404 TESTIMONY 



and they belong to tlie lierd having its rookery on the Commander 

 Islands and thellobbins Bank. 



The lot contains 320 skins of the fnr-seal male (mostly matured) ; 



105 skins of the fur-seal gray pu}) under one year of 



taS^rcatch^'""'" age (sex doubtful); 1,745 skins of the fur-seal cow 



(mostly matured). From the shape of the latter most 



Mostly female. ^^^ ^^ ^j^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^^ j^^^^ ^^^^^ heavy with pup, and 



the same cut out of them when captured. 



I find the skin in this lot to run much larger in sizes than those 

 known as the Northwest seals that are now taken on the American side. 

 Tiie greater percentage of these 2,170 salted tur-seal skins are of the 

 large breeding cows with fully developed teats. 



Some years ago the catch of the Nortliwest seals taken in the North 

 Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea (on the American side) contained a 

 great number of the large breeding cows as above described ; but of 

 late years, on examiniug the catches, I find very few; and this year 

 , hardly any, proving conclusively that the old stock of 

 ing^cow8°aimosrci- productivc COWS is aluiost exterminated. The herd to 

 terminated. which the 2,170 scals abovc referred to belong, and 



Rassian and Alas- ^nowu as "Eussiaii scal," and have no connection wliat- 

 kanheMsdonotmin- evcr with the scals taken on the coast of North Amer- 

 ^^®" ica or in the Bering Sea, and known as the Northwest 



seal, the herd that have their rookery on the Pribylov Islands. 



Oris. J. Behlow. 

 Subscribed and sworn to before me this 30tli day of July, A. D. 1892. 

 [seal.] Clement Bennett, 



Notary Public. 



Deposition of WilUam Bendt, fitter-out of sealing vessels, and managing 

 owner of the schooner Bowhcad. 



pelagic sealing. 



State of California, 



City and County of San Francisco, ss: 

 William Bendt, having been duly sworn, deposes and says: I reside 

 in San Francisco. My occupation is that of saloon 

 Experience. kccpcr ajid lodgiug-house keeper. I have been engaged 



in fitting out sealing vessels and sending them to the 

 North Pacific and Bering Sea for eight or nine years. I fitted out the 

 schooners Fowler, Laura, C. H. White, and others. I am now the man- 

 aging owner of the schooner Boiohead. I furnished my 

 ou^^t!''™' ^'^'^"t'^^'- vessels with rifles and shotguns, and each vessel car 

 ried from three to seven boats, with three men to the 

 miTe^s^^from^ PrU)iiof boat, a huutcr, Doat-puller, and steerer, and when in the 

 Islands. Bering Sea we take seals from 10 to 150 miles from the 



Decreise ^^'^^ islaiids. Tlicrc liii s bi^cii a great decrease of seals in 



the last few years from what there was in former years. 

 Prohibition neces- They are also getting shy and scared from being hunted 

 ^'^'^^ ■ so much, and they arc now very hard to catch. If they 



do not protect them in the Bering Sea it will be but a few years before 

 they will be exterminated. 



