TAKEN m SAN FRANCISCO. 469 



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

 shotgun. Ninety per cent are killed with a shotgun. 

 Q. Do you use buckshot or fine shot? — A. Buck- ^ 



, J '' Weapona. 



shot. 



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

 the year, during your experience, where do you sup- ]^i<T.ation 

 pose was their destination? — A. The Bering Sea. '^^ '"°" 



Q. Do you think that the Bering Sea should be ciose of Bering sea. 

 entirely closed? — A. Certainly. 



Q. Do you think of anything else that is of value in regard to this 

 seal question that I have not asked you about; if so, you can state any- 

 thing you please ? — A. I have nothing further to say. 



F. MOREAU. 



State of California, 



City and County of San 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 liim subscribed in my presence. 



In witness whereof I liave hereunto subscribed my name and affixed 

 my seal of office, this 2Gth day of February, 1892. 



[L. S.J Clement Bennett, 



Notary Fublic. 



Deposition of Niles Nelson, sealer, and part oivner of vessel Annie. 



1885-'86. 



PELAGIC SEALING. 



City and County of San Fraricisco, ss: 

 Mies Nelson, being duly SAvoru, deposes and says: I am by occupa- 

 tion a seal hunter, and part owner of the schooner 

 Annie. My residence is in San Francisco. I was ^penence. 

 engaged in hunting seals during the years 1885 and Annie, isss-'se. 

 1880 in the North Pacific and Bering Sea. We go 

 out about the middle of April. We hunt sometimes with a shotgun, 

 and sometimes with a rifle. Breeching seals we shoot with a rifle, and 

 sleeping seals with a shotgun. I can not give the exact estimate of 

 the sex, but I know that a large proportion of them 

 are females. An experienced A No. 1 seal hunter in shot ffmaier^"'^*'*'"' 

 vsliooting sleeping seals with a shotgun will get a large 

 pro])ovtion of what he kills, and will get one out of four breeching seals 

 that lie kills, but an ordinary, ('(jmmon hunter, like my- ^. j.^ 



self, will sometimes use ten cartridges and not get one 

 seal. I can safely say that a common hunter will only get one seal out 

 of three. I can not tell the age or sex of seals in the water. I was 

 sealing in the Bering Sea during July, August, and inBerin<'Sea 

 September, 1885 and 1886. I was cruising in the Ber- ^ *^"°° 

 iug Sea around about the Pribilof Islands, and fi-om 100 to 300 miles 



