660 APPENDIX TO COUNTER-CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



Declaration of Walter Heay. 



Dominion of Canada. 



Province of British Columbia, City of Victoria. 



I, Walter Heay, of the city of Victoria, in the Province of British 

 Cohimbia, vSeal-hunter, do solemnly and sincerely state, and declare as 

 follows: 



I have been seal-hunting- six years on the Pacific coasts of America 

 and Asia, and in Behring Sea on both sides. 



In 1885 I was on the " Lily L.," of San Fraocisco, as boat-steerer. 

 In 1886 I was on the " Maggie Mac," of Victoria, as boat-steerer. In 1887 

 I was on the " Mountain Chief." In 1889 I was on the " Maggie Mac;" 

 also in 1890 — botli years as boat-steerer. In 1891 on the "Annie C. 

 Moore," as boat-puller, and 1892 on the "W. P. Say ward," as hunter. 



I got this year 168 seals, and lost by sinking not more than 15, all 

 off Copper Island, and all "travellers." 



I did not wound more than five, some of which may have died. 



Sleepers I shoot at from 15 to 20 yards' range, and " travellers " from 

 25 to 50 yards' range. Over two-thirds of the seals I got were sleepers. 



I saw more seals on Fairweather Ground in May than anywhere else 

 this year, and in 1890 saw seals in greatest number on Shoo-Fly Banks, 

 about 100 miles oft' Cross Sound. 



Some days I have got mostly cows, others young bulls, but generally 

 find them mixed uj) — all ages of both sexes — the farther south tbe more 

 mixed, but north of Fairweather Grounds the diflfierent kinds seem to 

 separate in large bands. From Cape Blanco to Fairweather Grounds 

 I have seen seals of both sexes and all ages, except old bulls, in schools. 

 I don't think old bulls go far south; I never saw any old bulls south 

 of Baker Island. Seals in schools are hard to get; there is one fellow 

 always keeping watch. If a boat gets within 200 yards of a school, 

 the fellow on watch "bleats" and rushes among the sleepers, jumping 

 upon them, and in two or three minutes the whole school disappears. 



On the coast the seals eat principally salmon, in Behring Sea princi- 

 pally squid. 



I don't see any difference between seals on Copper Island side and 

 the American side, except that they are a little darker on the breast 

 and belly, and a little tamer. 



In 1890, about 300 miles westward of Queen Charlotte Island, I saw 

 quite a number of young seals sleeping. 



This year there were more seals on the coast than ever before in my 

 six years' experience. 



My catch this year was over two-thirds young bulls, about twenty- 

 five or thirty barren cows, the rest with young. The hunters I was 

 with in former years generally got about that number of barren cows. 

 They generally travel with young bulls. 



Male seals have teats, but they don't show as plain as cows. 



I have seen seals cohabiting in the water in Behring Sea. The bull 

 gets right on top of the cow, whose head is just out of water. The bull 

 keeps squealing; I have seen them in this position upwards of five 

 minutes. If the bull is killed first the cow goes away, but if the cow is 

 killed first, the bull stays around, and is often got too. 



Indian hunters use guns more than they used to, and fewer use sjjears 

 every year. 



Pregnant females are not so easy to get as other seals. They don't 

 sleep good — seem always awake and watching. 



