300 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



are also the only ones whose output has continued undiminished to 

 the present time. 



The general color of the South Shetland or Cape Horn fur-seal, 

 according to Mr, Henry Poland, is light gray with a silver}^ hue; the 

 neck and cheeks are whitish, and the sides and belly are of a rich 

 brown. The fur is thick and heavy, and of a reddish or deep pink 

 color. The ha])itat of this seal is the islands in the Antarctic Ocean, 

 and it is more numerous on South Shetland Island than elsewhere. 

 Wlien in good condition this fur is the choicest on the market, its 

 quality being much superior to that of the Alaskan seal, the high 

 latitude and the rigor of the climate developing the fur into full per- 

 fection at the time when the seals seek those shores. During the 

 seventies the skins of the South Shetland fur-seals sold for nearly 

 twice the price of Alaskan skins, although, owing to the inferior quality' 

 of the leather, they are less durable. Since 1882 the receipts of Cape 

 Horn skins have been small and irregular, ranging from 6,000 to less 

 than 100 a year. The high prices of the pelts have resulted in the 

 searching of every accessible beach and rock in the southern oceans 

 and the removal of all fur-seals that could be secured, their only pro- 

 tection being the severe weather, which often makes it impossible to 

 cfi'ect a landing on the rookeries. 



The total number of fur-seal skins marketed since their introduc- 

 tion in the early part of the eighteenth century aggregates probably 

 13,000,000, of which 5,000,000 were secured from northern localities 

 and the remaining 8,000,000 from the rookeries of the southern seas, 

 the great bulk of the latter being marketed at Canton, China, a hun- 

 dred years ago. At the present market price the total value of these 

 pelts would approximate $500,000,000, but owing to their cheapness 

 in the early years, when the greater part of them were obtained, the 

 actual returns have probabh^ not exceeded a tenth of that amount. 



In curing fur-seal skins preparatorv to shipment it was formerly 

 customary to dry theui while lield stretched upon the ground by the 

 use of stakes and twine or by means of wooden pegs driven through 

 the edges. It was often impossible to dry the skins thoroughly in 

 the damp climate of Alaska; and even when artilicial dr\'ing was 

 resorted to, it was frequently difficult to prevent them from dete- 

 riorating while en route to market. The drying process also made it 

 difficult to unhair the pelt in dressing. This led, about 1855, to the 

 salting of the skins, which is now the general practice. However, a 

 few are dried by the natives along the mainland and on the adjacent 

 inlands of Alaska, a thousand or more being marketed each year. 



FUK-SKAL MARKETS. 



Previous to 1855 fur-seal skins were in little demand in Europe or 

 America. The fur was not fashionable and the skins were made into 

 gloves and riding rugs, caps for cabmen -and street peddlers, and even 



