704 INVESTIGATION OF THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 



Commerce and Labor, as fully identified and certified as such by the 

 United States Bureau of Fisheries. Said skins were taken on St. Paul 

 Island by Chief Special Agent Lembkey August 18, 1911, and sent 

 by him as types of yearling skins for the information and use as such 

 by the Bureau of Fisheries, and so presented as complete evidence. 

 The Bureau offers them in evidence, to wit: 



The Chairman. How will we determine the ages of the seals from which the skins 

 cqme? 



Dr. Evermann. Yes; how will you? Will you take the statements of the agents 

 who have brought down these skins from the islands or will you take Mr. Elliott's 

 statement? 



Mr. Elliott. Take Mr. Lampson's statement; that is what I stand on; he is your 

 own agent. (Hearing No. 10, p. 546, April 24, 1912, H. Com. Exp. Dept. Commerce 

 and Labor.) 



Messrs. Patton and McGuire accept them without question. 



******* 



Mr. Patton. The difficulty is whose authority are you going to take? 



The Chairman. That remains to be shown also. 



Mr. McGuire. I was simply suggesting the most convenient way to get the testimony 

 from the doctor, the witness representing the department. Of course, so far as I am 

 concerned, I am perfectly willing to take his figures (p. 548, Hearing No. 10). 



The salted yearling skins — duly exhibited. 



Dr. Evermann. No. 7. The seal skin measures 35^ inches long. The seal itself 

 was 44 inches long. The skin weighed 4 pounds 9£ ounces. That was called a 

 yearling. 



A salted skin measuring 35^ inches long is brought here and laid 

 down on this committee table and certified to you as a yearling skin 

 properly salted and cured for shipment to London, as all the others 

 had been — a typical exhibit to you of such a skin. 



The Chairman. If those are specimens of yearling seals, testing it 

 by that standard, then how many yearling seals would have been 

 taken by the North American Commercial Co. from 1890 to the end 

 of the killing season of 1909? 



Mr. Elliott. Over 128,000, according to the actual records of the 

 London sales. 



Mr. Watkixs. They are worth about how much on an average? 



Mr. Elliott. Well, they average about $30 apiece. 



No. 8. The seal itself measured 39 i inches. The skin measures 33 inches and 

 weighs 4 pounds 3$ ounces. That seal was found dead and was regarded by agents 

 and natives as a runt yearling. 



No. 9. The skin is 34 inches long. The seal measured 39^ inches. The skin weighs 

 3 pounds 15 ounces. That also was regarded as a yearling (p. 553, Hearing No. 10). 



Mr. Elliott confirms them, by the Lampson standard. 



Dr. Evermann. It seems to me proper to state, Mr. Chairman, that the agents in 

 taking these skins as representative skins of seals of certain ages did not know what 

 1 or you or Mr. Elliott might say that the ages of the seals from which the skins came 

 were. They have no knowledge of that. Mr. Elliott does not know what are the ages 

 of the seals from which these skins were taken. 



Mr. Elliott. I know perfectly well, and I published the fact 40 years ago. 



Dr. Evermann. I wanted to say that you did not know what age the agent says 

 this seal was. 



Mr. Elliott. I know what Lampson says it was. Put his measurement on it and 

 I will tell you. Now you are coming down to business. Put your measurement on 

 thai skin and I'll tell you just what Lampson calls it. 



Dr. Evermann. Apparently, if I get the correct figures here, this skin is 35$ inches 

 long. 



Mr. Elliott. According to Mr. Lembkey that is a yearling. His sworn testimony 

 makes it a yearling. (See p. 443. Hearing No. 9.) 



