364 INVESTIGATION OF THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 



As to the criticism of my general state- 

 ment about the Uncinaria parasite, I can 

 only reply that our diminished rookeries 

 are not at present overspreading into the 

 parasite-infected sand areas. In fact, 

 Mr. Heath states, as quoted by Mr. 

 McLean, "these areas have been aban- 

 doned." They must of course be fenced 

 to protect the younger seals from infec- 

 tion as soon as the breeding grounds 

 begin to expand. As to shooting some of 

 the big males when they get too numer- 

 ous, it would puzzle the experts, as well 

 as Mr. McLean, to say which were the 

 fittest to survive. They all look alike. 

 Old ocean attends to the matter of selec- 

 tion in the case of the fur seal, weaklings 

 do not survive the seven months' migra- 

 tion swim among the killer whales of the 

 Pacific. If Mr. McLean will bring his 

 committee to my office where there is a 

 fairly complete set of rookery photo- 

 graphs and charts, he will get a clearer 

 understanding of the Pribilof breeding 

 grounds than he has at present. The fact 

 is that the innocent Camp Fire Club is 

 being used by the unscrupulous lobby 

 which has always been kept at work by 

 the pelagic sealers. One excuse suits it 

 as well as another; this time it is the kill- 

 ing of surplus males. It is a pity that 

 year after year it should succeed in getting 

 the support of men of good standing who 

 happen to be igiiorant of the real facts 

 involved . 



C. H. Towsend, 

 Member Advisory Board Fur Seal Service. 



(Healing No. 10, pp. 597, 598, Apr. 20, 

 1912.) 



Townsend, in 1895, declared 

 that the land killing was injuri- 

 ous. 



In the investigation made by said com- 

 mission the methods of land killing as well 

 as pelagic sealing should be studied. It 

 may be remembered that Mr. Henry W. 

 Elliott, formerly United States special 

 agent, in his report of 1890, claimed that 

 the methods of driving and killing the 

 seals on the land were injurious to the 

 herd. In this conclusion he is corrobo- 

 rated by Mr. Townsend, of the Fish Com- 

 mission, whose report is also annexed. 

 (Report of Chas. S. Hamlin, Asst. Secy. 

 Treasury. Mar. 1, 1895, p. 452: "Seal and 

 Salmon "Fisheries." Vol. I, 1898.) 



" James Hamilton Lewis" for the purpose 

 of rectifying the wrong done by said Liebes, 

 C. H. Townsend, and H. H. D. Peirce, 

 against the Government of Russia, a friendly 

 power. 



(4) That with a view to carrying this 

 recommendation into effect the Clerk of 

 the House be directed to forward to the 

 Secretary of State a certified copy of this 

 report, together with a complete set of 

 the official hearings before this com- 

 mittee on this subject. 



John H. Rothermel. 



Jas. T. McDermott. 



James Young. 



D. J. McGlLLICUDDY. 



(H. Rept. No. 1425, Jan. 31, 1913, 62d 

 Cong., 3d sess., pp. 4, 5.) 



But he fell down in the shadow 

 of Jordan and found that the 

 lessees do no harm. 



Mr. McGuire. Have you made any 

 investigations recently as to what the 

 Government is doing, and as to whether, 

 in your judgment, the killing is being 

 earned on just as it should be done, result- 

 ing in a reduction of the number of the 

 surplus males? 



Dr. Townsend. I am of the opinion 

 that the matter is being very carefully 

 handled by men who understand it; that 

 they are harvesting such of the crop as 

 should be harvested, and that they are 

 saving a sufficient number of breeding 

 males. Now that the convention with 

 Russia, Japan, and Great Britain looking 

 to the cessation of pelagic sealing has been 

 held, I think that the treaty should be 

 ratified and pelagic sealing put an end to. 

 I do not think that the males should be 

 killed too closely, and I am not of the 

 opinion that they have been killed too 

 closely. (Hearing No. 13, p. 810; June 

 8, 1912; H. Com. Exp. Dept. C. and L.) 



