278 TESTIMONY 



Not born in water ])q bopii in tlie Water or on the land. Nor Isave I known 



of any seal hanling up on tlie laud anywhere in Alaska. 



Do not iiaui up on I havc never seen any fur seals in the water around 



Alaskan coast. Auuette Islaud. I think schooners should be prohib- 



Protection. itcd lYom hunting seal in the North Pacific Ocean to 



give them a chance to increase again. 



Edward Benson. 



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



A. W. Lavender, 

 United iStates Treasury Ayent. 



Deposition of Charlie Bahtlin, sealer. 



PELAGIC SEALING. 



Charlie Dahtlin, being duly sworn, deposes and says: I was born in 

 Shakan and have lived here all my life. Am a very 

 xpenence. ^^^ mau. Havcbeeu a hunter all my life, hunting both 



seal and bear and all kinds of land animals, and have killed a great 

 many of all kinds. Have hunted seal off the west coast of Prince 

 Edward Island for a number of years. When I was a boy spear was 

 nsed; now the shotgun and rifle are exclusively used for taking- 

 seal. None were lost when the S]iear was used. When the shot- 

 gun is used sometimes they are lost. A few more are 

 Majority taken lost whcu rifle is uscd. Majority of seals taken are 

 pregnant females. cows witli pup, Oiicc iu a whilc we take au old bull. 

 A few yearlings are taken also. All seal are killed 

 indiscriminstekiii- tJuit come near the canoe, whether it is male or fe- 

 ^°^' male. 1 make no difference. In former years there 



Decrease. wcrc lots of scal, but uow tlicrc are very few. Too 



many schooners hunting them all the time in the water, 

 killing the motlier seals as well as others. Have never known of any 

 pups being born in the water or on the land on the 

 vrlur^ ^"^ '"'™ '" coast of Alaska. I have never heard of any or seen any 

 fur-seal hauled up on the land anywhere around Prince 

 coFs" "°^ ''""^ "^ "" Edward Island or anywhere else on the coast. If the 

 schooners are stopped from taking seal off Prince Ed- 

 ward Island the seal will become plenty, and the Indians can kill them 



Protection '^^ ^'^^^ ^^^^ '^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^' "^^^^ *^^' ludiaus cau get 



very few. 



lii.s 



Charlie x Dahtlin. 



mark. 



Witness to his mark : 

 J. M. Potter. 

 A. W. Lavender. 



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



A. W. Lavender, 

 United States Treasury Agent. 



