482 TESTIMONY 



at jireseut, San Francisco, Cal. ; occupation, master and hunter of 

 seals. 



Q. Are you a citizen of the Uniied States? — A. I am. 



Q. What State are you a resident of? — A. I am a native of Connec- 

 ticut and a resident of the State of California for the last twenty-seven 

 years. 



Q. Have you been engaged in catching seals in the Pacific and Ber- 

 Peia<-ic seaiin- ^"8" ^^^j '^^^^ ^or how long? — A. I havc been engaged 



eagicseaing. ^^ sealing in the Pacific and Bering Sea off and on for 

 a number of years past; constantly during the sealing season for the 

 last few years. 



Q. Do you know of what sex the seals were that you have taken in 

 the Pacific and Bering Sea! — A. Yes; I have taken both male and fe- 

 male seals, but I suppose the greater per cent that I 



^Nmety per cent fe- ^^^^ ^,^^.^^^ ^.^^^j^^j l^^, ^^^^^^ q^^ ^^^j. ^^^^ fcmalcS, Or 



even more, 

 Q. What percentage of the skins you have taken were cows? — A. 

 About 90 per cent, for the simple reason that the bulls are not migra- 

 tive. 

 Q. What percentage of the cows you have taken were with pup? — 

 ^ t ^" ^l^o*^*^ ^^ P^r iient of the cows taken were with 

 earya pregnan . p^p. there may be ouc iu a hundred that is either with- 

 out pup or has had one. 

 Q. When does sealing commence in the Pacific, and when does it 

 end! — A. Sealing practically commences there in Jan- 

 seaiing season. nary, and it practically ends between the 25th of June 

 and the 5th of July. The latest I ever hunted was about the 5th of 

 July, and with very indifferent success. 



Q. When does sealing commence in the Bering Sea, and what date 

 does it end? — A. Sealing commences in the Bering Sea about the 5th 

 of July and ends in November, with heavy weather; that is, it is ended 

 about October or the last of IS'ovember by reason of the bad weather 

 not permitting any hunting of seals. 



Q. What percentage of seals are taken compared to those you destroy 

 in doing so; in other words, how many do you actually get out of those 

 you shoot ?^A. If we get three seals out of every five 

 ^'^^' we consider it doing very good work, and so I believe 



do all hunters, even the best of the hunters. 



Q. Is it not a fact that when you first started in the business and 

 was inexperienced in hunting that you, like all other beginners, de- 

 stroyed a much larger proportion than you do now? — A. Undoubtedly 

 we did destroy a much larger proportion than we do now. 



Q. Are the seals you shoot at mostly asleep on the water or awake; 

 and, if awake, do you shoot at them while breeching? — A. Mostly they 

 are asleep, especially while they have their pups; but there is a good 

 deal of shooting done while they are awake and breeching, but with 

 less chance of getting them, to be sure. 



Q. Have you ever seen any seals born in the water, and is it your 



opinion that it is possible for them to be born in the 



Not born m water, ^^tcr?— A. Xo, sir; they are not like sea- otter, they 



being born in the water. A seal is just as helpless in the water, until 



they are about six weeks or two months old, as a child. 



Q. Do you know of any place where seals land outside of the seal 

 islands? — A. The seals are found only on certain is- 

 ijw"."^ "°^^ ^^ lands, where they migrate from year to year for the 

 purpose of breeding, throwing their j)ups. 



