216 COUNTER-CASE OP GREAT BRITAIN. 



MR. W. E. TAYLOR, 1881. 



Mr. W. B. Taylor was Assistant Treasury Agent on tlie 

 Pribyloff Islands in 1881. Before the Coiii^ressional Com- 

 mittee in 1889, from bis experience gained during that time, 

 Le testified as follows: 



H. E., soth I believe that the capacity of the bull seal is limited, the same as 



Cong., 2ud Sess., aiiv other animal, and I have very Irequeutly conuted from thirty to 



Keport aasa, p. thirty-iive, and even, at one time, forty-two cows to one bull. I think 



^^- if (here were inore bulls there won Id be less coivs to one bull, and in that 



way the increase would be greater than vow. 



DR. H. H. m'intyre, 1882. 



Dr. H. H. Mclntyre also writes: 



Case,^ Appeuilix, I was, tlierefore, alvcays alert to see that the due proportion of brced- 

 vol. ii, p. 52. ' ing males of serviceable age was allowed to return to the rookeries. 



This was a comparatively easy task prior to 1882, but became from year 



to year more difficult as the seals decreased. 



MR. T. J. RYAN, 1886. 



Mr. T. J. Ryan, Assistant Treasury Agent in the islands 

 in 1885 and 1886, includes the following remarks in his 

 Report for 1886 : 



H. R., 50th As the Report will show, we killed but few bulls, though the Com- 

 CoDg., 2b(1 Si's.s., pjxny was authorized to knock down all old troublesome fellows com- 

 Keport y«8J, P- jjjg'j,^ ^jj^j^. ^..^y ^o the number of thirty, the skius of which were 

 wauted by the natives for doormats, lliesnrpln.s of old bulls expected 

 to be found did not make their appearance in the dri\es or ou the rook- 

 eries this season; and, I think now, nor last season either. 



MR. W. PALMER, 1890. 



On this subject Mr. W. Palmer, of the United 

 250 States aSTational Museum, may also be quoted. As 

 the result of his observations in 1890, he writes : 



lui.s-u.ijt-i.s jv o - It will be seen also that by this driviug process the 2- or S-year-olds, 



port,' p. 188. wliich are the only one.s killed for their skins, are culled out almost 



"Forest ami ^^.onipletely from the seals which visit these islands, and therefore 



itnani," <Jcto- ^|^.^^ ^.^^.^; ^^^^, jj^.^j,, ^.^.,1,, ^^,g^. reach a greater ago; consequently, 



there are not enonyh yonng bulls grnwiny np to sujyply even the yearly loss 

 on the rookeries, much less to provide for any increase. 



DR. W. H. DALL, 1891. 



In an editorial article published in the same number of 

 "Forest and Stream" as that in which Mr. W. Palmer's 

 paper on the "Fate of the Fur-seal" is reported, it is 

 stilted that such well-known naturalists as l)rs. Dall, Gill, 

 and Beau participated in the discussion of the paper before 

 the Biological Society at Washington. In this article Dr. 

 Dall is cited as follows: 



Dr. Dall attriUutes the present decline of the fur-seals chiefly to 

 the excessive killing of young males; there is not now a sufficient 

 number of males iu'the breeding grounds to maintain the species. 

 He admits that the method of driving referred to by Mr. Palmer is 

 also very destructive. The excessive destruction of males began in 

 1872, and has continued to the present time. 



British Com 

 iTiis^ioiier.s' jle 



ler29,1891. 



