INVESTIGATION OF THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA.. 325 



THE DEADLY PARALLEL. 



Stejneger swears that pups are 

 trampled to death (1912): 



Investigation of Fur-Seal Industry 

 of Alaska. 



Committee on Expenditures in the 

 Department of Commerce and 

 Labor, House of Representa- 

 tives, 



Saturday, May 4, 1912. 



The committee met at 10 o'clock a. m., 

 Hon. John H. Rothermel (chairman) 

 presiding. 



Present: Messrs. Young, McGillicuddy, 

 and McGuire. 



statement of leonhard stejneger. 



Leonhard Stejneger, having been 

 duly sworn, was examined, and testified 

 as follows: 



Dr. Stejneger. In that case, I should 

 say I first came to the Commander Islands 

 in 1882 and stayed until the fall of 1883, 

 remaining the winter. 



Mr. McGuire. Continuously? 



Dr. Stejneger. Yes. I saw the whole 

 business from beginning to end during 

 two seasons. I mapped the rookeries, 

 and I have made a very elaborate report 

 on that. This [handing book to the chair- 

 man] gives all the data. 



In 1896 I was appointed a member of 

 the Fur Seal Investigation Commission, 

 of which Dr. Jordan was the chairman. 

 "We went up early in the season and I 

 stayed on the Pribilof Islands for 10 days 

 with the other members of the commis- 

 sion and went all over the rookeries at 

 that time, and did part of the counting of 

 the rookeries on the American islands, 

 and then went over to the Commander 

 Islands again and inspected the rookeries 

 there, mapped the distribution of the 

 seals on the rookeries then as compared 

 to what they were in 1882, 1883, and 1895. 



Mr. McGulre. Xow, your testimony 

 with respect to the killing of the pups by 

 the fighting of battles by the males is 

 based upon not only your general informa- 

 tion, 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 rook- 

 eries. 



Mr. McGuire. You have personally 

 observed those conditions, have you? 



Dr. Stejneger. Yes, sir. 



Stejneger denies that pups are 

 trampled to death (1898): 



It is certainly very significant that on 

 Bering Island over a thousand pups are 

 yearly driven to the killing ground, 

 there to be released without any visible 

 harm coming to them worth mentioning. 

 If these newly-born seals can stand to be 

 driven three-fourths of a mile from 

 Kishotchnoye and to be repeatedly 

 trampled upon by the larger ones piling 

 up four high, or more, on top of them, 

 it stands to reason that the vigorous 

 holustioki, or even the females, as a 

 whole can suffer but little injury from the 

 same cause. (Fur-Seal Investigations, 

 Part IV, 1898, p. 101, by Leonhard 

 Stejneger. 1 ) 



Note. 



Dr. Stejneger. I should think that if they were left and had been left for some time by themselves it 

 would be the fighting of the males. 



Mr. McGuire. The fighting of the males and trampling of the pups? 



Dr. Stejneger. Fighting of the males and trampling of the pups. (Hearing No. 11, p. 702, May 4, 1912, 

 H. Com. Exp. Dept. 0. and L.) 



