350 TESTIMONY 



into Bering Sea, which they enter early in July. I use the shotgun ex- 



^. ^^.^^ clusively for taking seal. About 25 per cent of seals 



igra ion. ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ Most of the seals taken are females with 



^MMt^y pregnant fe- p^p. Qut of 111 seals last year I killed but 3 bulls. 



maes a en. ^ very few yearlings have been taken by me. A few 



male seal have been taken by me from 2 to 4 years old. Hunters use 



no discrimination, but shoot everything in shape of a seal that comes 



near the boat. Have never known or heard of pups 



No pelagic birth. being bom in the water or on the land anywhere out- 



no not haul "P ex- side of the Pribilof Islands. Have never known of fur 



iM?ds.°'' ■^^ ' " ^ seal hauling up on the land on the coast anywhere ex- 



Nirino^f males cept ou the Seal islands. Have killed cow seals that 



kiiieir'"" *"" ^ ''"^ were full of milk over 40 miles from the Pribilof Islands. 



Protection Froui May 1 to September 15 I think seal ought to be 



protected in Bering Sea and the North Pacific Ocean. 



If not they wiU soon be exterminated. 



Joshua Stickland. 



Subscribed and sworn to before me this 1st day of May, 1892. 



A. W. Lavender, . 

 United States Treasury Agent. 



Deposition of John A. Sicain, sealer {hoat-puller). 

 pelagic sealing. 



Dominion of Canada, 



Victoria^ British Columbia, ss: 

 John A. Swain, being duly sworn, deposes and says: I reside at Vic- 

 toria, British Columbia. I am a seaman by occupation 

 xperience. ^^^ ^^^ ^7 years old. I wcut Sealing in May, 1891, as 



Thittie, 1891. boat-puUcr in the steamer Thistle, Mcherson, master. 



She carried seven boats and one stern boat, all white crew, and three 

 li -r off coast men to each boat. We began sealing off the Columbia 

 ea ngo coas . jjiyej.^ ^ud then sealed northward up the coast to 

 Bering Sea, and captured about 320 seals in the North Pacific Ocean, 

 ^ „ , most all females, and nearly all had young pups in 



Jfregnant females ., . , ' , ■' i j^ • i i • iT 



taken. them. A great many seals are lost m hunting them 



by sinking befoie the boats can get to them, and a 



Waste of life. great many are badly wounded and escape. Our 



hunters used shotguns and lost a great many; I think 



Entered Bering Sea. We WOUld SaVC tWO OUt of fivC that WC killed. We 



entered the Bering Sea in June through Seventy- two 



Pass and caught about 100 seals, when we were ordered out of the 



, ^ , sea. They were all females that had given birth to 



Only females taken, ii • 



their young. 



In February, 1892, I again shipped in the schooner Geneva, O'Lery, 



Geneva 1892. mastcr; she Carried seven boats and one stern boat, 



and three men to each boat; I was boat steerer. We 



commenced sealing as soon as we got outside of the cape, and captured 



Pre ant females ^^^ut 270 seals aloug up the coast. Most of the seals 



takeuP*^ ^™* ^^ caught wcrc pregnant females, and when we would 



skin them the milk would run out of them on the deck. 



Do not haul up on i am surc there is no x)lace on the coast where they 



haul out upon the land and give birth to their young, 



