TAKEN IN SAN FRANCISCO. 487 



Deposition of Francis Tiittle, lieutenant, United States Revenue Marine. 

 pelagic sealing. 



State of California, 



City and County of San Francisco, ss: 



Francis Tattle, liaviiig- been duly sworn, deposes and says: I am a 

 first lieutenant in the United States Eevenue Cutter Service, and 

 liave been an officer in tliat service for the last 

 tliirteen years. Am at present in command of the rev- Experience, 

 enue cutter Hartley at San Francisco. I made cruises 

 t(> the Bering Sea in tlie United States Eevenue steamer i?:?/.s7* during 

 the years 1888-89 and 1890. During the sealing season Q^.^i^-^j^„ j^ Berin.^ 

 of 1888 the Bus/i cruised in Bering Sea and made fre- sea!""*'"° '" ^""° 

 quent stoppages at the seal islands. 



I had an excellent opportunity to observe some of the seal rookeries 

 during my first visit to the islands, and spent nuich time in studying 

 the habits of the seals, both on the rookeries and in the adjacent 

 waters, 1 was particularly impressed with the great numbers to be 

 seen both on land and in tlie water. During the summer of 1889 the 

 Rush was so actively engaged cruising iu pursuit of vessels engaged 

 in illegal sealing that our anchorages off the seal rookeries that season 

 were short and infrequent; hence I did not have the opportunity to 

 observe them as closely on land as the preceding year. 



During 1890 the Rush was noteugaged in preventing sealing outside 

 the shore limit, and we spent much time in full view of the seal rook- 

 eries and cruising about the seal islands, and I also made frequent 

 visits to the breeding grounds. 



The deserted appearance of the rookeries and the absence of seals in 

 the water was very noticeable and was a matter of gen- 

 eral remark among the officers of the vessel, who had ^crease. 

 been on the former cruises. Very large tracts of the rookeries which I 

 had formerly seeu occupied by the seals were entirely deserted, and the 

 herds were much smaller than those of 1888. My attention was also 

 called, by those conversant with the facts, to the grass growing on the 

 inshore side of some of the rookeries, and to the three different shades 

 of grass to be seen, indicating the spaces that had not 

 been occupied by the seals for several years, owing to de^erted"^^^^*"*™'"" 

 their diminished number, the darker shade showed 

 where the growth first commenced, and a lighter shade for each succeed- 

 ing year. There were three or four differently shaded growths, reach- 

 ing down to the sand of the rookeries, and on that portion of the rook- 

 eries occupied by seals they were not lying near as compact as in 1888. 



In our frequent passages during 1890, between the Aleutian group 

 and the seal islands, we sometimes made an entire passage without 

 seeing a seal. This was entirely different from the experience of the 

 preceding years, indicating a great falling off of seal life. 



I have observed and learned that crews of vessels engaged in seal- 

 ing kill all kinds without regard to age, sex, or condi- 

 tion. I have seen among the skins taken from vessels .^indiscriminate kiu 

 we have seized, bull skins which I was told by experts 

 were comparatively worthless, others so small as to be classed as pup 

 skins. Among the Indian crews of the Vancouver Island sealing- 

 vessels, I have seeu the skins of uuborn puj) seal; being of no com- 

 mercial value, the crews were allowed to keep thein. These unborn 

 pups had been taken from female seals killed while coming up the west 

 coast of North America. 



