218 TESTIMONY 



other than those fur seal rookeries on the several seal islands of Ber- 

 ing Sea. 



My experience in seal hunting is that a much greater number of fe- 

 males are taken at sea than males of the fur-seal 

 berof feSertew speciesj aud of the females, the majority are pregnant 

 or milking cows. I l)elie^'e that in order to preserve 

 Prohibition necessary.^^.g^^j life, pclagic huutiug should bc stoppcd abso- 

 lutely. 



his 



Andrew + Anderson. 



mark. 



Subscribed and sworn to before me this 13th day of April, 1892. 



Joseph Murray, 

 United States Treasury Agent. 



Deposition of Charles Avery, sealer {master), residing on Eadialc Island. 



PELAGIC SEALING. 



Charles Avery, a resident of St. Paul, Kodiak, Alaska, being duly 



sworn, deposed and said: I am captain of a sealing 



Experience. schooucr; havc bccu six years in Alaska; have been 



hunting seals three years. I start the season off Yaku- 



earofi' *'^^* "^^^ ^^^^ scals are seen about April first. We 



TakutaJabout April follow the scals back and forth, as schools come along. 



1st- We use rifles and shotguns. Of those killed, the 



number saved varies with the skill of the hunters. 



th^je^'laken" are*fe^ Last year wc lost vcry few. About 00 per cent of 



males; majority preg- thosc savcd are fcmalcs, and the greater numb,er with 



"'*"*■ young. The females sink almost immediately when 



^ , . , . ,, . shot, if heavy with young. It is not possible to dis- 



Pelagic birth im- ,. " . , "^ , i • • i i -ii 



possible. tinguish scx wlicn seals are swimming, and knling is 



indiscriminate. I do not think th.it seals can be born 

 Rookeries only on in thc watcr aud Hvc. I do not know of any rookery 

 pribiiof Islands. ^^^^^^ thosc ou the scal islands of the Bering Sea. 



Charles Avery. 



Subscribed and sworn to before me this 13th day of April, 1892. 



Joseph Murray, 

 United States Treasury Agent. 



Deposition of Vassili Ghichinoff et ah, native fur hunters. 



PELAGIC SEALING. 



Yassili Chichinoff, Timothy Demidoflf, Simeon Reisoff, Alamphy Pes- 



tikofif, Prokopy Nankook, Feodore Anutak, Evan Grinoff, aud Feodore 



Grinoft", being duly sworn, depose and say: We are 



Experience. residciits of St. Paul, Kadiak Island, Alaska, and are 



natives of Alaska. Our occupation is hunting for fur-bearing animals, 



principally the sea-otter. 



