486 OTHER SEAL HERDS. 



the year. They live in deep caves under the cliff's, seldom going into 

 the sun. Many of those obtained by ine were palled out of these places 

 with long gall's and killed. We slaughtered old and young of both 

 sexes. These seals are browner and in other respects quite different 

 from those obtained in Alaska, yet they are the true fur-seal. 



During the past winter I have made a second voyage as master of 

 the schooner Hancock to the southern waters in search of seals. 1 ar- 

 rived at Rees Islet, off' the coast of southern Chile (latitude 4G° 45' south, 

 longitude 75° 45' west) and remained there from December 1 to De- 

 cember 17, 1891, but obtained only one seal. I learned that seal still 

 breed there in considerable numbers, but the Chileans are accustomed to 

 visit this islet at an earlier time than the date of my visit, while the 

 pups are yonng, and to kill all they can obtain. In 1880 Capt. Mills, 

 of the schooner La Ninfa, visited this islet and obtained a small catch, 

 and I am credibly informed and believe that more than 12,U0U seals 

 have since been obtained there. 



On my return voyage I touched at Juan Fernandez (latitude 24° 21' 

 south, longitude 70° 10' west), but got no seals, though there were a 

 lew seen about there in the water. On December 25, 1891, I landed at 

 Massafueros Island (latitude 34° 11' south, longitude 80° 50' west) and 

 got 19 fur seal skins. There were, I should think, about 200 or 300 

 seals on the island when I arrived there, but as they went into the 

 water, and did not come on shore again during my stay, I could not se- 

 cure them. The pups at Massafueros are born in October, I think. 

 They were old enough to swim when I was there. 



A few days later I touched at St. Felix and St. Ambrose islands 

 (latitude 26° 10' south, longitude 80° west) and saw two fur-seals. 

 Findlay's South Pacific Directory states that there were formerly large 

 herds of fur-seals on these islands. 



I touched also at Guadalupe Islands, but found nothing. The Inter- 

 national Company have had the lease of these islands for several years 

 past, and, as 1 am informed and believe, obtained some skins there as 

 late as last year, but upon the occasion of my recent visit, the island 

 was deserted by both seals and men; only a few goats remained. 



Some eighteen years ago several thousand seals were taken on the 

 Guadalupe Islands off' the coast of Mexico, but 

 Isaac Liebes, p. 515. their hunting being unrestricted, they were prac- 

 tically exterminated inside of three years. So 

 much so that a vessel visiting these islands some four months ago was 

 only able to secure 3 fur-seals, and the captain states that he does not 

 think that even these would have been obtained had it not been for the 

 large number of caves on that particular island, which probably gave 

 shelter to a few of the animals while the extermination was being prac- 

 ticed. * * * 



The Galapagos Island rookery was much larger than the Guadelupe, 

 and the animals have also become nearly extinct there by reason of 

 unrestricted hunting. 



Several vessels have visited the rookeries in the vicinity of Cape 

 Horn and the Straits of Magellan, and the last vessel returned from 

 the latter place only last week with a catch of twenty-six skins, repre- 

 senting a seven months' cruise. 



Heretofore some expeditions went from this port to the Shetland 

 Islands, but their catches were so small fjhat in the last few years no 

 hunting has been done in that vicinity, it being understood that the 

 animal is extinct there. 



