426 TESTIMONY 



Q. Has there been any decrease in the qnantity of seals as compared 

 ^.^_^ ^ to previous years? — A. I have not been on the islands 



in the last few years, but 1 shouhl imagine there has 

 been a great decrease. 



Q. To what do you attribute the decrease f — A. To the number of 



vessels that are ui^ there engaged in kilhng seals, 



nearly all of which are females. Last year there were 



72 vessels fitted out trom Victoria alone, to say nothing of vessels that 



are fitted out at other other places. 



jj^^^^ ^^ g Q. Do the pups perish with the cows that you kill"?— 



eat pups. ^ Naturally they must. 



Q. Is it your opinion if sealing continues unrestricted that they will 

 soon be exterminated? — A. Certainly they will. 



Q. In your opinion, is it absolutely necessary to protect the cows in 

 the Bering Sea to prevent the herd from being exterminated? — A. Cer- 

 tainly. 



Q. For what months in the year is it necessarv to 



Close season neces- j. j. j.i • j.i t-i • et m a -n i i 7. v 



saiy. protect the cows m the Bering Sea? — A. From the first 



of May to the last of August. 



Q. Do you generally shoot vseals with a rifle or a shotgun? — A. Most 

 all hunters use shotguns, but I use a rifle with .38-.40 caliber. 



Q. Judging by the direction that seals were traveling in the spring 

 of the year, during your experience, where do you suppose was their 

 destination? — A. The seal islands and the Bering Sea. 



Q. In your experience, while you were hunting seals, nearly all the 

 seals that you killed were cows and nearly all had pups? — A. Nearly 

 all the cows that were killed in the Pacific were with pup, and conse- 

 quently the pups were all killed. As I said before, out of 72 seals that 

 I killed, there were only 3 males. 



L. T. Franklin. 



State of Califoi^nia, 



City and County of iSan Francisco, ss: 



I, Clement Bennett, a notary public in and for said city and county 

 of San Francisco, do hereby certify that the witness in the foregoing- 

 deposition named was by me duly sworn to testify the truth, the whole 

 truth, and nothing but the truth. That said deposition was reduced to 

 writing, and when completed was carefully read over to said witness, 

 and by him subscribed in my presence. 



In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name and affixed 

 my seal of office this 2d day of March, 1892. 



[L. S.J Clement Bennett, 



J^otary Fuhlic. 



I)e])osition of William Frazer, sealer {boat-puller), 



pelagic sealing. 



State of California, 



City and County of San Francisco, ss: 



William Frazer, having heen duly sworn, deposes and says: I am 



22 years of age. I reside in San Francisco. My occu- 



Experience. pation is that of a laborer. I have made three trips to 



the North Pacific and Bering Sea within the last six 



