121 



tlierefore, a few lots of seal skius may still be received from tlie Sontli 

 Seas, the fiirseal of the North Paciflc {Otaria ursina) is, in fact, the 

 only source of the present supply of fur seal skins that can be relied 

 upon. At the present epoch only two remaining breeding i^laces of this 

 animal exist. Tliese are in Pribilof islands or Bering* Sea, within the 

 territory of Alaska (ceded by Russia to the United States in 1857) aud 

 the Commander Islands in the southwest corner of the same sea, which 

 still remain under Russi:in Jurisdiction. Two great herds of fur seals 

 resort to tiiese islands respectively during the summer months for the 

 l)urpose of breeding and rearing their young." 



Again the same scientist: "If there were no other reasons to the 

 contrary it would be .quite as fair that the pelagic sealers should catcli 

 sixty thousand seals in tlie ojien Pacific, as that the American ofilicials 

 should slaughter the same number on the P ribilof Islands. I>ut, in the 

 former case there is, of course, no pass lb U it 1/ of malcing a selection of a(je 

 or sex. The pcJafjlc hunter kills every seal he can come across, irhether 

 male, female, or young. According to the American Commissioners, 

 at least 80 per cent of the seals thus taken are females. Worse than 

 this, according to the same authorities, they are principally females 

 heavy with young. Thus, for every seal of this kind taken, two lives 

 are sacrificed. Moreover, as the seal, if shot dead, sinks quickly below 

 the surface, mauy of the bodies are altogether lost, and another con- 

 siderable element of wastefulness is thus attached to i)elag"c sealing. 

 Xow, let me ask, what owner of a deer forest in Scothind would consent 

 to his hinds being killed, especially during the breeding season ? Is it 

 not likewise on a grouse moor forbidden to shoot grey hens at any 

 time? In these, and in numerous other instances which might be men- 

 tioned, the sanctity of female life is universally recognized. On the 

 other hand, the fur seal being polygamous, males may be killed to a 

 large extent without fear of injury to the herd, for, although nearly 

 equal numbers of both sexes appear to be born, one adult male is suffi- 

 cient for twenty or thirty females. But the selection of males from 

 females, and esjiecially of males of the age required to make the best 

 skins, can only he effected on land, where the assembling together of the 

 younger male fur seals on particular spots presents the necessary 

 opportunity. I think, therefore, that if tlie fur seal is to he preserved 

 for the use of posterity every true naturalist will agree with the Amer- 

 ican Commissioners that 'pelagic sealing ought to he altogether sup- 

 pressed — in the first place, because it necessarily involves the de- 



