INVESTIGATION of the fur-seal INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 469 



The special breeding reserve of 4-year-olds. In 1912, 2,000 3-year- 

 old males were specially marked and set aside as breeders. None of 

 these were killed m 1913. This, therefore, gives the number of 4-year- 

 olds in the herd for 1913, 2,000. 



The number of 3-year-old males, ascertained by a combination of 

 counts and estimates, was 10,000. These were killable seals and 

 had the law not prevented they would have been taken. 



The number of 2-year-old females, 15,000; males, 15,000. These 

 figures are obtained by a combination of counts and estimates, 

 deducible from the known birth rate of 1912, allowance being made 

 for losses in second migration. 



The number of yearlings — 20,000 each, males and females, esti- 

 mated from the known birth rate of 1912, 81,984 pups. 



The Chairman. How do you distinguish the sex in the yearling? 



Mr. Clark. I do not distinguish it, but we know from numerous 

 experiments that they are born equally. In other words, you will 

 find on any rookery that they run about so many females to the same 

 number of males. 



The Chairman. The sex can not be told in yearlings ? 



Mr. Clark. Not except by an examination, and the fact is that 

 the yearling females keep away from the males. 



The Chairman. Well, clubbers could not tell by seeing them on 

 the ground ? 



Mr. Clark. No, but we do not have to depend on their judgment 

 because the bulls keep them away. 



Mr. McGuire. You say you do not have to depend on the judg- 

 ment of the killers with respect to the yearling females. Do you 

 mean to say that they are not there? 



Mr. Clark. Yes. 



Mr. McGuire. Why? 



Mr. Clark. No yearling female could live on the hauling ground. 

 The older bachelors would simply make life unendurable for her. 



The Chairman. Were they all mixed up when you were there in 

 1913? They go everywhere, do they not, the yearlings and the 

 2-vear-olds ? 



Mr. Clark. I say this is only estimated from the fact that there 

 were 81,984 pups born in 1912, and the best light we have on the 

 losses sustained by the pups in the first winter is about 50 per cent. 

 That is the highest loss that has been put on the pups during the 

 first migration. I am assuming they met that loss, which leaves 

 about 40,000 yearlings, and half of them will be females and half of 

 them males. Of course, I did not see any of the animals but those 

 figures are deducible from the known birth rate of 1912. 



The Chairman. When you say that the yearling does not come on 

 the hauling ground, why did you say in your report that the company 

 did kill yearlings. They must have killed them away from the 

 hauling ground. 



Mr. Clark. Mr. Rothermel, you are pressing my observation 

 rather too far, because I say there were only 16 of them killed. 



The Chairman. Then they must have been killed off the hauling 

 ground. 



Mr. Clark. No; my report shows that there were 16 animals killed 

 in the quota of 1909 below 5 pounds, and they were yearlings. 



The Chairman. How did you ascertain the weight ? 



