636 INVESTIGATION OF THE FTJE-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. ■ 



dead before the carcass is taken in hand by either the rippers or the 

 skinners. Neither of these latter gangs touches a seal until it is 

 unmistakably dead. The rippers and nipperers, as they are called, 

 make certain incisions on the body for the purpose of expediting the 

 work of taking the skin off the carcass, which is done by the skinners 

 themselves. They come last of all. 



Mr. McGuire. Who come last of all? 



Mr. Lembket. The skinners come last of all, after the rippers have 

 made those incisions around the head and tail, along the belly and 

 around the two fore flippers so that nothing is left for the skinners to 

 do except merely to 



Mr. McGuire (interposing). Rip the skin off. 



Mr. Lembket (continuing). To take the skin off, and they advance 

 down the field from carcass to carcass, skinning them and spreading 

 out the skin to cool. 



Mr. McGuire. Was there any killable seal left up there last year 

 that should have been killed as a matter of economy and good judg- 

 ment by the Government of the United States ? 



Mr. Lembkey. There were, in my judgment, many seals that 

 should have been killed. 



Mr. McGuire. How many? 



Mr. Lembkey. I should say that 10,000 could have been killed 

 without any detriment to the herd. 



Mr. McGuire. If they could have been killed without a detriment 

 to the herd would it not have been an advantage to the herd to have 

 killed them — that is, in the future? 



Mr. Lembkey. I should sav yes. 



Mr. Bruckner. Why, Mr. Lembkey ? 



Mr. Lembkey. Because the allowing of those animals to escape at 

 the present time in such large numbers will insure their coming up on 

 the breeding grounds four or five years hence in similarly large num- 

 bers and in a number much greater than can be provided with female 

 consorts. 



Mr. Bruckner. I understand. 



Mr. Lembkey. There will, therefore, be many of those bulls idle. 

 These idle bulls will form a fringe around the entire outskirts of the 

 rookerv, eager and anxious to break into the breeding area and take 

 the cows. 



Mr. Bruckner. Yes. Have }'0u any idea of the proportion of 

 males and females ? Is there any way that can be calculated ? 



Mr. Lembkey. It has been demonstrated that they are born in 

 equal numbers. 



Mr. Bruckner. In equal numbers? 



Mr. Lembkey. Yes. As a matter of fact — I might as well put 

 this on the record — in 1S99 the effect of the suppression of killing of 

 large mi ml ers of males of previous years was very apparent. During 

 the time of the Paris tribunal of arbitration, that is to say, from 1891 

 to 1S93, both inclusive, the killing on the islands was stopped except 

 to the extent of 7,500 a year. That allowed many thousands of 

 males to escape and to grow up to adult size; and when I went there 

 first in 1S99 these thousands of adult but idle bulls were still present. 

 There were thousands of them that had been born, that grew up to 

 the adult estate and died that, in my opinion, never had a female 

 consort. 



