440 INVESTIGATION OF THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 



and a 1-year-old child, when the age of man is from 1 to 100, and the 

 age of a seal from 1 to 13 ? 



Mr. Clark. Yes. 



Mr. Walsh. The growth per year is much greater? 



Mr. Clark. There is very little distinction in a seal between the 

 age of 1 and 3 years. It is in the fourth year that the male begins 

 to shoot up into the tremendous frame which the adult bull has. 

 For the first three years the difference is very slight indeed. It is 

 recognized by the standard fixed that the average skin of a yearling 

 weighs 4 1 pounds and the average skin of a 2-year-old is only 5^ 

 pounds, and the average skin of a 3-year-old is 7 pounds. So there 

 is very little difference in the size of those animals until they are 3 

 years old. 



Mr. Patton. Professor, your assertion then is on the strength of 

 the fact that there is very little variance between a 1 and 2 year old 

 seal, and therefore it is hard to distinguish them? 



Mr. Clark. Yes. I would not want to swear to it myself and I do 

 not believe anyone could conscientiously swear to it. That would be 

 my judgment. I want to say that the Government, although the 

 law and the department's regulations have mentioned yearlings, has 

 never depended on anybody's distinguishing yearlings and 2-year- 

 olds. It has supplemented the regulations by stating that no skin 

 under the weight of oh pounds, or under the weight of 6 pounds, or 

 under the weight of 5 pounds, or above the weight of Hh pounds, 

 shall be taken, and those weights have been the governing factors in 

 dealing with the killing. They recognize the fact that nobody can 

 distinguish a yearling seal, and so the yearling seal is protected by 

 requiring the agents to not take skins under 5 pounds. 



The Chairman. Now, Mr. Clark, if you can not tell by looking at 

 the seals what is a yearling and what is not a yearling why did you put 

 this table in your report '. 



Mr. Clark. You mean 



The CiiAiKM w continuing). Telling us how man}' yearlings were 

 taken and how many seals of different ages were killed? 



Mr. Clark. If I may 



The Chairm s .x interposing). No; just tell us why you state that. 

 You say you can not tell the difference between a seal 2 years old and 

 a seal 1 rear old and yet you endeavor here to give us in minute detail 

 how many seals were killed 1 year old, 2 years old, and of different 

 ages and at different times? 



Mr. Clark. This table, at page 875, is simply a record of the 

 weights of skins as taken in the efforts of the agents to conform to the 

 regulations by which they were governed, and in these instances I 

 have p< tinted out they have failed to meet the regulations ; that is all. 



The Chairman. But this is the question: If as you said a moment 

 ago. no man can tell the difference why is it you make out a table here 

 to the Government stating how many yearlings were killed under your 

 observal ion ? 



Mr. Clark. I do not recall that I stated that these were }'earlings 

 at all. 



The Chairman. You submitted a table? 



Mr. Clark. 1 have simply recorded what the agents reported to the 

 Government. These are not matters I had anything to do with. 



