188 INVESTIGATION OF THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 



Mr. Lembkey. It would; if the regu- 

 lations permitted it, however, it would be 

 in accordance with existing law. 



It should be remembered also that the 

 law does not prohibit the killing of any 

 male seal over 1 year or 12 months of age, 

 although regulations of the department 

 do prohibit the killing of anything less 

 than 2 years old, or those seals which have 

 returned to the islands from their second 

 migration. (Hearing No. 9, pp. 360, 371, 

 372, Feb. 29-Mar. 1, 1912.) 



We now come to the point in Secretary Nagel's agent's report 

 where Mr. Nagel is specifically and clearly told that the lessees are 

 taking yearling seals — are taking everything that comes into the 

 drives — taking these little seals just as Elliott has charged they were 

 taken on April 26, 1909, and taking them in open, flagrant violation 

 of the law and regulations. The following description of that illegal 

 and injurious slaughter is given to Mr. Nagel, September 30, 1909, 

 and Mr. Secretary Nagel shut his eyes to it, and presumed to deny it 

 to the Senate and House committees, February 4 and May 31, 1911, 

 to wit: 



July 23. — Attended the killing at Northeast Point and looked over the rookeries 

 again after the drive. There are 5 harems to-day on the west side of Sea Lion Neck 

 where only 3 were found on the 14th. 



******* 



The killing at the point this morning yielded 475 skins. The total number of 

 animals driven was 712. Of these, 136 were shaved heads; 48 were rejected because 

 too big, 53 because too little. Out of the 712 animals, therefore, only 53, or 1\ per 

 cent, are available for next year's quota. 



With this may be compared a killing made at Northeast Point in 1897. The total 

 number killed was 1,322. The full drive numbered 3,869. There were no shaved 

 heads. Of the 2,547 exempted from killing, 500 were too large, 2,047 too small. The 

 2,047 small seals, or 55 per cent of the whole drive, were left for the quota of 1898. 

 Contrast with this the 1\ per cent left for the quota of 1910. 



A killing was made at Halfway Point as usual on the return trip. It yielded 32 skins. 

 Fifteen animals — young bulls- — too large for killing and 9 shaved heads were exempted, 

 but no small seals whatever. As the end of the killing season approaches it is plain 

 that no seal is really too small to be killed. Skins of less than 5 pounds weight are 

 taken and also skins of S and 9 pounds. These latter are plainly animals which escaped 

 the killing of last year because their heads were shaved. Otherwise it does not seem 

 clear how they did escape. 



July 24- — A killing was made this morning from Reef and Lukanin. Tolstoi has 

 ceased to yield any bachelors. The killing yielded 685 skins; 135 shaved heads 

 were turned back. The total number of animals driven was 941. Of the remaining 

 exemptions, 81 were too big for killing, 40 too little. In short, only slightly over 

 4 per cent of the animals driven were left for the quota of 1910. The actual percent- 

 age killed was 72. If we add the number of killable size marked for breeding reserve, 

 135, the percentage of killable seals in this drive rises to 87 per cent. In a drive made 

 from these same rookeries on this date in 1897 the percentage of killable seals was 23. 

 (Report of Geo. A ; Clark, Sept. 30, 1909; Appendix A, pp. 887-888; House Com- 

 mittee on Expenditures in the Department of Commerce and Labor, June 24, 1911.) 



Then again, this same agent of Secretary Nagel, and expert, as 

 above cited, George A. Clark (also Dr. Jordan's assistant), says in a 

 letter to W. T. Hornaday, dated August 26, 1911, that the lessees 

 killed yearlings in 1909, and " defends" the act. He sends a copy 

 to the Hon. J. H. Rothermel, and asks that it be "brought to the 

 attention of your committee," under date of August 28, 1911. In 



