INVESTIGATION OF THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 621 



List of fur seals of a length of 45 inches, approximately, furnishing salted shins of a length 



of 35 inches, approximately. 



[Extracted from Bulletin of the Fish Commission No. 780, p. 93.] 



No. of tag. 



30. 

 33. 

 40. 

 42. 

 43. 

 51. 

 55. 

 57. 

 66. 

 68. 

 69. 

 71. 

 77. 

 79. 

 101 

 115 

 116 

 117 

 122 

 124 

 136 



Length of 



Length of 



animal. 



salt skin. 



Inches. 



Inches. 



45* 



35 



46 



354 



50 



37 



45 



35} 



43 



344 



454. 



36 



45 



35! 



46! 



35*. 



48 



34* 



44! 



34J 



45! 



36f 



45! 



36 



45 



35 



48 



35 



43! 



32| 



m 



35* 



45! 



34! 



44* 



35! 



48 



36 



47 



36 



43! 



31* 



No. of tag. 



137 

 139 

 140 

 141 

 142 

 143 

 144 

 145 

 149 

 150 

 151 

 152 

 154 

 160 

 164 

 165 

 166 

 167 

 173 

 174 



Length of 



Length 



animal. 



salt skin. 



Inches. 



Inches. 



44 



31! 



47| 



35 



47! 



34! 



48 



30! 



43! 



34 



44 



291 



44! 



354 



46! 



34! 



44 



33! 



44! 



34! 



47! 



321 



50! 



37 



48! 



33 



48! 



33! 



48! 



364 



47! 



33 



48! 



344 



44 



31} 



45 



35 



46! 



34! 



From this list of about 200 examples of which these tests were 

 made many more instances can be found of a decided shrinkage of 

 the skin after salting, but for purposes of brevity I did not extract 

 more. 



While Mr. Elliott admits that a live seal 45 inches long is a 2-year 

 old he denies that a 35-inch salted skin is or can be the skin of a 

 2-year-old, but claims that it is the skin of a yearling. I have just 



E resented the committee with a list of over 40 examples — and could 

 ave given more — of seals 45 inches in length or larger furnishing 

 salted skins 35 inches in length or less, picked at random from a list 

 of 200 measurements. The production of this list successfully meets 

 Mr. Elliott's assertion that salted skins 35 inches in length or smaller 

 necessarily are the skins of yearling seals. 



Mr. McGuire. Were you through, now, with the measurements of 

 skins and the effects of the saltings ? 



Mr. Lembkey. Yes, sir. 



Mr. McGuire. Do you state that an animal 45 inches long may 

 produce a skin 35 inches in length or less ? 



Mr. Lembeet. I do. 



Mr. McGuire. Is that your experience, where a seal is skinned in 

 the usual way and with the usual amount of skin left on the fore- 

 head and nose? 



Mr. Lembkey. It is. 



Mr. McGuire. The shrinkage after salting depends on what? 

 I want to modify that question. You say a seal 45 inches in length 

 may, after being skinned in the ordinary way, with the usual amount 

 of skin left on the head, produce a skin only 35 inches in length or 

 less. When in your judgment does the greatest shrinkage occur — 

 immediately after the skin is taken from the seal, or is the size affected 

 by the salting, do you know ? 



