624 APPENDIX TO COUNTER-CASE OF GREAT BRITAfN. 



3. My men always report having lost very few seals. Sir George 

 Baden-Powell asked me about tliis last year, and I kept count of the 

 cartridges I gave my hunters — they were Indians. I have had Indians 

 every year since 1887. I found that they brought in almost as many 

 seals as I gave them cartridges. On the 5th August last I gave them 

 (my hunters) ninety-five cartridges, and they brought in eighty-four 

 seals. They had to fire two or more times at some of the seals, so that 

 they got practically all they shot at. The Indians used to use spears, 

 but they all prefer guns when they can get them, and my Indians have 

 used guns ever since 1888. I think my men lose about » half of 1 per 

 cent, of the seals they shoot at. 



4. I went out in the usual way this year, and at about the usual time, 

 and on the coast from Flattery to Kadiak found the seals more plentiful 

 than ever I had seen them before ; my men also remarked this. 



5. There are very few seals indeed that are wounded badly enough to 

 die afterwards, and a few, I suppose, are killed and sink, but very few 

 now that rifles are not used. A seal is sometimes stunned and will sink, 

 and when gafled and brought on board they come to and are all right, 

 and I do not doubt that some that are reported lost come to and live. 



6. This year I went to the Eussian side of Behring Sea. On the way 

 home I saw seals in the North Pacific, far from land ; we got one of them. 



7. Outside of Bebring Sea my experience has been that there are more 

 males than females taken, very many more. In Behring Sea we find 

 more females than on the coast, but not nearly so many females as males. 



8. I cannot tell a skin of a female from that of a male by the teats, for 

 both have teats, and salted skins could not be separated in this way. 

 There is no way to tell the sex of the seal a salted skin is taken from. 

 I don't believe any man can tell the difference. I can see no diflterence 

 between the seals on this side and on the Eussian side. 



9. Sometimes a man might drift in the fog, but if there were good 

 soundings laid down on the Chart there would be no trouble in telling 

 one's position. 



10. I do not think seals could be much lessened in number if they were 

 protected on the islands when breeding. There were more seals in 

 Behring Sea last year than I ever saw before there. I was six seasons 

 there. 



11. I have never seen seals cohabiting in the water in Behring Sea. 



12. I know Brown, who was hunter on the United States cutter " Cor- 

 win." He is reported to be such a poor hunter that no one would take 

 him out last year. 



And I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing the 

 same to be true, and by virtue of "The Act respecting Extra Judicial 

 Oaths." 



(Signed) Laughlln McLean. 



Subscribed and declared by the said Laughlin McLean before me, a 

 Notary Public duly commissioned, and residing and practising at the 

 city of Victoria, in the Province of British Columbia, this 21st day of 

 October, A. d. 1892. 



[SEAL.] (Signed) Arthur L. Belyea, 



A Notary Fuhlic in and for tJie Frovince of British Columbia. 



