FUR-SEAL SEKVICE. 87 



It should be recalled that the measurement of tlie animal was 

 taken lo root of the tail, and that the root of the tail, as well as the 

 tail itself, was removed with the skin. In computing what should 

 be the normal length of the skin after removal, therefore, no deduction 

 should be made on account of any supposed portion of tne pelt left 

 on tne posterior end of the animal, as no skin with fur on it remains 

 on that portion of the carcass after skinning. 



After weighing the animals in the field and measurijig them, as 

 before stated, the carcasses were skimied and tlie skins taken to the 

 salt house. There each skin was weighed and the weights so taken 

 arranged serially according to the numbers borne by the tags affixed 

 to each skm. 



Before salting these skins, however, an effort was made to arrive 

 at something approachuig the true dimensions of these green skins. 

 Tlie proper method of obtaining these data, if any proper method 

 existed, had been discussed previously by Messrs. Marsh, George A. 

 Clark, and Lembkey. Knowing the elastic and pliable natm-e of a 

 green sealskin, it was believed that no method could be devised of 

 obtaining the dimensions of such a skin which would in any way 

 compare consistently with the dimensions of the same skin after it 

 was salted. On this point all were agreed. It was hoped, however, 

 that although the green and salt dimensions never could be corre- 

 lated satisfactorily, perhaps some method could be devised for 

 measuring the green skins, which, used upon all alike, might have 

 some value. It was suggested that each green skin be held up by 

 its tail against a pole graduated with inches or centimeters, until its 

 other end barely touched the ground, and its length as shown re- 

 corded. The skin, in this manner, would be stretched merely by 

 its own weight, and the length obtamed be a fair, or at least a some- 

 what reliable, indication of its size and also its age. 



It was also suggested that the quantity of blubber on the skin 

 would be a vital element in using this method, and would influence 

 the length greatly, without regard to the age of the animal. For 

 example, if two seals of exactly the same size were skinned, one with 

 only a small quantity of blubber on the sldn and the other with a 

 large quantity of blubber, the heavily blubbered skin would be the 

 longer when measured by the method suggested, and therefore 

 appear as the skin of a larger animal because the weight of the 

 blubber would stretch it farther. It was then suggested that a fair 

 attempt could be made to arrive at the size of a skin when in a green 

 state by having the men lay each green skin in the kench for salting, 

 and in that state, just before salt was thrown upon it, to measure 

 the skin for length and breadth, without any further attempt to 

 straighten it out. Tliis method seemed by far the most sensible in 

 attempting to measure green skins, and it was tried. 



