954 APPENDIX TO CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 
seal islands?—A. I have seryed with different owners, and I have been instructed to 
carefully avoid approaching the islands within the international limit. In fact, all 
the sealing I have conducted has been done outside at least of the 20 miles from land. 
Mr. Milne.—Vhat will do, Captain Petit. ‘Thank you very much. 
(Signed) WILLIAM PETIT, Master. 
Sworn to before me, at Victoria, British Columbia, this 23rd day of January, 1892. 
(Signed) A. R. MILNE, Collector of Customs. 
172 ~=Before A. R. Milne, Collector of Customs, Victoria, B. C., January 22, 1892. 
Captain Wentworth Evelyn Baker, present master of the Canadian schooner “‘C, H. 
Tupper,” and formerly master or the schooner “ Viva,” of Victoria, being duly sworn: 
1. Mr. Milne.—How many years have you been engaged in sealing, Captain 
Baker?—A. Four years. 
2. Q. What Canadian schooners have you commanded during those four years ?— 
A. The schooner “ Viva.” 
3. Q. During the four years have you been more than reasonably successful as a 
seal-hunter?—A. Yes, Sir. 
4, Q. How many white men would your vessel usually carry ?—A. Twenty-three, 
all told. 
5. Q. You have hunted all along the coast, and also every year in Behring’s Sea?— 
A. Iivery year except 1891. During last year I was always outside of the line of 
demarcation between Russian and American waters. 
6. Q. During last year, to your observation, were seals as plentiful along the coast 
to Shumagin Islands as they were the year before?—A. In some places I found them 
as plentiful; in others I found them more plentiful. In some places where I never 
found any before | found them last year, and I found none where I had previously 
found some. 
7. Q. Then, Captain Baker, you think there is no material diff-rence, on the aver- 
age, during the four years? That is to your observition?—A. I sl.ould say, to my 
observation, there was no material difference. 
8. @. Your coast catch last year was equal to that of former years, was it?—A. It 
was equal to the first two years, and better than the third year by almost as many 
more skins, having 698 skins in 1890, and in 1891 I had 1,260 skins. 
9. Q. Owing to the number of vessels, do the seals appear to be more timorous ?— 
A. Well, I did not find them so, except in some places. It is a great deal owing to 
the position in which you find them. I found that the nearer the coast the wilder 
they are, and the further at sea you go they don’t seem to be any wilder than pre- 
viously. I think that what makes them wilder along the coast is the increase of 
traffic, steamers and so on being very numerous. 
10. Q. It is said that seal travel in groups of females and groups of bachelor bulls 
and young bulls—not mixed. Is that so?—A. I have always found it so. 
11. Q. So you think that the number of male or female seals caught would depend 
entirely upon the schooner falling in with groups of males or females?—A. Entirely. 
12. Q. How is that?—A. It is much harder to keep the run of females than of the 
males or barren cows. Females with young appear to be much more timid, and when 
you get among them and commence shooting, they disappear very quickly, and show 
only the nose and eyes above water when travelling, and do not expose their bodies 
as inuch above the water as the bulls and barren cows do, as if the maternal instinct 
to preserve their young was apparent. This fact is well known to all seal-hunters. 
I have often been in a group of cows with pups during the afternoon, and at night 
they would all disappear, and, apparently from maternal instinct, they will travel 
away as quickly as possible. 
13. Q. Do you consider it more difficult to shoot females, so little exposed as they 
are, than males?—A. It is decidedly more difficult, particularly on the coast. 
14. Q. You have observed a number of barren females?—A. Yes; quite a [?.] 
15. Q. How do they travel?—A. Usually by themselves, or mixed with bulls; I 
have never found a cow with pups among the buils. 
16. Q. Have you any idea what the percentage would be of the nuinber of barren 
cows to the number of seals caught?—A. I could not say exactly, but the percent- 
age is considerable. 
17. Q. What is the accepted theory among the sealers as to the barrenness of 
cows?—A. I don’t know as I have heard of any theory—unless they are like other 
animals. 
18. Q. When you speak of barren cows, you mean those who have been more than 
one season barren?—A. Yes; because before that they are called pups. ‘The barren 
cows are those who are old enough to have pups, but didn’t. 
