SEAL LIFE ON THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. a § 
or more seals, in bands of three and four, were noticed, causing con- 
siderable commotion among the Indians. <A week of the sealing season 
had already passed, and only a few seals had been captured, in conse- 
quence of which the Indians were becoming restless. At 8 a. m., wore 
ship and shook the reef out of the foresail, but in a short time the fog 
again settled down, and remained so for the remainder of the day. 
In the afternoon we saw quite a large number of seals, more than at 
any time since entering the sea. They were not moving in any par- 
ticular direction. Orcas or killer whales were plentiful, and kept close 
to the seals, but they did not have the effect of driving them from the 
ground. The sealers claim that the orcas destroy large numbers of 
seals annually, especially in and about the numerous passes through 
the Aleutian Islands and off the coast of Japan. Many hunters say 
that when out in their boats it is not an unfrequent occurrence to see 
oreas devour seals. GCne hunter on board of the Siewerd informed me 
that on two occasions, off the Japan coast, orcas attempted to take the 
seals that he had shot. During the afternoon we saw five other sealing 
vessels. 
On August 9 the canoes were put over for the first time in five days. 
The white hunters made a start at 9 a. m., the weather having moder- 
ated, and being prompted so to do by the sight of a sleeping seal. 
The Indian hunters held back for a time, but several other seals being 
observed, the remaining canoes were lowered. During most of the time 
while the hunters were absent, numerous birds and whales and several 
porpoises were observed about the vessel. Early in the afternoon the 
wind began to increase in force and the canoes to return. By 4 o’clock 
they were all on board, having secured 20 seals, of which 13 were males 
and 7 females. The stomachs were nearly all empty, a piece of squid 
being taken from one and a few fish bones from another. One of the - 
females had lost a hind flipper, and shot were found in two of the skins. 
One of the seals represented by these skins had been recently wounded, 
the other probably some time early in the spring, the shot being found 
encysted. All of the females were in milk; the males were all young 
bachelors. 
Two vessels, the F. M. Smith and Saucy Lass, were in sight at the 
time the canoes returned. The captain of the former came on board 
and reported having taken 105 skins. He also said that the schooner 
Triumph had obtained 283; Maud S., 240; C.D. Rand, 100, and the 
Saucy Lass between 60 and 70. 
On the following morning (August 10) the weather was cloudy and 
cool. At 7 o’clock the canoes and boats started out; at the time of 
their going the sea was long and rolling, and the temperature of the 
water 2 degrees below that of the air. When the air is a great deal 
colder than the water, experienced hunters do not, as a rule, expect to 
find many sleeping seals. They state, however, that there are excep- 
tions to this rule, but in most cases extra cold air makes them restless 
and very difficult to approach within spearing distance; but with shot- 
guns they may, when in this condition, be killed with comparative ease, 
In the middle of the forenoon two ’ vessels were sighted. Only one 
Seal was noticed from the vessel. This individual was ‘‘mooching,” a 
term used by the hunters to indicate swimming at the surface of the 
water with only a very small portion of the body exposed, occasionally 
thrusting the head out far enough to breathe. Seals frequently swim 
this way on raw, cold days, when they may readily be shot with guns, 
but are not easily approached with spears. 
At 2 p.m. the Indians began to return, much earlier than they should 
