COUNTER-CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 173 



On this point the British Commissioners write: 



It must not be forgotten, however, in examining these statements, ibid., para. 635. 

 that the complementary information derived from the breeding is- 

 lands shows that the persistent killing of young males has led of late 



years to the existence of a very large surplus of females, and 

 199 that, therefore, the proportion of females to the whole number of 



seals, whether at sea or ashore, is, at the present time, according 

 to the information obtained by us, quite abnormal. 



MALES HAVE INCREASED AT SEA SINCE KILLING ON 

 PEIBYLOFF ISLANDS HAS BEEN REDUCED. 



Following the limitation of the excessive slaughter of 

 young males upon the Pribyloft" Islands in 1891 and 1892, 

 and in exact correspondence with the statement made 

 above, many of the hunters note a decided increase of males 

 at sea in 1892, while a marked increase in the same class Appendix, vol. 

 upon the islands was observed by Mr. Macoun. i,p.ioi. 



It thus follows that, unless the taking of fur-seals upon British com. 

 the high seas is in itself entirely illegal, which is wholly pj^^t.^aras. ^2,' 

 denied, the men so employed have, in comity and reason, ise.' 

 fair ground of complaint as against the methods practised 

 upon the breeding-islands, which have resulted in so seri- 

 ously dei)leting the male element of the seal tribes, and in 

 sapping the foundations of the continued prosperity of seal 

 life upon which their industry depends for its existence. 

 The methods heretofore i ractised upon the Pribyloff 

 Islands have in fact assumed that the owners of these 

 islands were the only persons interested in the fur-seal 

 industry. 



CONSEQUENT IMPROVEMENT OF CONDITIONS ON PRIBY- 

 LOFF ISLANDS, WITH CONTINUED PELAGIC CATCH, 

 SHOWS THAT PREVIOUS DETERIORATION DUE TO KILL- 

 ING ON BREEDING-ISLANDS. 



The fact that, as a consequence of the restricted number ibid.,para. 9i. 

 of young males killed on the^ Pribyloft" Islands in 1890, and 

 the still smaller number killed under the operation of the 

 models Vivendi of 1891, the condition of the rookeries there Appendix, vol. 

 showed distinct improvement in 1891 and 1892, is alone *' ^' ^^^" 

 sufficient to show that it has been the killing upon the 

 islands rather than that at sea which induced the decrease. 

 The number of seals taken at sea in 1890 and 1891 was 

 actually greater than ever before. If, therefore, in accord- 

 ance with the contention now held by the United States, 

 the chief want upon the islands was in females, while a 

 vast majority of the seals killed at sea were of this sex, the 

 condition of the rookeries should have continued rapidly 

 to deteriorate. The beneficial effect resulting from the 

 sparing of males upon the islands is therefore specially to 

 be noted. 



EXTRAORDINARY CHARACTER OF CLAIM NOW MADE BY 



UNITED STATES. 



It is therefore wholly unreasonable and inadmissible for 

 those interested in the islands, having themselves brought 

 about the depletion of one class of seals, to demand for their 

 sole benefit the suppression of another form of sealing, 



