302 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



'Plu' consiuiinioiits of skins ;ire iissoiied accordiiio- to the size, the 



followinj,^ j^-rados being- recognized: 



Name of class. 



Wiffs 



Mi(ulliiiKs 



MidiUiiigs iuid .smalls .. 



SiiiiiUs.. 



LarKi- pups 



Middling pvips 



Small pups 



Kxtni smull ])Ups. 



Kxtra extra small pups. 

 Urey pups 



Age. 



6 to 10 yeans. 



4 to 5 ycar.s. 



4 years. 

 3 years. 



2 years. 



1 year. 



Under 1 year. 



The following suniniary, compiled 1)}' Mr. Alfred Fraser, shows the 



total number of skins ottered at the London auction sales during each 



3'ear since 1872; 



Stitlenu'ut of tlw namher of each variety of fvx-seal skins offered in Loudon during a series 



of years ending in 1900. 



aThe 1896 skins were sold in December, 1896; no 1897 skins were sold until Marcli, 1898. 



Previous to 1S20 no market existed for fur-seal skins in the United 

 States, and practically all of those received from the Southern oceans 

 were reshipped to China, cither direct or })y way of Europe. In 1822 

 Mr. Denison Williams, a cap-manufacturer of Albany, N. V., introduced 

 fur-seal caps to the trade. From a manu.script written by him, and 

 now in the possession of Mr. Samuel Williams, we have extracted the 

 following notes in regard to the development of this business: 



In 1822 the first fur-seal came into our market. At tliat time no one knew a 

 proces.s of removing the hair from the fur, therefore we made them into caps with 

 the hair on, whicli took well. The next season we used lar«,'e quantities of fur-seal, 

 and after a mimher of experiments succeeded in removing the hair, greatly increasing 

 the value of the fur. Those skins were from the Soutii Shetlands, then just discovered, 



