388 TESTIMONY 



water or upon the kelp. I tliiiik a pup boru in the water or upon kelp 

 would sink and die. Years ago Ave could see seals all over the water. 

 Pelagic birth impos- '^^^J ^re uot SO plentiful now. They have been grow- 

 sibie. ing less and less ever since the white man came in and 



Decrease began to hnut them with guns, about six or seven 



years ago, and so many vessels went into the business. 



ISHKA (his X mark). 

 Witness: 



John P. McGlinn. 

 C. E. Gay. 



Subscribed and sworn to Ijefore me on this 27th day of April, A. D. 

 1892. 

 [seal.] Clarence P. Brown, 



Notary Fuhlic in and for the 8tate of Washington. 



Deposition of Selivish Johnson, Malcah Indian, scaler. 



pelagic sealing. 



State of Washington, 



County of Clallam, ss: 

 Selwish Johnson, being duly sworn, deposes and says: I am about 

 30 years old; am a native Makali Indian, and reside 

 Experience. ^^ ^^^^ -g^^^ ^^^ ^j^^ Iiidiau Eescrvatiou, state of 



Washington, United States of America. My occupation is that of 



hunting and fishing. I have been engaged in catching seals ever 



since I was old enough to do so, and have always hunted with a 



spear. In former years we used to hunt in the Straits of San Juan de 



Fuca. and in the summer around Cape Flattery, but for the last few 



years we have had to go farther to get them, and now we hunt from 



Columbia River to Barclay Sound. We put our canoes and spears on 



board of a schooner, and go out from 10 to 00 miles off Cape Flat- 



icrbtare ^^^^^ ^avc bceu out this season, and caught thirteen 



pr^nautcoTsf ^'^^ scals arouud Cape Flattery, seven of which had pu])S 



with the ^^ them, the balance being young seals, about one-half 



spear. cacli of male and female. We lose but very few seals 



that we hit with a spear. In all of my experience as 



Sex indistinguish- a scal huntex I have captured but one or two old bulls. 



able in the water. j ^^^ unable to distinguish a male seal from a female 



, , , ^ seal while at a distance in the water. I have never 



Do not haul out on • -n i j.i j. n 



coast, or give birth to cauglit a COW 111 milk aloug the coast, nor a small pup 



^oung in water or on ^^.^^ ^^.^^^ ^g^j^ l^^j-j^ ^j^.^^ y^r^^, ggals do IlOt haul OUt 



"^ ^' upon the land and breed, along the coast, nor give 



Decrease. birth to their young in the water or on the kelp. 



About six years ago I noticed the seal herd began to 



decrease, and they are getting less each year ever since the white 



hunter came about here and commenced killing them with guns. 



They kill and wound a great many that they do not 



Waste of life. get. I have speared a great many seals that had shot 



in them. They are very scarce now, and very wild 



