336 
As to the criticism of my general statement 
about the Uncinaria parasite, I can only reply 
that our diminished rookeries are not at pres- 
ent overspreading into the parasite-infected 
sand areas. In fact, Mr. Heath states, as 
quoted by Mr. McLean, “these areas have 
been abandoned.’ They must of course be 
fenced to protect the younger seals from in- 
fection as soon as the breeding grounds begin 
to expand. As to shooting some of the big 
males when they get too numerous, it would 
puzzle the experts, as well as Mr. McLean, to 
say which were the fittest to survive. They all 
look alike. Old Ocean attends to the matter 
of selection in the case of the fur seal, weak- 
lings do not survive the seven-month’s migra- 
tion swim among the killer whales of the Pa- 
cific. If Mr. McLean will bring his com- 
mittee to my office where there is a fairly com- 
wlete set of rookery photographs and charts, 
the will get a clearer understanding of the 
Pribilof breeding grounds than he has at pres- 
ent. The fact is that the innocent Camp Fire 
Club is being used by the unscrupulous lobby 
which has always been kept at work by the 
pelagic sealers. One excuse suits it as well as 
another, this time it is the killing of surplus 
males. It is a pity that year after year it 
should succeed in getting the support of men 
of good standing who happen to be ignorant 
of the real facts involved. 
C. H. Townsenp, 
Member Advisory Board 
Fur Seal Service 
To tue Eprror or Scrence: In Science for 
February 2, Mr. Marshall McLean, member of 
the Camp Fire Club, enters the list of those 
who would by indirection ruin the fur seal 
herd. He would have “natural conditions” 
rule upon the fur seal islands and “ all killing 
of selected males for commercial purposes... 
eease until the tide of increase in the fur seal 
herd has once more set toward the flood.” He 
lays down as reason for this the principle 
“that when any species of wild animal has 
become so depleted as to be in danger of ex- 
tinction, the best remedy is to let it absolutely 
alone.” 
SCIENCE 
[N.S. Vou. XXXV. No. 896 
Singularly enough he quotes President 
David Starr Jordan in support of his position. 
The quotation, however, is from an essay on 
the effects of war, the selection of the most fit 
for military service and their destruction in 
war tending to reverse the process of natural 
selection under which the fittest should sur- 
vive. The assumption of Mr. McLean is that 
the killing of fur seals, as practised on the 
islands, is a selection out of the best, leaving 
an inferior quality of males to breed. Presi- 
dent Jordan would not admit this and is in 
fact utterly opposed to any scheme for the 
suspension of land killing as at present con- 
ducted. 
To do President Jordan justice in the fur 
seal matter quotation should be made from his 
reports on this subject which followed the in- 
vestigations made in 1896-97 under his direc- 
tion. On page 147 of Vol. 1 of the final re- 
port of the Commission, speaking of a modus 
vivendi similar to the one which Mr. McLean 
would institute, which prevailed in 1891-93, 
he says: 
The suspension of killing on land only released 
young males to grow up which are now, as idle 
and superfluous bulls, a menace to the rookeries. 
Again, on page 120 of the same volume, 
Moreover, the removal of this superfluous male 
life is not only possible, but it is really beneficial 
to the herd. The only deaths among the adult 
bulls and cows, discovered upon the rookeries of 
the islands, resulted from the struggling of the 
bulls among themselves or to attain possession of 
the cows. 
In the investigation of 1896-97 a number of 
eminent scientists from the Smithsonian In- 
stitution were associated with President Jor- 
dan and a commission of British scientists 
made a concurrent investigation. These men 
came together as a joint Conference of Fur 
Seal Experts in Washington at the close of 
the investigation and agreed upon a statement 
of facts regarding the fur seals. The full text 
of the finding of fact of this Conference will 
be found on pages 240-244 of Vol. 1 of the 
final report of the American Commission. 
