WOULD DESTROY THE, SEALS AND SEA LIONS. 
the California coast is now effectually 
blocked. 
This afternoon I called on the chiet 
clerk of the Lighthouse Board; also on 
Commander Perry, naval secretary of 
the board, to ask if the board at its meet- 
ing next Monday would give any of us a 
chance to be heard. They~said the mat- 
ter is settled so far as ther*board is con- 
cerned. Commander Perry wired. the 
Lighthouse Inspector at San Francisco to 
withdraw the permit previously granted 
until further orders, and he assures me 
no further orders will be sent him! So 
no more killing will be allowed on the 
Lighthouse reservations. 
The California Fish Commission will 
probably continue to do some killing else- 
where, but it will not amount to much. 
They will probably criticise us severely, 
but we are well fortified in our position. 
If there is a particle of proof as to the 
statements made by the California Com- 
10g 
Townsend, Stejneger nor any one who 
knows anything about the sea lion—has 
any evidence that it destroys salmon. On 
general principles, from what we know of 
the -fur “seal, ‘the harbor seal, etc., it is 
quite likely the sea lion does- destroy 
some salmon; but we hzve no proof of 
it. These men say “We estimate that they 
destroy: fully. 25 per cent of the salmon 
that-enter Suisun~ bay’; also “that a sea 
lion-eats. from 25 to 100 pounds of fish 
daily.” 
It would be interesting to learn how 
the facts(?) were obtained on which these 
“estimates” are based. How: do they 
know how many salmon enter Suisun bay? 
All this sounds very fishy to me. 
It appears that Jordan says nothing 
about killing any except old bulls. It 
seems to me they are stretching his testi- 
mony and making him sanction what he 
never meant to approve. 
But we have won. I congratulate you. 
mission, I have failed to see it. No one Sincerely, 
here,—Merriam, True, Palmer, Miailler, B, W. Evermann. 
AUGUST. 
The days are some shorter, folks do as they 
ought to 
By plunging in sea, lake, and river to 
Swim; 
The dudelet and daughter parade by the 
water, 
He’s after her fortune, and she’s after 
him, 
