632 INVESTIGATION" OF THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 



Mr. Lembkey. I was present myself on two occaosions on which 

 I saw Mr. Marsh and Mr. Clark doing the branding. After their de- 

 parture from the islands I continued the work of branding, which 

 was done not only by myself but by Dr. McGovern, who was resident 

 physician on the island, and, so far as I can remember now, the entire 

 native population of St. Paul Island was also present. 



Mr. McGuire. You enumerated those branded, did you, so you 

 could tell about how many there were ? 



Mr. Lembkey. A careful count was made of them. 



Mr. McGuiee. A careful count was made of them ? And how many 

 were there branded ? 



Mr. Lembkey. I do not remember just how many. 



Mr. McGuire. Were there 5,000 or more ? 



Mr. Lembkey. There were. Taking Mr. Clark's statement and 

 adding thereto what were branded by myself and what were branded 

 on St. George by Agent Proctor, there were over 5,000, as I recollect. 



Mr. McGuire. Were males and females alike branded? 



Mr. Lembkey. Yes, sir. 



Mr. McGuire. And were they all of the pups born of that year ? 



Mr. Lembkey. No, sir. You mean to say, did we brand all of the 

 pups of that year? 



Mr. McGuire. Oh, no; I mean to say were all that were branded 

 pups born that year ? 



Mr. Lembkey. Yes, sir; they were all pups born that year. 



Mr. McGuire. Were you there in 1913? 



Mr. Lembkey. Yes, sir. 



Mr. McGuire. Give the committee, briefly, your observation in 

 respect of whether those imps returned with the balance of the herd 

 and whether they were there on the hauling grounds in 1913. And if 

 not, did they come with the others. If they came, when did they come ? 



Mr. Lembkey. In 1913 a careful search was made in the drives of 

 all seals made for killing purposes to determine the presence among 

 those seals of any of th >se marked in 1912 by being branded on the 

 head. None of these seals appeared in any of the drives made 

 by me in 1913 for killing purposes. After Mr. Clark's arrival on the 

 island, which occurred sometime in July, 1913—1 do not remember 

 the exact date —Mr. Clark and I, with a large gang of natives, on about 

 July 25, proceeded to the hauling grounds of Reef rookery for the 

 purpose of driving up the bachelors found there and making a careful 

 search for the presence of these branded yearlings. Previous to our 

 going to the rookery Mr. Elliott was notified of our project and 

 invited to accompany us. We went, under the circumstances stated, 

 to those hauling grounds. 



Mr. McGuire. Did Mr. Elliott go with you? 



Mr. Lembkey. He did not. 



Mr. McGuire. Did he refuse to go? 



Mr. Lembkey. He did. We went to this hauling ground as stated 

 and there found more than 1,000 seals, bachelors. Probably there 

 were nearer 2,000 than 1,000, but at any rate there were much over 

 1,000 seals. These seals were driven to one side, and from the whole 

 mass small pod -. as they are called, or bands of 30 to 50 were detached 

 and driven back and carefully scrutinized to determine whether any of 

 those branded seals were among the number. We found in this entire 

 mass, as I can recollect now, but one having a perfectly distinct head 



