554 APPENDIX TO COUNTER-CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



William Edwards says: "If a seal is wounded, but not badly enough 

 for us to get it, I don't think it will die." 



George F. French, three years' experience, says: *^ I do not think 

 many are wounded and afterwards die. If a seal is badly wounded 

 we are almost certain to get it. It is easy to tell when a seal has been 

 wounded by the blood in the water; a few drops will colour it for a long 

 distance around." 



Wallace M. Christian, one year's experience, says of 1892: "I don't 

 think I wounded more than three or four that I did not get; one or 

 two of these might have been badly enough wounded to die." 



Peter Jolibis, i^iree years' experience as hunter, says: "Yery few 

 wounded seals escape and die, for if at all badly wounded we are sure 

 to get them. When a seal is shot we always chase it, and if it is bleed- 

 ing it soon tires out, and is easily got." 



Thomas O^Lcary, ten years' exx)erience, took 240 seals in 1891, and 

 wounded not more than 15 that got away. He killed 139 before 18th 

 June in 1892; not more than 7 were wounded and got away. 



Lvlce McGraw says of 1892: " Seals were very wild this year, and I 

 shot at them at long range. I think I wounded ten, but I don't think 

 that any of these would die." 



Captain Henry F. Sietvard, five years' experience as master of seal- 

 ing-vessels, says: "The percentage of seals that are wounded and 

 escape is very small. " 



Peter Carlson, four years' experience, says: "An old hunter will 

 usually get the seal he shoots at," particularly if he only wounds him. 



Daniel A. Lewis, four years' experience, says: " If a man has a light 

 boat he ought never to lose a seal, for if a seal is crippled and can keep 



away from nje he will live A mortally wounded seal does 



not often get away. " 



14 V. — Staiements respecting the Composition of the Catch made by 

 various Pelagic Sealers in relation to the proportionate Number 

 of Males and Females, &c. 



John Townsend, three years a seal-hunter, secured on the coast and 

 in Behring Sea about as many female seals as male seals. 



Charles Le Blanc, five years' experience, states that "this year [1892] 

 I got more females than males on the coast, and on the Asiatic side 

 about equal numbers of each. More than half the females I got on the 

 coast were with young. On the Asiatic side from one-quarter to one- 

 half the females I got were in milk. I got a good many barren cows 

 both on the coast and on the Asiatic side." 



Captain Abel Douglas, eight years' experience, states that when he 

 first began sealing more females were taken than males, but that now 

 more males are got. "The last two years we have taken a great many 

 young males irom 2 to 4 years old." Captain Douglas has sealed four 

 seasons in Behring Sea, and last year (1891) found the seals about 

 equally divided there, but before that he thinks there were more 

 females than males. He has seen a great many barren females. 



George Roberts, four years a seal-hunter, took more males than 

 females on the coast in 1892. Three seals out of five were males, 

 "about one-half the females I got were in pup, the other half barren 



