110 NEW “YORK sZO OE OGICALSSOCIEDY. 
in the killing of all the seals that could be found. At the time 
of my first visit to the Galapagos Islands, in 1888, I was informed 
that there were only a few seals remaining about the uninhabited 
westerly islands of the archipelago. It was a matter of great 
surprise when in 1897 and 1808 a vessel returned to San Fran- 
cisco from the Galapagos Islands with a catch of several hundred 
fur seals. It appears that the few that had escaped the slaughter 
of the last voyage, fifteen years before, had established them- 
selves on the identical rookeries from which they had been driven, 
as comparisons of the log books of the vessels showed. The 
nucleus of a fine herd existed there, unknown to any one. There 
is no doubt that it could have been developed into an important 
seal fishery, if the fact had been known in time to prevent its 
destruction by raiders. It is probable that a few individuals have 
escaped this last slaughter, and that by the prompt protection 
of the rookeries by the Government of Ecuador, a fishery could 
be established. 
Gaudeloupe Seal.—Another species of fur seal (Arctocephalus 
townsendi), the most northerly off-shoot of the Antarctic race 
of fur seals, formerly inhabited Guadeloupe and other islands off 
the west coast of Lower California. From the scattered records 
that have been found, it appears that 15,000 seals have been taken 
there within comparatively recent years—the earlier records are 
not available. During the writer’s visit to Guadeloupe Island, in 
1892, straggling fur seals were observed about the island, and 
specimens obtained which proved the species to be new to science. 
It is possible that there is a sufficient remnant to warrant the 
belief that the race could be reestablished if the islands were 
properly protected by the Government of Mexico. The value of 
fur-seal skins taken in tropical or semi-tropical localities is small 
as compared with those from cold climates. 
Lobos Seal.—In all the history of Antarctic sealing there is 
but one chapter of wise management and thought for the future: 
The Government of Uruguay has, throughout all these vears, 
carefully preserved the fur seal rookeries of Lobos Island, at the 
mouth of the La Plata River, inhabited by Arctocephalus australis. 
These small rookeries illustrate the good resulting from the care- 
ful protection of fur seals upon their breeding grounds. Com- 
mercial sealing was carried on at Lobos Island prior to 1820. 
The lessees of the island, operating under the direction of the 
Government of Uruguay, placed upon the London market, from 
1873 to 1904, 377,033 skins, or an average of Over 13,000 a year, 
worth in 1901, $100,000. All these were derived from a single 
