APPENDIX TO COUNTER-CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 723 



I am an American citizen, and last year sealed in the " La ISTiufa." 

 I was in her when she was seized on the 14th Jnly by the United 

 States cutter " Corwin." 



I sealed in the "La Niufa" up the coast, and our catch was about 

 300, and my personal catch was 57 or 58. 



This year I was sealing in the " Mattie J. Dyer," Captain Mockler, 

 on the Japan coast. We left here about the end of February, and our 

 catch was 1,190. I got 23G myself out of that number. 



This year, over and above the 23G seals I got, I lost exactly 7, which 

 sank after being killed, and before I could get to them in the boat. 

 Two of these were sunk by the boat running on them, and all of them 

 were long shots. I was particular to keep count this year of those I 

 lost, and this statement is correct. Last year 1 did not keep count, but 

 I know I did not lose many. 



I doubt if the loss by sinking of seals in the case of an average 

 hunter would be more than 5 per cent.; that is a hunter who would get 

 employment on a first-class sealing- vessel. 



We can use all the ammunition we want for x>ractice on the voyage, 

 and a great deal is used in that way. 



Nearly all seals are killed with the gun, and at a distance of from 10 

 to 30 yards, and what are killed by a rifle form a small proportion of 

 those I kill. 



We see seals in schools, and they are mixed in sexes and ages. 

 127 They are very much harder to kill when in schools than when in 

 ones or twos. I don't think any one could find a leader to a school, 

 and never heard a seal-hunter say he had seen one. 



From my own observation, and from Avhat other sealers tell me, there 

 were more seals seen this year than ever before, but we all agree in say- 

 ing that they are wilder and harder to get. 1 think cows as a rule are 

 more wary than bulls, for bulls when awakened will often show fight, 

 and also come towards the boat from sheer curiosity, whereas the cows 

 make off as fast as they can. 



In the first of the season along the coast I have got more cows than 

 bulls, but later on, as we get farther north, by the southern Alaska 

 coast, we get more bulls than cows, for up there the cows seem to strike 

 out for the islands without any loitering. This is also the case on the 

 Japan coast. 



The farthest I have got seals in milk from the rookeries was between 

 70 or 80 miles. I know this from looking at the Chart now shown me, 

 from which 1 can see the position at which I was at the time. 



I have frequently got a number of cows that have had neither pups 

 nor milk, and got more of that kind on this coast than the Japan coast. 

 There has been so much talk about the seal life that I took particular 

 notice of those facts last year. 



I have not heard of any schooners having taken any seals in Behring 

 Sea this year that were not warned or seized, and I would likely have 

 lieard of it if there had been any. 



In coming back from the Japan coast this year we left Skotan about 

 the 24th June, and followed the " great circle" track for Victoria, where 

 we arrived about the middle of July, and in the passage across I saw 

 seals every day. We ran within 200 or 250 miles of the Aleutian group. 



I never noticed any difference in the quality of the skins taken along 

 this coast from those in Behring Sea, and I would not know the differ- 

 ence between those taken on the American coast and those of the Japan 

 side. 



This year we got on our way across — just as we were leaving we got 

 skins off the Farfilloues Jshinds, and on taking them to A^ictoria with 



