APPEISDIX TO COUNTER-CASE OP GREAT BRITAIN. 695 



Declaration of Andrew McKeil, 



Dominion of Canada, 



FroiHuee of British Columhia, City of Victoria. 



I, Andrew McKeil, of the city of Vi(;toria, in tlie Province of Britisli 

 Columbia, Canada mariner, do solemnly declare: 



1. That I have been out on sealing vessels on the l^orth Pacific coast 

 two years as mate — in 1891 on the "Maud S.," and in 1892 on the 

 "Sadie Turpel." 



2. That in 1891 the "Maud S." got], 533 seal- skins, caught by six 

 hunters. More than half of the whole catch were males. We did not 

 leave port until the 24th April, and our coast catch was only about 400. 



The rest were got in Behring Sea. About three out of the five of 

 110 the females taken on the coast were cows with pup. In Behring 



Sea we got no cows with pup. Up to the 1st August the hunters 

 get cows with milk in them, but after that date the milch cows begin 

 to disappear, and very soon none are got in milk. By the 20th August 

 the milk in the cows has all dried up. 



3. That the hunters on the " Sadie Turpel " this year got 451 seals 

 on the coast, and 244 on the Asiatic coast around Copper Island. The 

 number of cows in pup was about the same as last year on the coast. 

 On the Copper Island grounds about half our catch were females. 

 Mostly all the females had pupped, and were about dry of milk. We 

 reached there about the 2nd August, and left on the 2nd September. 



4. That 1 saw more seals on the coast this year than last, especially 

 off Cape Cook, Cape Fairweather, and Sitka, but got fewer, partly 

 owing to rougher weather, and partly to having an inexperienced cap- 

 tain and crew. 



5. That at all the x>laces I have named the seals were in schools and 

 bunches, and travelling north and westerly. The schools or bunches 

 were mixed — all ages of both sexes, except old bulls, were together. 



6. That last year, 1891, the "Maud S.," after being warned, sailed 

 across Behring Sea in nearly a direct line between the Pribyloff' Islands 

 and the Commander Islands. I saw seals every day on the voyage 

 over. These seals were mostly sleepers, so I cannot say which way 

 they were g©iug. 



7. This year the "Sadie Turpel" went over to the Copper Island 

 grounds, outside of, and about 75 or 80 miles south of, the Aleutian 

 Islands. I saw seals every day on the voyage from Amutka Pass to 

 Atu Island. We got seven at different times on the way over. These 

 seals were shot from the deck, and a boat was lowered to get them in. 

 These seals were travelling in towards the Sea in a westerly direction. 

 They were all bulls, from 2 years old up. On the return voyage we saw 

 seals off Atu Island, about GO miles south. Some of these seals followed 

 the vessels for some time in a southeasterly direction. 



And I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing the 

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

 Oaths." 



(Signed) Andrew McKeil. 



Subscribed and declared by the said Andrew McKeil before me, a 

 Notary Public duly commissioned, and residing and x>ractising at the 

 city of Victoria, in the Province of British Columbia, this 0th day of 

 De(;ember, A. D. 1892. 



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



A Notary Public in and for the Frovince of British Columhia. 



