522 



TESTIMONY. 



Statiatics of prices. 



"Keceut increase in price. 



S. W. Saaluueg. 



Subscribed and sworu to before me this 24th day of June, 1892. 

 [SEAL.] Clement Bennett, 



Notary I'uhlic. 



Depositio7i of B. H. Sternfels, furrier. 



PELAGIC sealing. 



State op California, 



City and County of ISan Francisco, ss: 

 B. II. Sterufels, having been duly sworn, deposes and says: I am 50 



years of age and reside in San Francisco. My occupa- 

 Experience. tiou is that of a fur merchant. 1 have been engaged 



in handling and pur<'hasing fur for twenty-six years, 

 and I am thoroughly familiar with the fur seal skins in their raw and 

 dressed condition. There are known to the trade in purchasing raw 



fur skins from the North Pacific and Bering Sea three 



oiassesof seal skins. ^|iQ-(.j.ent Varieties— th(^ Copper Island skins, the West 



Coast skins, which are tliose shot and caught by huntei^ in the water, 



and, third, those taken from the Pribilof Islands. The most valuable 



are those taken from l*ribilof Islands, and the next are 

 lesTl^uSie^* "''^''^ ^^^ Copper Ishmd skins, and those of least value are 



what is known as the West Coast catch. The latter, 

 while of the same nature and from the same herd as those on the 

 Pribilof Islands, are of less value because many of them are caught 



out of season. TIk^ skins are stagy and are full of 

 hof^s."^ ^"" *** '*'"'* holes from being shot. A number of them are cows in 



milk, and the fur on the belly is very much less valua- 

 ble on that account. In buying the catch of schooners engaged in the 

 seahng business, I have observed tliat fully 75 per cent of them were 



females and had eitlicr gi\ en birth to their y<mng or 

 mStaw^"''""''" were heavy in pup wheii killed, which was easily ob- 

 served by the Avidth of the skin of the belly and the 

 small liead and development of the teat. 



B. H. Steenfels. 



Subscribed and sworn to before me this 8th day of April, A. I). 1892. 

 [seal.] Clement P>ennett, 



Notary I'ublic. 



