724 INVESTIGATION OF THE FUE-SEAL INDUSTRY OP ALASKA. 



in their joint official report to the Secretary of the Treasury, entitled 

 "Keport of Fur Seal Investigations, 1896-97, Parts I-IV, 1898." 

 (Pp. 336-337, pt. 3.) 



THE DEADLY PARALLEL. 



George A. Clark swears that his 

 branding of pups in September, 

 1912, to identify them as yearlings 

 in 1913, was the only and -first ex- 

 periment to that end ever made, 

 and it proves that no yearlings 

 are on the hauling grounds in 

 June and July. 



But Dr. D. S. Jordan, in an 

 official report to the Secretary of 

 the Treasury, dated November 7, 

 1896, declares that pups were 

 branded September 1-10, 1896, to 

 serve as exhibits in 1897, of the 

 effect of branding when they re- 

 turned as yearlings to the islands. 



XXI. Branding — Branding pups. 



The recent experiment in branding fe- 

 male pups on the two islands will help 

 future observers to record the movements 

 of the cows. During the present season, 

 124 pups and 2 cows on Lukanin 

 rookery were marked on the back with 

 the following brand ±) on Ketaive, 191 

 pups were branded across the shoulders 

 with this mark — ; and on North Rookery 

 of St. George, 62 pups received this 

 brand =, and 9 cows this = (p. 62, 

 Treasury Doc. 1913, 1896). 



Return of these pups in 1897, 

 officially recorded : 



The pups branded last year (1896) were 

 also seen hale and hearty, in numbers on 

 the hauling grounds and rookeries. 

 * This appearance of the branded 

 cows (of 1896) as well as of the yearlings 

 (female pups of 1896) shows clearly, etc. 



(Rept. Fur Seal Investigations, pt. 3, 

 p. 337, 1898.) 



Mr. Pattox. Were they branded in the same manner as Mr. Clark 

 branded them before? 



Mr. Elliott. No; they were not killed. 



Were they branded with hot irons ? 

 Yes; it is described in detail They were branded 

 with hot irons in 1896 and Clark branded with hot irons in 1912. 

 They were branded on the backs and over the shoulders in safe places 

 in 1896; but they were branded on the head, to Icill, in 1912, and I am 

 coming to that. 



George A. Clark, under oath, swears that no yearling females went 

 out with the yearling males and 2-year-old males. (Feb. 21, 1914, 

 H. Com. Exp.'Dept. Com.) 



Mr. Clark. * * * These few animals were males and it would not be possible in 

 any event for the yearling females to exist on the hauling grounds. That is true be- 

 cause the older bacheLrs would worry them to death. * * * 



The branding of pups in the fall of 1912 settled this question of the movements of the 

 yearlings. Only one of these branded seals was seen on the hauling grounds of Reef 

 rookery, and three all told in the killing season of 1913. 



Mr. Clark. The branding of pups in 

 the fall of 1912 settled this question of the 

 movements of the yearlings. * * * If 

 I made mistakes before, I want to correct 

 them now, because an added light brings 

 an added willingness to remedy any de- 

 fects which may be brought to light. As 

 I said the branding of pups in the fall of 

 1912 settled this question of the move- 

 ments of the yearlings. * * * 



We had supposed in 1896 and 1897 



that the bulk of the small seals turned 



back were yearlings or small 2-vear-olds. 

 * * * 



The point is that in 1S96 and 1897 the 

 commission, both commissions quite gen- 

 erally assumed that the yearlings came in 

 large numbers in the close of the season 

 on the hauling grounds. That is the way 

 it appeared to us in 1896 and 1897. 



Testimony, duly sworn, of G. A. Clark. 

 Feb. 20-21, 1914, to H. Com. Exp. Dep. 

 Commerce. 



Mr. Patton. 

 Mr. Elliott. 



