368 TESTIMONY 



fur-seal species, but tliink tliattlie const ;int and indiscriminate slauf]jliter 

 of them must tend largely to that end. It is my belief 

 Prohibition nucos- ^\^.^j^ j,, order to y)resei-ve fur-seal life from extermina- 

 tion all pelaj^ic linntiiij;- slionid be stopped and Bering 

 S(!a closed. 



Norman Hodgson. 



Subscribed aud sworu to before me this IStli day of April, 1892. 



Joseph Mueuay, 

 United tSiates Treasury Agent. 



Deposition of 0. Tlolm, owner of schooner Challenge. 



PELAGIC SEALING. 



O. TTolm, beinj,' duly sworn, deposes and says: I reside at Whatcom, 



Wash. I am part owner of the sealing? schooner Chal- 



Expoiiciicd. lenge, and was on board of lier last s<'a,son in Bering 



S(^a. We ai-rivcd in the Sea, soinctinir in July. When 



we first entered Bering Sea we went direct to St. Mathews Islands. 



As neax as 1 know, seal wei(5 taken last year from 00 to 100 miles from 



th(^ I'ribilof Islands. Mostall the seals taken in Bering 



• ^^!'^X "'' ""'■'''"« Sea were females with milk, liut one old bull was 



'''"'"''"■ taken, and two young males, but no females with pup. 



Theshotgnn was exclusively us(5d l)y ourhnnters. I can form noidea as 



to the amount of seals h)st. Some hunters lost morci and some less. 



It ranges all the way from 10 to 75 ])er cent, acccuxling 



itKiiH.iii.iiMi.ioUiii- lo stories told by hunters. llunt(;rs use no discrimi- 



"''^" nati<m in shooting seal, but kill everything that comes 



near the boat. They could not discriminate if they wanted to, as the 



sex can not be told in the water. I have never known 



No pelagic birth. ^^^^ ^^^,^^^ ^^^^^^^ |^^ ,,^. ,^^^,,„ ^^„ j^|,^. water, or on the land 



Donothaiii up fix- aiiywlicre, e.\<'ept OH the Pi'ihilof, Islands. Ilavenever 



i-ml"" ^"'"^"' known of seal to haul up on the land anywhere, except 



rn.t.<tioii on the I'ribilof Islands. I think that all pelagic seal 



hunting should be sto])i)ed for a nuinl)er of years, and 



give the seal a chance to increase, and if this is not done they will 



soon become exterminated. 



O. Holm. 



Subscribed and sworn to before mc this '5d of May, 1HU2. 



A. W. Lavendeii, 

 United States Treasury Agent. 



Deposition of Alf Yohansen, sealer, 



pelagic sealing. 



Alf Yohansen, being duly sworn, deposes and says: 



Exporionco. I rcsidc ill Seattle; am a hunter by oceni)atioii ; have 



hunted seals two seasons; one season on the aSVm/ -/o.vr, 



as hunter, and now as hunter on the schooner ^i</v(;wtM/'e. Begin to liuwt 



