INVESTIGATION OF THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 705 



Dr. Eveemann. What do you say it is? 



Mr. Elliott. I say it is a yearling, and that's right. 



Dr. Eveemann. Here is another skin which is 33 inches long. 



Mr. Elliott. Mr. Lembkey says that is a yearling. 



Dr. Eveemann. And you say? 



Mr. Elliott. He's right; it is a yearling (p. 548, Hearing No. 10). 



These exhibits of typical salted yearling seals, identified and meas- 

 ured as to size by Chief Special Agent Lembkey, the native sealers 

 of St. Paul, and the United States Bureau of Fisheries, declare the fact 

 that every salted fur seal slcin taken and sold in London since 1890 

 which was less than 34 inches long has been the slcin of a yearling seal. 



No one of Special Agent Lembkey's associates as Government 

 agents, or members of the advisory boards, have disputed his testi- 

 mony as given to the committee. No one of his associates dispute the 

 measurements of these skins as they are annually made in London, 

 by the brokers, who have sold them after they were taken by the 

 lessees agents, and by Mr. Lembkey on the islands, since 1890, up to 

 1910. 



No one of Secretary NageVs agents dispute the accuracy of the London 

 records of these measurements of the skins of those fur seals, as annually 

 taken on the Pribilof Islands, since 1890, to date. 



No one, I think, does. No man dare do it, and stand one minute 

 before the fur trade of the world, in successful denial of the London 

 records. That fact being demonstrated to the committee beyond 

 dispute from any authority, a sensible conclusion must be promptly 

 reached, and that conclusion is, that yearling male and female seals 

 have been killed on the Pribilof Islands, annually, since 1890, in vio- 

 lation of the law and regulations of the departments, of the Treasury, 

 and Commerce and Labor. 



Mr. Watkixs. Why do you insert females there ? 



Mr. Elliott. There are male and female yearlings, but you can not 

 tell them apart. There are males and females. 



Mr. Watkixs. You can by examination ? 



Mr. Elliott. But nobody examines them. I am bringing that in 

 here. They have been killed without any examination by anybody. 

 Mr. Lembkey who has killed them all since 1899, has sworn he never 

 examined them to see whether they were females or not; he never 

 looked at them to see whether they were females. I am going to 

 bring his own testimony to that effect in here. 



The law distinctly and specifically prohibits the killing of any 

 female seal, by American citizens, at any time, or in any place, whether 

 on land, or in the sea, and the regulations since May 14, 1896, pro- 

 hibited the killing of yearling seals. 



The testimony of all the witnesses examined by the committee, 

 who had any knowledge of the subject, and also who, as officials, 

 were subordinates of Secretary Nagel's office and who were asked by 

 him to testify to the committee — this testimony was unanimous 

 in agreement upon the fact that it is impossible for man to distinguish 

 the males from the females in a drive of yearling seals when on the 

 killing grounds, unless a physical examination was made of each 

 yearling before killing. 



Mr. Watkixs. You take it for granted that in the previous exami- 

 nations we all know what you have said, but we do not. 



Mr. Elliott. I am trying not to repeat anything. 



Mr. Watkixs. That has been a good long time ago. 



53490—14 45 



