TABLE OF CONTENTS. . 13 
CHAPTER XI.—PELAGIC SEALING, OR KILLING at SEA—Continued. Page. 
The shooting of the soals....... 2.222. ee eee ee eee eee eee eens 144 
Loss resulting from shooting......-........222-- 2.2202 cee cece eee eee 145 
The spear least wasteful........ 2... ..0222 0002 ele eee eee eee eee iene kine 145 
Northwest Coast sealing 2.2.2.0... 202 cece ee cee eee eee eee cece ee eees 146 
Boring S6a Sealing so. vec ccc 2 2 2 ce celaleige nea ceesioenesines sabes deve velelece 146 
POlARIC CATO joo d siccecnciitirciorsiais chet Sate sdigeeeasd ee ca neaeees See Sate eels eset 146 
Does not include seals killed, but lost..-......-..--.---- 2-2-2 eee ee eee e ee 147 
Early sealing continued to Pribilof herd...........-..---------------- +++ 147 
Suspension of land killing... ......--..-2222- 2222 e222 eee eee eee ee ne eees 147 
Modus vivendi transferred sealing to Asiatic side. -...--..-----.-----+-- 147 
: Decline of thecatch soos arsieicle sia cielo bee slot ae tastactg Goce <-cid He ose ee 148 
Unfavorable weather not the cause... .........02. .. eee ene eee eee eee 148 
Pelagic killing and land killing compared. ..........--..---- galls siosheterstst 148 
Statistics regarding land and sea killing.........-.2...----+ 22-0 eee eee 149 
The period from 1871-1882 ...... 2.22... 2 2-22 eee eee ee eee ee eee eee 149 
Growth of the catch.......-.--2--.22-2.-00--- sled cicndiata ss wepniminteisetcecmen 149 
Relation of gains and losses in the herd dnc SiasSreine loiwicwstie Sale hermes cioe ais efoure 149 
Period subsequent to 1882. .... 2.212202. eee eee ee eee cee cee eee 150 
Expansion of pelagic; decrease of land sealing........-..---.-----.------ 150 
Cause of decline to be sought in breeding herd..............---.-----+-- 150 
The beginning of the decline.............---..-.--.----- Jha sowoue aeeeee 151 
Early pelagic sealing a mere check ........-...---2.-2 222. cece eee e enone 151 
Irregular quota since 1890 ....- aust Sivimhanceeelald auclainiacemmelattare tess mae anie/tcr 151 
Pelagic sealing and the Commander herd..............--0.-.---- 000+ ---- 152 
Interrelation of pelagic and land catches... ......--..--.. 22-22 ee eee eee 153 
CuaPreR XIJI.—TuHe Errect oF PELAGIC SEALING: 
Pelagic sealing kills females......-..... -2.- 2-20 een ee cee ee cee eee ee 153 
Pelagic sealing and the sealing of the South Seas ...-.......-.---....-.- 153 
Methods of southern sealing...--..------- 0-2-2 eee ee ce eee eee eee eee 153 
“Indiscriminate” not ‘‘excessive”...... GSS cia uo Sesh sajcielew edaes ctayersytyayaa 154 
The preponderance of females ji 154 
The sealing captains’ record of sexes taken.....--.-----.---------+ eee eee 154 
Customs-house examination by experts.....--..------------0 ee eee enone 155 
Contrast of sex returns. ..-.--.--------- +--+ --eee- eee eee ee edie erstaherstayaioe 155 
The sex of salted skins easily determined. ............-.....------------ 155 
Investigations of Alexander and Halkett.......-..------ +--+ --+- eee eee 155 
Females more easily taken...-..--..---- 0-2 e205 eee eee eee cee eee eee 156 
The capture of males not important 156 
Possibility of equilibrium. ......---.----.-- 22. ce00 2222 ce eee cree ene eee 156 
Equilibrium a theoretical fact -.-.....---.-----------++- Sem bbeawend wee 157 
RS Death from old age. .... 02-2. 22. nee eee ee ee cee eee eee nee eee 157 
A hypothetical case........-..------ atiiceerUizleeiae Hameed. <r geee eee aaa 157. 
Possible abstraction of females. .:-...........---..-- Beak gered eee s 157 
‘ Secondary loss of pups -......---- 2122 see eee eee e eee eee cee nee eee 2. 158 
Pelagic catch still involves 16 per cent....-...-.--. saG 3d bce sees tees 158 
Pelagic catch must still fall to one-third before equilibrium.....---..... 158 
The equilibrium could not be maintained...-..--....--------- +--+ eee 159 
Equilibrium exists only far below commer¢ial ruin..-.-.--.-.-.----+---+- 159 
Destruction of unborn pups.....-..-.-- adie ielebesceeeaes eae aved seca cece 160 
Females pregnant and nursing........------------20 2-25 eee eee eee eee 160 
Pelagic sealing takes ‘compound interest....-...-.-.------------ +--+ +++ 160 
Destruction of nursing pups....-...--.. 2.2225 22.2 eee ee eee eee eee eee 160 
Pups dependent upon milk until December..-.....----.----..---.--+++-+- 160 
The absence of excrément. .... .... 02202. eee nee cee eee eee cee eeee eee = 161 
The supposed nonfeeding of females. .......-.. 20. -20ee- cece eee cere nese 161 
