TAKEN AT OR NEAR SITKA. 257 



When seal are sliot dead tliey almost instantly sink and are hard to 

 secure; have noticed the seal are decreasing very fast Dg^rease 

 the hist four years; too many schooners are hunting 

 them in the open waters of the l*acitic Ocean and Bering pupa not bo™ in 

 Sea ; have never known or heard of pup seals being born ;afy^''herTin Alaska/ 

 in the water, nor on the land anywhere in Alaska; have 

 never known of any seals hauling up on the land on this wft^ethnn"oa pSI 

 coast elsewhere than on the Pribilof Islands. 1 think lof ishmcis. 

 that if the schooners were prohibited from hunting- 

 seal in the North Pacilic Ocean and Ik'ring Sea the seal i^r^t'-^tion. 

 would soon become plentiful along the coast. 



liis 



Simeon x Chinkootin. 



mark. 



Witness to his mark : 



George Kastrometinoff, 



United States Court Interior etcr. 



Subscribed and sworn to before me this 7th day of April, 1893. 



A. W. Lavender, 



United States Treasury Agent. 



Experience. 



Deposition of Peter Chnrch, scaler. 



PELAGrIC SEALING. 



Peter Church, being duly sworn, deposes and says: I was born at 

 Sitka; am 22 years old, and am by occupation a hunter. 

 Have been engaged in sealing the past four years 

 in the Noith Pacific Ocean, always in the capacity of a hunter. 

 Have first taken seal off Sitka Sound the middle of April. Followed 

 the seal ui> the coast as far as Yakutat, where they 

 disappeared the last of June. Have always used Migration. 

 shotgun and rifle. I think about 50 per cent of the seals shot with 

 shotgun are lost, and a greater projiortiou are lost when 

 shot with a rifle. Most] of the seals taken by me have niafe°'take«!^"^"*^^" 

 been females with young. I think the female seal is 

 less active and more easily a]iproached. A few male seals have been 

 taken by me, their ages ranging from one to five years old. Killed 

 three large bulls during my life. The sex of the seal can not be dis- 

 tinguished in the water. I shoot everything that comes near enough. 

 If seal are instantly killed they Avill sink very quick, and are harder 

 to secure under those conditions than they would be if badly wounded. 

 Have noticed that seal are becoming very scarce on the uearcase 

 coast the last few years. The cause of the scarcity of the 

 seal, I think, is that too many schooners in the North indiscriminate kiii- 

 Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea, and the indiscriminate ing. 

 killing of females with pup in the water. Never have paps not bom in 

 known any Y>ups to be bi)rn in the water, nor have I water. 

 ever known fur-seal to haul u]) on the land anywhere do not haul up on 

 on the coast of Alaska. I think all pelagic sealing i""'^- 

 should be stopped, so that seal would have a chance Protection. 

 to increase. 



Peter Church. 



Subscribed and sworn to before me this 20th day of April, 1892. 



A. W. Lavender, 

 United States Treasury Agent. 

 2716— v^OL II 17 



