INVESTIGATION OP THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OP ALASKA. 475 



Mr. Elliott. It did not amount to one-half of 1 per cent when I 

 was up there. 



The Chairman. Is it a fact that these different bulls place them- 

 selves in a certain position and then the females come to a certain 

 locality 



Mr. Clark. Oh, yes; they take up their locations on the shore a 

 month before the females arrive. 



The Chairman. They come on the islands and locate themselves, 

 and the natural order of things is that so many females come into each 

 territory or harem, if I may call it that. 



Mr. Clark. Yes; that is correct. 



The Chairman. The bulls station themselves before the females 

 come along ? 



Mr. Clark. Yes; a month before. 



The Chairman. They occupy their respective places ? 



Mr. Clark. Yes. 



The Chairman. They keep their places until they depart again, 

 do they not ? 



Mr. Clark. Until the breeding season is over. 



The Chairman. Until they depart ? 



Mr. Clark. Yes, sir. 



The Chairman. Do they interfere with each other ? 



Mr. Clark. Yes; the idle bulls. When a bull has a hundred cows 

 and three or four idle bulls are around the territory these idle bulls 

 rush in and grab cows, carrying they off. If a bull holds the cap- 

 tured cow other cows may come to join her. I remember a bull that 

 I saw in 1912. We watched him for more than a week. There were 

 a hundred cows in the harem when we first saw it, and there were 10 

 idle bulls around this bull. The idle bulls were perfectly content at 

 first, but in the course of a week, when the cows began to come in heat 

 more rapidly than he could serve them, we saw the phenomenon of 

 13 harems established there, all from 1 harem, by capture and by 

 voluntary removal. 



The Chairman. Were there any idle bulls in 1913 when you were 

 up there ? 



Mr. Clark. There were 105. 



The:CnAiRMAN. These are observations as to what you observed 

 on the islands ? 



Mr. Clark. These are what I can contribute after a stay of 9 months 

 and 18 days on the islands. 



The Chairman. But these are your observations of 1913, are they 

 not? 



Mr. Clark. Of course; but relating back to 1912, 1909, and 1896-97. 



The Chairman. A report like this is on file in the department, is 

 it not ? 



Mr. Clark. Yes; elaborated. This is a condensation. 



Thereupon, at 4 o'clock p. m., the committee adjourned until to- 

 morrow morning at 10.30 o'clock. 



