TESTIMONY TAKEN IN OR NEAR DIXON ENTRANCE. 277 



enough. My Inuiting lodge is on Dundas Island, and j^Jf^^'^''' "" i*""''''^ 



I hunt in Dixon s Entrance and off Prince of Wales 



Island. Have always used a shotgun for taking seal, 



and lose about 40 i)er cent of what I shoot. Most of Mostly ftmaie with 



the seals taken My me have been femal6 with pup. i'"i^ knied. 



Never killed but one old bull in my life. I have killed 



a good many small bulls, and a great many yearling seals, but never 



examined the latter as to sex. I have always hunted seals from March 



to June. Everything that comes near the boat in i,,i,,,i„i,,te km- 



shai)e of a seal is shot, regardless of sex. The seal are ing. 



not near as plentiful as tliey used to be. The cause of 



the decrease is, I think, too many schooners hunting Decrease. 



them off Prince of Wales Island and around Dixons 



Entrance. Have never known any seal pups to be 1^^,^^^^."'^- ""* ^"™ 



born in the water or on the land anywhere aronnd this 



part of Alaska. Have never seen or heard of seals Do not iiaui up ou 



hauling up on the land around this part of Alaska. I '''"'^• 



have never seen any fur seal arouiul Annette Island 



or any of the inland waters of Alaska. I think the protection. 



schooners should be prohibited from hunting seal out 



in the water off Prince of Wales Island, so that the seal will become 



plentiful again. 



Ills 



Maurice x Bates. 



mark 



Witness to his mark: 

 David Leask. 

 A. W. Lavender. 



Subscribed and sworn to before me this 10th day of May, 1892. 



A. W. Lavender, 

 United States Treasury Agent. 



Deposition of Edward Benson, sealer. 



PELAGIC sealing. 



Edward Benson, being duly sworn, deposes and says: I am 34 years 

 old. Was born in British Columbia and noAv reside at 

 New Metlakahtla. I have been engaged in hunting i^-'perience. 

 five years. Have hunted seal in canoes; begin to hunt 

 the last of March and hunt till the middle of June. I have had my hunt- 

 ing lodge at Nicholas Bay and on Dundas Island. Hunt seal in Queen 

 Charlotte Sound, Dixons Entrance, and off' Prince of Wales Island. 

 I use the shotgun for taking seal. I lose about 25 per cent of the seals 

 shot. Tliink the majoiity of the seals taken are cows. 

 Never killed but two old bulls in my life. Have killed J^ajority taken 

 quite a number of yearling seals and some young 

 males 2 and 3 years old. We kill everything that 

 comes near the boat, and use no discrimination, but . indisciimiuatc km 

 shoot them regardless of sex. Seal are getting very "'°' 

 scarce. I think the cause of the scarcity is too many 

 people hunting seal. I have never known any pups to ^'''''''^'^^®- 



