TAKEN IN SAN FRANCISCO. 407 



to the Bering Sea, sealing all the way up. We had 250 seals before en- 

 tering the sea, the largest percentage of which were fe- (.^g^^.t ^^^^t fe- 

 males, most of them having young pups m them, i maiea, mosUy preg- 

 saw some of the young pups taken out of them. We °'^" • 

 entered the sea along about the 1st of May and caught between 600 

 and 700 seals from 30 to 150 miles off" the seal islands, and four out ot 

 five were females in milk. I saw the milk running ou ^,^^^^ g^ ^^ ^^5^ 

 the deck when we skinned them. We had six boats, miles from Pribuof 

 .three men to a boat, a boat-puller, hunter, and steerer. ^^^^"^ ^• 

 They used mostly shotguns, using a riile for long range. We got on an 

 average three or five out of every twelve killed and ^.^^^^^^ . 



wounded. It depends a great deal upon the weather, p^^y ^3^^. 

 There were lots of seals in the water at that time. 



Thos. Brown. 



Subscribed and sworn to before me this 15th day of April, A. B. 1892. 



rgj,^j^i Clement Bennett, 



' "^ Notary Public. 



Deposition of John G. Gantwell, lieutoiant, Revenue Ilarine. 

 pelagic sealing. 



State op California, 



City and County of San Francisco, ss : 



John C. Cantwell, having been»duly sworn, deposes and says: 1 am 

 a second lieutenant in the United States Eevenue-Ma- 

 rine Service. I have been on duty in Bering Sea dur- Ji^^Z^Zf. ^" 

 ing the summer months of the years 1884, I880, 188b, 

 and 1891, and have frequently been on shore at the Pribilof Islands 

 and in the waters adjacent thereto. Have always made it a careful 

 study and paid particular attention to the number of seal, both on the 

 Pribilof Islands and in the waters of Bering Sea. Experience. 

 Whenever opportunity afforded have visited the rook- 

 eries for the purpose of photographing and sketching the animals and 

 studying their habits, numbers, etc. I have boarded a large number 

 of vessels fitted out as sealers and engaged in sealing, and have con- 

 versed with their masters and crews on the subject o± pelagic sealing. 

 From information gathered from these and other sources, and by com- 

 parison of testimony given by the seal huiiters, would ^aste of life; 

 say that at least 66 per cent of seals killed or wounded mostly pregnant fe- 

 escape and are never recovered, and that 75 per cent °'" '^^ 

 of seals shot in the North Pacific Ocean are females heavy with young, 

 and that 80 per cent of seals shot in Bering Sea from July 1 to Sep- 

 tember 15 are females, most of which have given birth to their young 

 and are mostly caught while feeding at various distances from land. 



Have observed carefully the areas occupied by the seals on the rook- 

 eries and hauling-out grounds, especially at Northeast Point and the 

 reef on St. Paul Island in 1884, 1885, 1886, and 1891 ^^^^„,,^^,,^_, 

 and on both rookeries the areas formerly occupiea by grounds decreasing, 

 seals have greatly decreased, so much so that at first 

 appearance it seemed, in 1891, as if the hauling-out grounds had been 

 entirely deserted. Subsequent examination disclosed the fact that this 

 was not strictly true, there still being a small number of male seals left 



