiilrss i»ie- 



seais are natives of vcutcd, will ictiuii to tliosc islaiuls evciy year with the 



Pribiiof isiaiKis. rc.^nlarity of the seasons. All the peculiaiities ofnature 



Seals return to Uw tluic siuTound the Pijbilof (iron|) of Islands, such as low 



islands cver.v .year. .,„^|(.^.t.„ tenipeiatni-e. fo-, mist, aiid peiix'tually clonded 



sky, seem to indicate their iitness and adaptability as a home for the 



Alaskan fur seal; and with an instinct bordering- on reason they liave 



selected these lonely and barren islands as the choicest spots of earth 



sti ni, I'ribiiof Is ^U>on which to assemble and dwell together during 



lai'uisVi" nu'in'i'ii's. ^ tlicir six uioutlis' staj on land; and annually they 



journey across thousands of miles of ocean, and ])ass 



hundreds of islands, without i»ause or rest, until they come to the place 



of their birth. And it is a well established fact that 



sr'nu' "'' ""^'^ °" upon no other land in the world do the Alaskan fur-seal 



haul out of water. 



Early in May -the bulls approach the islands and after cautiously and 



, _ „ carefully reconnoitering the surroundings haid out and 



Arrival of bulls. ■, i !t • i_ j_- ^i i • i ^i 



select their stations on the rookeries, whert^ they 



lialiently await the coming of the cows. AVhen they tirst ai)])ear upon 



the rookeries tlie bulls arc fat and sleek and very aggressive, but after a 



stay of from three to four months, without food, they crawl away from 



the rookeries in a very lean condition. In my opinion, 



li.iiis return tosanio the bull scal returiis to the siiot he occupied the i)re- 



SDot every year. -, . nri r> i-^ ^ 



ceding years, and i know ot several instances Avliero 

 he could bo distinguished by the loss of an eye or a tlip])er, in which 

 he actually did return tor a series of years to the same sj^ot. 



The mother seals or cows commence to haul out about June l()th,and 

 ■ 1 o\- cows iK'JVi'ly iill of them are on the rookeries by July 15th, and 

 Airi\a oi <o^s. 1 believe they bring forth their young almost immedi- 

 ately after reaching their places on the rookeries. When the pup is 

 from four to six days old, the mother goes into the 

 Lirtho puj.s. water for food and, as time passes, her stay becomes 

 Fcniaits fecaing. h)nger, until finally she will be away from her pup for 

 several days at a time, and sometimes for a whole 

 niUe"\'rom iliauds^^" wcok. Duriug thcsc loiigcr migrations she often goes 

 200 miles from the rookery, and I have been informed 

 by men who were engaged in the trade of pelagic hunting that they 

 had taken " mothers in milk" at a distance of over 200 miles from the 

 Seal Islands. 



No cow will nurse any pup but her own, and I have often watched 



the pui)S attempt to suck cows, but they were always 



Females nurse only di-ivcn ofif; and this fact couviuces uic that the cow 



their own pups. . ' . , i , , , i / 



recognizes her own pup and that the pup does not 

 know its dam. At birth and for several weeks after, the pup is utterly 



helpless and entirely dependent on its dam for sustc- 



^ Pups utterly help- ^^^^^,^^. .j,,^^ should anything prevent her returinluring- 



,, . , , , this period it dies on the rookery. This has been dem- 



DyiBi; from neglect. , j. t i -i iii.-'ii i- i 



onstrated beyond a doubt since the sealing vessels 

 have operated largely in Bering Sea during the months of July, Au- 

 gust, and September, and which, killing the cows at the feeding grounds, 

 left the pups to die on the islands. 



At about five weeks old the i»ups begin to run about and congregate 

 , in bunches or "ixkIs;" and atO to"8 weeks old they go 



Pups loarnuig to . , ,, in i. i i ii i i •' ' 



Bwim into the shallow water and gradually learn to swim. 



They are not amphibious Avlieii born, uor can they swim for se\cral 



