408 



TESTIMONY 



Oil those grounds. Have also observed that the seals are iinich more, 

 scattered on the breeding rookeries than in former years (1884, 1885, 

 Decrease -^^^^"^ ' ^^^^ *^^^* ^^^ nniiiher of seals in the water has 



proportionately decreased, and that they have grown 

 very much more shy and difficult to approach. Without presuming to 

 be absolutely correct, would estimate the number of seals present at St 

 Paul Island during the year 1891 to be about 10 per cent of tlie number 

 there in former years of observation (1881, 1885, and 1886). I have also 

 Females feeding. ^^scrvcd scals presumably lishing, at distances vary- 

 ing from 10 to 150 miles from the island, and am of the 

 opinion that most of the seals seen at distances more than 10 miles from 

 land during the breeding season are females^ 



I did not observe any unusually large number of dead pups on the 

 ^ , rookeries in my visits to the islands until the year 1891. 



Dead pups. During the month of September of tliat year, in com- 



pany with Mr. J. Stanley Brown, I visited the Starry Ateel and eastern 

 rookeries on St. George Island and saw more than the average number 

 of dead pups and a great many living pups, evidently in very poor con- 

 dition, and either dead or dying from starvation, differing in this respect 

 from the condition in which they are ordinarily found at this time of 

 the year. Subsequently in ISovember, 1891, I visited the Polovinia 

 rookery on St. Paul Island, and in the course of one hour's slow walking, 

 covering perhaps 1^ miles of gronnd, estimated the number of dead pup 

 sealstobenotless than 1,000. Iconsiderthisnumber enormously in excess 

 of the normal mortality. I was informed at the time 

 Autopsies. ^1^,^^ ^i^p stomachs of dead pups had been examined by 



the medical officers at the island and no traces of food were found 

 therein. From personal observation I am of the opinion that fully 90 

 per cent of them died of starvation great emaciation 

 ^.Deatb from starva- feeing apparent. It will be necessaiy to prevent at 

 once farther open-sea or coastwise killing of seals, both 

 ^^Prohibition ueces- in Bering Sea and the northern Pacific Ocean, if they 

 are to save them from extinction on the Pribilof Is- 

 lands. 



The present system of taking seals on the islands in vogue and prac- 

 Muia-ement ^^^^^^ ^^' ^^^^ Icssccs uudcr governmental supervision 



° ■ IS, m my opinion, the best that can be devised for build- 



ing up and perpetuating this great industry, and if the pelagic hunter 

 and his destructive methods were banished from the waters of the 

 Bering Sea and North Pacific it would be but a few years when these 

 islands would again be teeming with seal life. The weapons used by 

 pelagic hunters are rifles, shotguns, and spears. I have heard of nets 

 being used, and have seen one on board a sealer (the Miza Edwards, 

 Bering Sea, 1891), but know nothing of it, further than mere hearsay. 

 The other weapons I have seen in use. 



J. C. Cantwell, 

 Second Lieutenant, U. 8. B. M. 

 Subscribed and sworn to before me this 13th day of April, A. D. 1892. 

 [seal.] Clement Bennett, 



Notary Fuhlic. 



