592 APPENDIX TO COUNTER-CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



This year I killed ei^lity-six seals and lost one of them. I think I 

 wounded about eight or niue that got away, not more than that. I 

 don't think any of them were badly enough wounded to die. A sleeping 

 seal will float a good while as a rule; if a travelling seal is killed at once 

 it will sink pretty quickly, and there is no time to be lost in gaffing 

 him. I shoot at a sleeping seal when 12 or 15 yards away; if they 

 appear a little uneasy I shoot when they are farther away. About half 

 the seals I got were males; a few more than half perhaps. I noticed 

 two barren females among those I got. I found seals in bunches of 

 from five to twenty more than singly. They are harder to get when 

 they are in bunches. I have noticed that the grey pups travel alone as 

 a rule, but sometimes with the females. When in bunches the older 

 males and females are mixed together. I did not notice any diliteience 

 in the number of seals this year and last, and they did not appear harder 

 to get. Seals eat cod, salmon, and squid; more squid than either of 

 the others from what I have seen. 



(Signed) Abner Sinclair. 



Port Etches, June 17y 1892. 



Declaration of William Udicards. 



I, William Edwards, of the city of Victoria, now a hunter on the 

 " Ocean Belle," declare: 



That I have been sealing two years; was on the " Ocean Belle" last 

 year. 



This year I have killed 142 seals, and got 138 of them ; 4 sunk. About 

 the same percentage was lost by me last year. If a seal is wounded, 

 but not badly enough for us to get it, I don't think it will 

 44 die. I shoot at a sleeping seal when 10 or 12 yards from it. If 

 a seal is travelling I would shoot at it when about 60 yards 

 away. If a "breeching " seal is shot he will generally come up dead. 

 Some seals float a long time, others sink almost at once, but very seldom 

 so fast that we cannot get them. There were about as many males as 

 females among those I got; there were very few barren females. I have 

 seen the stomachs of seals opened, and find that they eat various kinds 

 offish and squid, more squid than any other kind of food. Last year I 

 went over to the Russian side of Behring Sea; we saw a few seals all 

 the way across. There seems to be more seals this year than last year. 

 Seals are more difficult to get when two or three are together than when 

 one is alone; one is generally on the look-out. I have seen gray pups 

 travelling together, and sometimes females. Generally the older seals 

 travel together. Seals were found most abundant by me this year off 

 Cross Sound. 



(Signed) William Edwards. 



Port Etches, June 17j 1892. 



Declaration of Maurice Edwards. 



I, Maurice Edwards, of the city of Victoria, now a hunter on the 

 "Ocean Belle," declare : 



That this is my second year as a seal-hunter; was on the '< Ocean 

 Belle" last year. 



