VICTORIA FUR SEAL. 193 



This absurd contention has been now waived (1891) 

 owing to the firm attitude of Lord SaHsbury. 



A great many of these seizures were made by the 

 American steamer Riislt. Some of the vessels which 

 were seized in 1890 were ordered to Sitka, with a prize 

 crew of one man each, but sailed to Victoria instead. 

 The Black Diamond and the Pathfinder were two of the 

 most celebrated vessels in these transactions. 



Since the establishment of the close time, the English 

 Government have sent three men-of-war to assist the 

 three American vessels in maintaining the new regula- 

 tions. 



The number of vessels engaged in this fishery have 

 increased from fifteen in 1886 to eighty in 1890. Many 

 of these vessels carried Indians, who are very experienced 

 hunters. 



Most of these schooners, which are owned by Canadian 

 firms, carry canoes, which are launched when a herd is 

 discovered. If the animals should be asleep, they are 

 speared, otherwise they are shot, but in the latter case 

 many are lost, as they sink before the canoes can get 

 up to them. 



The shore-fishery is carried on by the Indians on the 

 North-west coast of British Columbia. They go out a 

 short distance from the shore in canoes, and spear the 

 Seals when asleep, in the head or middle of the back. 



All the Victoria Seal-skins taken are chiefly females, 

 with the exception of a few old bulls, and are generally 

 captured at a rather earlier period of the year than the 

 Alaska Seals. 



Behring Sea and the adjacent part of the Atlantic is 

 the only known habitat of this Seal (female and young 

 Seals of both sexes), after leaving the Pribylov Islands, 

 which latter they inhabit for five months. The sea- 



o 



