488 TKSTIMONY 



111 my couvorsatioii Avitli iiieii oii*inji(Ml in s(>iiMniiitiiig" in tlu; opoii 

 water of the Nortli racific ami JJeriiiji' Sea, J liave not been able to 

 get Miflicieiit infoiinatioii to tbnn a reliable estimate of the average 

 iinmber saved out of the total number shot, nor of the percentage of 

 females killed. 



As arnle, hunters are extremely reticent about giving information 



on the subjcM't to ofliccrs ol' the (iovernnuMit, but from the Avcll-lcnown 



fact that the female seal is much more easily a])i)roa(*h('d than the male 



,, ,, , , , , and sleeps more frciinentlv ou the water and is less 



active AvluMi cariNing her young, I have uo doubt that 



the female is the one that is being killed by the hunter. 



FlJANCl^ TUTTLE. 



Subscribed and sworn to bclbie me this ir)th dav of A])ril, A. D. 

 1S'.»L'. 



[aEAL.] Olemiont ]iENNl<yrT, 



Notary rublic. 



Dcjyosition of M. I J. Washhurn,fiirncr. 

 PELACilC t<EALlNa. 



State of (Ueieoimmta, 



City and County of i'^an Franeiaro^ .s,"? ; 

 M. L. Washburn, having been duly sworn, deposes and says: Ire- 

 side at West Ivandolph, A^t., but si)end most of my time 

 Exp. ri.iioo. ou the south shores of Alaskai. JMy occupation is that 



of a. fur-dealer. I have been in Alaska for thirteen 

 years; and for tlie last live years have been traveling in the early sum- 

 mer months of each year, buying furs from iCodiak Island east to rriiice 

 Williams Sound west; occasionally J made tiii»s as far east as Yakutat 

 , . ,. Bav iiiid as far west ;is Cliignic r>av. The seals ai)i)ear 



Migration. • li i. i ^ ■ i '• i i • • i 



in these watiMS late in April and increase in numbers 

 until the latter iiart of INlay, and then gradually decrease in numbers 

 until about the inth of .Inly, when they all disappear. I annually visit 

 nearly all the settlements in this region, and many of the uninhabited 

 islands, and have never seen, and in conversation with the various 

 tribes of nati\ es ha\'e never heard of far seals hauling 

 (,rtsl ""' ''"'"' "'' "" ^"' '"^'x*''*^' <•' ^''*' niainlands or the islands in this dis- 

 trict, either tor Inceding or temi)oraiy resting i)lace, 

 since my residence in Alaska, and in only one case ha\e 1 hcai'd of a 

 young ])up fur seal being found in the waters of this district. A single 

 pup seal Avas tbund last year near INlarnot Island by a, hunter who had 

 been for years engaged in hunting, and this was the only case that had 

 ever come to his knowledge. Ami I would say in this connection that 

 all the small islands arc Msited dining the summer by native hunting 

 ])arties; and they inlbinnMl me that they ne\er had found any fur seals 

 on shore. Five years ago it was a common occurrence to sail ])astlarge 

 numbers of fur-seals; many times we found them asleep on the water, 

 and they were m>t easily frightened at the presence of 

 a vessel, but for the last two years the seals have been 

 more scattering, fewer in nuin])crs and much more shy. 



The sealing schooners a])pear soon after the lirst api)earaiice of the 

 seal, and a i)orti(tn ol' them remain in these waters 

 reLipc soai.ns. ^^^^^.j ^..„.|^, j„ j„iy^^vhen they sail to the westward 

 toward Berinsr Sea. 



