INVESTIGATION OF THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 203 



Dr. Stejneger. Fighting of the males and trampling of the pups. 

 Mr. McGtjire. Then, where they were left untouched until they had accumulated 

 large numbers of males, would there have been trampling under those conditions? 

 Dr. Stejneger. That is the greatest danger to the herd. 



******* 



Mr. McGtjire. Now, your testimony with respect to the killing of the pups by the 

 lighting of battles by the males is based upon not only your general information, that 

 you have been able to obtain in general way, but as well upon two years' actual stay 

 upon seal islands? 



Dr. Stejneger. Yes, sir. 



Mr. McGuire. And upon your actual observation? 



Dr. Stejneger. Surveys of the rookeries. 



Mr. McGuire. You have personally observed those conditions, have you? 



Dr. Stejneger. Yes, sir. (Hearing No. 11, pp. 699, 700, 703.) 



On May 16, 1912, a few days following the above date of Stejneger's 

 strange testimony as to the "destruction" caused by the killing of 



Sups by the trampling of them by fighting males, his own associate, 

 >r. F. A. Lucas, on the Jordan Commission, 1897-98, swears that he 

 knows better — that he never saw a bull trample a pup to death: 



The Chairman. What experience have you had as to the fur-seal industry in 

 Alaska or as a member of the advisory board? 



Dr. Lucas. I was a member of the Fur-Seal Commission in 1896 and 1897. In 1896 

 I was on the islands or on the revenue cutter visiting the pelagic sealers from July 8 to 

 September 5. In 1897 I was on the islands, on the revenue cutter visiting pelagic 

 sealers and going to and from St. Paul and St. George from July 1 to August 17. The 

 records of the work are here, Mr. Chairman [exhibiting books]. 



Mr. Elliott. Now, Dr. Lucas, did you see up there a pup tiampled to death by a 

 bull? 



Dr. Lucas. No. (Hearing No. 12, May 16, 1912, pp. 706-719.) 



DR. JORDAN CONDEMNS THE KILLING OF YEARLINGS BY THE OLD 

 LESSEES IN 1889, BUT HE PERMITS AND APPROVES THAT KILLING 

 BY THE NEW LESSEES IN 1896-97, AND EVEN WHEN SO DONE IN 

 VIOLATION OF LAW AND REGULATIONS. 



That Dr. Jordan knew that the killing of yearlings was wrong and 

 injurious to the life of the fur-seal herd, he gives the following proof 

 of in his final report of February 24, 1898, to-wit: Speaking of the 

 result of the work of killing by the lessees of 1870 during the last 

 years of their lease, Dr. Jordan writes: 



For a time these more vigorous methods had the desired effect, but the scarcity of 

 bachelors as a result of the decreasing birth rate made it necessary finally to lower 

 the age for killable seals, so as to include first, the 2-year-olds, and in the end many 

 of the larger yearlings, in order to secure the requisite 100,000 skins. By these 

 methods it happened in 1889 that practically the whole bachelor herd of 4 years 

 and under down to the yearlings was wiped out. The result was the abnormal drop 

 to 21,000 in the quota of 1890. * * * 



It is not the intention here to justify the methods of killing employed in the clos- 

 ing years of the Alaska Commercial Co. Such killing ought never to have been 

 allowed. (Fur-Seal Inves. pt. 1, 1898, p. 124.) 



With this full understanding of the impropriety of killing those 

 small seals thus given to us by Dr. Jordan, as above quoted, this gen- 

 tleman actually has stultified himself by that writing as above, for he 

 has approved and licensed in 1896 and 1897 the same injurious and 

 illegal killing. He has done so in the following report, dated Novem- 

 ber 1, 1897, to the Secretary of the Treasury, to wit: 



Last year the hauling grounds of the Pribilof Islands yielded 30,000 killable seals; 

 during the present season a quota of only 20,890 could be taken. To get these it was 

 necessary to drive more frequently and cull the animals more closely than has been 



