RELATING TO ST. GEORGE ISLAND. 175 



COW never gives suck to any pup save, her own : I iudffe „ Females nmse ouij 



, 1 . /. " 1 i- A 1 ' .• P tlieir own pups. 



tins from my own observation. A puf) does not swan 

 when first born, and is generally two months old before ^"^^ swimming. 

 it goes into the water. I have seen the stomachs of several seals after 

 they were killed and they contained only pieces of fish, which seemed 

 to be their sole food. I do not know whether they eat kelp or not. 



The bulls do not eat at all while on the breeding rookeries. The 

 cows, however, eat and sometimes go 00 miles to get 

 food, and perhaps farther. Old experienced poachers ^""'l fasting, fc- 

 informed me that they remained that distance from the "^" 



islands to cajiturethe seals when they came to feed. I estimate that 

 the seals killed by pelagic hunters are at least 90 per 

 cent females; this estimate is based on the great num- Ninety per cent 

 ber of motherless pups I have observed on the rook- '''''^° ^'''""'^'• 

 eries, and also on statements made to me by many engaged in pelagic 

 sealing whom 1 met and conversed with at Unalaska." 

 There was but one successful raid on the rookeries while ^"''''^^ ""^ ''^''°'^'- 

 I was upon the island, and but 125 seals were killed. I do not consider 

 that raids on the rookeries have anything to do with 

 the decrease of the number of seals. I am further niiving not injuii- 

 satisfied after my two years' experience that the driv- °""" 

 ing of male seals to the killing grounds by the natives could be of no 

 possible injury to seal life on the islands. I think the 

 seals ought to be protected both in Bering Sea and the I'loto^tion n^vo:^- 

 North Pacific Ocean, and pelagic sealing entirely pro- ''^''^' 

 bibited in those waters, or else a close season estab- 

 lished, beginning INfarch 1 and ending either Septem- seSoi"''"'''" ""'^"**' 

 ber 1 or October 1. in case the seals are not protected 

 in this manner, I believe that they will be exterminated within five 

 years. 



T. F. Kyan. 



Subscribed and sworn to before me this 20th day of March, 1S02. 



[l. s.] SEVELLok A. Brown, 



Notary Public iit and for the District of Columbia, U. aV. A. 



Deposition of W. B. Taylor^ assistant Treasurij agent on iSt. George Island. 



management; iiaeits; pelagic sealing. 



District of Columbia, 



^''^.'/ ^f Washington, ss: 

 W. B. Taylor, of Omaha, ^c\n\, hv'iug duly sworn, deposes and says : I am 

 41 yearsof age. Secretary andTreasureroftheGlobe Loan andTrustCom- 

 pany, of Omaha, ]S''ebraska, and am not and never have been in anyway 

 connected with any company engaged in the seal-skin indnstry. In the 

 year 1881 1 w^as Assistant Treasury Agent for the seal islands. I arrived 

 on the islands in the latter partof May of that year, and after a week's 

 stay on St. Paul Island was detailed to St. George, remaining there until 

 tlie latter part of August. Since then I have not been on the islands. 

 While (m St. George I was on the killing grounds every 

 day during the season, and visited the rookeries almost ^•''i'"'^'"''- 

 daily, both m connection witli my oflicial duties and for the purpose 



