RELATING TO ST. GEORGE ISLAND. 177 



seals killed duiiiiji' tlie seasou by overheating and smothering, and in 

 all cases the skins of these were taken and counted with the other 

 skins transported to the salt houses. I never saw or heard of the gen- 

 erative organs of a male seal being injured by redriving, and it seems 

 to me to be utterly absurd that anyone could think that an animal 

 with such \7onderful vitality as is possessed by the male seal could be 

 injured or his reproductive powers impaired by driving or redriving. 

 if such a thing should occur it would be at once noticeable, for the im- 

 potent bull would certainly haul up with the bachelors, having no in- 

 clination and vigor to maintain himself on the rookeries. 



It is my opinion that a bull is able to serve from three to Ave cows a 

 day, and certainly over a hundred in a season. I have ^^ 

 seen over forty cows at one time in a harem, and the oibims^''*"'" ^'°^^'^'^ 

 bull who possessed this harem was continually striving Harem 

 to obtain more cow^s. There was but one raid on the 

 rookeries while I was there, and that took place on Otter Island, about 

 sixty skins being taken. After that raid the Government kept a man 

 on Otter Island during the entire summer to protect it from marauders. 

 Eaids on tlie islands never affected seal life to any ex- 

 tent. Since my residence on the Pribilof Islands I J^^ids on islands. 

 have kept a very careful watch of the progress of events there, and 

 have interviewed a great many connected with tlie seal industry, I 

 am of the conviction that the reported decrease in seal 

 life on these islands can be attributed to no other cause pe?a^rTc*'seaiin-'^*' *** 

 save pelagic sealing. While I was located at St. George *"^ "^*''* ""' 

 Island in 1881 pelagic sealing was then and previous to that time had 

 been of very little consequence, having very slight effect upon seal life. 

 Not more than four or five vessels were engaged in pelagic sealing in 

 1881 in the waters of Bering Sea, and prior to that time a still fewer 

 number were so engaged. But since 1881 this industry 

 has grown yearly until now about a hundred vessels are sealer^. ^^ °^ pelagic 

 destroying the seals in great numbers, and, as I am in- ^^^^^ females ta- 

 formed and believe, the great majority of those killed ken. ^ emaes 

 are I'emales. Then too, large numbers are killed in this waate of life. 

 waywhich are never recovered or reported. It is, there- 

 fore, in my opinion, necessary that the seals should be sa?y.°*^*^*'°" ^^^^^' 

 protected, and all killing in the water prohibited in all ^^ ^^.^^^ . 

 waters which the seal herd frequents, and especially in ing se^Lmf Afeutian 

 Bering Sea and while the herd are en route to and P'''«ses. 

 from the islands through the Aleutian i)asses. 



W. B. Taylor. 



Subscribed and sworn to before me, a notary public in and for the 

 District of Columbia, U. S. A., this 26th day of April, 1892. 

 [l. s.] Sevellon a. Brown. 



Deposition of George Wardman, assistant Treasury agent on St. George 



Island. 



habits j management 5 pelagic sealing. 



District of Columbia, 



City of Washington, ss : 

 George Wardman, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, being duly sworn, de- 

 poses and says : I am 50 years of age, and editor of the Pittsburg Press. 

 In 1879 as a journalist I made a trip to Alaska on the United States reve- 

 nue steamer Bush, during her summer cruise. On that trip I stopped at 



2716— VOL II 12 



