ELECTRICAL BRANDING. 335 



Under these conditions tlie apparatus proved satisfactory. Dead pups were 

 branded with a uniformly smooth brand IJ inches wide at a single stroke. 



THE TESTS OF LIVING PUPS. 



When the apparatus was thus made ready, 12 live pups were brought up in a 

 wagon from Kitovi rookery. 



The conditions iu dealing with the living animal were fouud to be entirely differ- 

 ent from those iu connection with the dead. It took some time to learn how to handle 

 the cautery over the loose and yielding skiu of the living pup. As a result it was 

 found necessary to make two strokes instead of one. On the whole, therefore, the 

 branding of the first 8 live pups was mucli less satisfactory than the branding of 

 the dead ones. On the last 4, however, better results were obtained. Experience 

 gave confidence in handling the cautery^ and the brands were satisfactory in all 

 respects as regards length, breadth, intensity, and uniforndty. They were acceptable 

 to Colonel Murray. The only unsatisfactory element was that of time. It required 

 fully thirty minutes from the beginning to the end to brand the 12 pups. 



The time was greatly lengthened, however, by several delays due to accidents. 

 A belt was thrown from one of the hand pulleys, and one of tlie inji)rovised stands 

 was completely overturned by the loosening of a screw in the soft redwood base. 

 The ping "cut out" had been soldered up, to do away with a small loss of power, and 

 it therefore became necessary to stop the entire plant eacb time a cautery wire fused. 

 This occurred four times in the branding of the first 8 pups but not at all iu the 

 branding of the last 4. The unknown factor of how long a cautery wire would 

 last under constant use could only be tested by actual continuous trial. These and 

 all other questions we had no opiiortunity to i)roperly test, as, the Commission having 

 left the island, we were not allowed by the Treasury agent in charge to exi^eriment 

 further on living pups neither at this time nor at any time later. 



CONCLUSION. 



While this test was wholly inadequate to show the full j)ossibilities of branding 

 by the cautery wire, its action in the case of the last 4 pups indicated that the 

 principle of the cautery was a success. Witli the apparatus improved and i^erfected 

 the work can undoubtedly be greatly accelerated. Barring accidents, it is my belief 

 that after a little practice 4 pups a minute could be branded witb the cautery wire, 

 as running at the close of our test. Witb the perfection of the apparatus, aided by 

 experience and i^ractice, this number could undoubtedly be increased. It was possible 

 witb the irons to average five a minute, and in tbat case it was necessary to burn 

 through the entire fur, whereas with the cautery wire only a short length of fur at the 

 surface of the skin had to be burned. 



COMPARATIVE RESULTS. 



We were allowed for a short time at the first day's branding to ooserve the method 

 of branding with the irons. It was in the whole very satisfactory. In the matter of 

 speed and simi^licity the process is all that could be desired. A round iron would be 

 better than the rectangular one used by Colonel Murray. We made one of these and 

 he used it for a time. 



