206 TESTIMONY 



tatioii of recent growth. In the sea seals are miu'li 

 Seals more tnmd. ^^^^^,^ ^. ^^^j^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ,^^ ^.^^^ ,^^ posslble at the ap- 

 proach of a vessel, while formerly they were usually quite curious, and 

 would sport and i>lay about the vessel when conic up with. I believe 

 Absolute rohibi- ^^^^^ dccrcase and timidity is due to the indiscriminate 

 lion of"peiagw°seai- slaughter of the seals by pelagic sealers, and am of 

 iug necessaiy. ^^^ opiuiou that if sucli scaliug were absolutely sup- 



pressed the species would again increase. 



0. H. Andersen. 



Subscribed and sworn to before me this 13th day of June, 189!i. 



Z. L. Tanner, 

 Lieutenant Commander, TJ. 8. Navy. 



Deposition of Buth BurduhofsM, native Aleut sealer. 

 PELAGIC SEALING. 



Personally appeared before me Euth Burdukofski, who, being duly 

 sworn, deposes and says : I am 64 years of age, a native 

 Experience. Alcut, bciug bom Oil Bering Island, and do now reside, 



and have since the age of 17 resided, at Uualaska. In my early life, 

 eai3 off ^^^i^'ii^S ^'^^ time of the Eussian American Company, I 

 umdasiia. ^^^ ^ ° liuuted scals iu my bidarka in and off the bays of Uu- 

 alaska Island. In the spring, as early as February or 

 ^cMil'""" "'^ ^"'"'^^ °^ March, the big bulls first came. The latter part of 

 ^*'" *■ March came the "holluschickie," or younger bachelor 



seals; these in turn were followed by smaller males, and last of all in 

 early June came the mothers or "matkie," which were in haste to reach 

 the land to be delivered of their young. 



In the fall of the year, chiefly during Noveml)er, when the wind com- 

 ing from northerly directions blow them toward the^^e 

 wdTifthlTfau ^^^' shores, was the time to go out and capture the young- 

 seals. 

 When the wind blew from the southerly directions no pups were to 

 be found. I never saw any older seals with them, and 

 Going tiuougii the ^.j^j^ j^^^ gj^y j^^g^ wliat time the seals of different ages 



passes. 1 -11 ■ l^ ■ ■ • • 1 



and sexes go through the passes in this vicinity. 

 I believe these pups A^^ere the weaker ones, who could not follow 

 their mothers, and being temijorarily lost were driven by northerly 

 winds into the quieter bays and harbors, and there 

 Aleutian Mand7 ""^ restcd. No old scals ever haul out in this vicinity. 

 Immediately after northerly gales, and before the water 

 has grown so quiet that the young pups can again continue their jour- 

 ney, is the best time for capturing them. There is no regular time 

 about this, it depends on the weather. In late years I have not hunted, 

 but when I did this village caught from 150 to 200 

 gu^s^andneS* ^'^^ pups. So luuch dcpcuds ou the wcathcr that some- 

 times more and sometimes less are caught. In recent 

 years guns and occasionally fishing nets are used with better results, 



Eui'H Burdukofski. [In Eussian.] 



Subscribed and sworn to before me this 7 day of June, 1892. 

 [seal.] C. Li Hooper, 



Notary Fuhlic, Dist. of Alaslca. 

 Attested : 



EUDOLPH UrNMANN, 



Interpreter, 



