APPENDIX TO CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 959 
21. Q. You have had about average luck?—A. Yes, about the average. 
22. Q. You have followed the seals from south of Cape Flattery north, haven’t 
you?—A. Yes, Sir. 
23. Q. During last year, to your observation, were the seals as plentiful along the 
coasts as they were the previous years?—A. They were. 
24. Q. Did the seals appear more frightened than usual ?—A,. I think not; I noticed 
no difference. 
25. Q. Did you notice last year, or any year, in hunting seals, that the cows travel 
together by themselves, and the bulls by themselves, in herds?——A. I did notice that 
the bulls, in a general way, travel together, and the cows together, and small seals, as 
a rule, pups, travel together. 
26. Q. When hunting, of course, if you struck a band of bulls, the catch that day 
would be principally bulls?—A. Yes; principally bulls. 
27. Q. Do you think more seals are shot while sleeping than when in motion?—A. 
Oh, yes; far more, about 80 per cent., I think. 
28. Q. What do you consider a safe shooting distance for a sleeping seal?—A. For 
a sleeping seal about 20 to 30 feet is a sure distance. 
29. Q. And when they are on the move, what is the distance?—A. Well, from 25 to 
30 yards. 
30. Q. What is your poten of the proportion of seals that are lost after being 
hit?—A. I think from 3 to 5 per cent. would cover everything. 
31. Q. Where do you aim for, in shooting a seal?—A. I aim for the head. 
32. Q. So when a seal drops his head dow n, the air is stopped from escaping ?—A. 
Yes; that is the reason we shoot in the head. 
33, Q. During last year did yon notice the proportion of females to males killed ?— 
A, From counting the skins, and noticing the seals coming on board the ship, I 
should form 75 to 80 per cent. were bulls, and the remainder females. 
178 34. @. Doyou know the reason of that?—A. I don’t know, unless the cows 
travel a little faster than the bulls, who follow the coast. I have always 
ree that there are more bulls killed on the coast than there are females. 
Q. Have you ever noticed when the number of females predominate?—A. I 
ee know, but I have noticed that during the months of March and April that 
there were more cows than males in the months of May, June, and July. 
36. Q. Can you form any idea from what you have heard, whether there are more 
females killed than males?—A. I should say that there are decidedly more males. 
That is from what I have heard and seen myself. There is no doubt that the low 
price obtained in London this year is due to the large number of small bull skins 
taken, the skins of the females being larger and better. 
38. Q. During the two years that you have been engaged in sealing have you ever 
known any Canadian vessel to raid any of the seal islands?—A. No, sir. 
39. Q. If there had been any such thing going on, it would have leaked out?—A. 
It would certainly have leaked out, and I would have heard of it. It is almost 
impossible to keep it quiet. 
(The above having been carefully read over to Captain Bissett, he corroborates 
and substantiates the same. ) 
(Signed) ALFRED BISSETT. 
Sworn before me at Victoria, British Columbia, this 18th day of November [sic], 
1892. 
(Signed) A. R. MILNE, Collector of Customs. 
January 19, 1892. 
Captain Theodore M. Magnesen, in command of the schooner ‘‘ Walter A. Earl,” 
of Victoria, examined by Collector Milne: 
1. Q. How many years have you been sealing in Behring’s Sea, Captain Magne- 
sen?—A. Three years; this will be my fourth. 
2. Q. You have had very good success last year?—A. Yes, very fair success. 
3. Q. Did you notice last year any perceptible decrease in the number of seals 
compared with previous years?—A. I think they were more plentiful last season 
than I ever saw them before. 
4. Q. Do you mean in Behring’s Sea?—A. Yes, both along the coast and in the Sea. 
The biggest catch I have ever made was last year, on the coast as well as in the Beh- 
ring’s Sea. 
5. @. You have noticed the habits of the seals—how they travel?—A. They travel 
in batches, the bull seals by themselves, and the cow seals by themselves, and the 
yearling pups by themselves. 
