318 TESTIMONY 



In 1890 our liuuter in tbe stern boat secured GO seals, and lost over 200 

 erioiit of In seals tliat Lc woundcd. The Indians make a sure work 

 dian^hu'nter*8 and of it, and secure nearly every seal that they spear, 

 methods. They do not make so much noise in approaching a sleep- 



ing seal as the white hunters do. When an Indian in a canoe is ap- 

 proaching a bunch of seals asleep on the water he does not remove his 

 paddle from the water, but dexterously and noiselessly moves it in the 

 water, because the least sound would awaken the seals. The hunter 

 who uses a gun not only disturbs the seal he shoots, but awakens and 

 disturbs the others, who then make their escape. 

 In 1891 I noticed that there Avas a considerable decrease in the num- 

 ber of seals seen in the water; also that they were 

 Decrease. more shy and wakeful as compared with my observa- 



tions in 1890. A cow seal that's heavy with pux) is sluggish, and sleeps 

 more soundly than the males, and for that reason they are more readily 

 approached. I have never known a black pup to be captured on the 

 coast. Seals do not haul out upon the land along the 

 Do not haul up on coast, uor give birth to their young on the kelp or in 

 fn witeA^'^oirkei'p.™ the water. I have never heard the Indians or white 

 sealers say that there is a place on the coast where 

 seals haul out and breed. A great many seals that are shot would sink 

 before we could secure them. Sometimes the water above the sinking 

 seal would be so discolored by the blood that it was impossible to see it 

 and secure it with the gaflf-hook, which all sealing boats carry for that 

 purpose. If pelagic sealing is continued, especially with guns, in a few 

 years the seal herd will become commercially destroyed. Nearly every 

 seal captured causes the death of either an unborn pup, or the death 

 of a young pup by starvation on the islands. AU pe- 

 Protectionbya lagic sealing sliould be prohibited after April 1 of each 



close season neces- ^ j^mij.- j.i iixt_ 



eary. year until such time as the young pups areable to sub- 



sist without nourishment from their mothers. It is 

 practically impossible to distinguish the age or sex of seals in the water 

 while approaching them while at a reasonable gunshot distance from 

 them, excepting in the case of old bulls. Old bulls and male seals ap- 

 pear to enter Bering Sea before the cows leave the coast. Our last 

 catch of seals on the coast were almost exclusively gravid females. 



his 



Henry x Brown. 



mark. 



John McLeod. 



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

 [SEAL.] Levi W. Myers, 



United States Consul. 



JDeposition of Thomas Broicn {Ro. 1), sealer [loat indler). 



PELAaic sealing. 



Dominion of Canada, 



Victoria^ British Columhia, ss : 



Thomas Brown, being duly sworn, deposes and says: My age 



is 31 years, my residence is Victoria, British Columbia; occupation, 



seaman. I went sealing in 1889 from San Francisco, Cal., (I do 



not remember the name of the vessel) Capt. Scott was master j 



