SEAL HUNTING IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE. 399 



5,000. Up to 1880 from 1(K) to L'OO were taken aimually. Since 1880 

 the lookei'ies were not worked nntil 1888-'80, when Oaptaiu Budingtou 

 took ol) skins, and 1801, 41 skins. 



SOUTH GEORGIA ISLAND. 



Tlie island of Sout^i Georgia is sitnated about 300 miles east of Cape 

 Horn in about latitude 5ij° south. When the island was lirst discovered 

 sea-ele[)hants and fur-seals were abundant on its shores. Capt. 

 Edmund Fanning, of the American corvette yl.s;^>rtsta, visited this island 

 in 1800 and secured a cargo of 57,000 fur-seals, and states that sixteen 

 other vessels procured, at the same island, between November, 1800, 

 and February, 1801, 05,000 fur-seal skins, making a total of 112,000 

 skins taken there in a single season (Fanning, Voyages, p. 209). The 

 slaughter continued during succeeding years until the sujtply of seals 

 was exhausted, the total number of fur-seal skins taken here during 

 these early years being estimated by Captain Weddell at not less than 

 1,200,000. lie also states writing in 1822: "These animals are now 

 almost extinct." (Voyages, i^. 53.) During many years following this 

 period of slaughter the island was rarely molested by sealers, but so few 

 seals hatl been left alive that their increase was very slow. Captain 

 Morrell, in Isl^ovember, 1822, vainly searched its shores for several days 

 for fur-seals. (Voyages, i). 58.) Capt. James W. Budington states 

 (affidavit) that on visiting the island in 1871 he took 1,450 skins, and 

 that in 1875 Ave vessels secured 000; the next season (1870) four ves- 

 sels obtained 110. The island was iu)t worked again till January, 1892, 

 when Captain Budington took ]35 fur-seal skins, "none, however, 

 coming from the old rookeries," which had become practically exter- 

 minated long before. " The seals of South Georgia," says Captain Bud- 

 ington, " are practically extinct." (See also affidavit of Alfred Fraser, 

 of the tirm of C. M. Lampson & Co., Loudon.) 



Mr. George Comer who visited the island in 1885 and 188G as mate of 

 a sealing vessel, says (affidavit), "We heard reports of the number of 

 seals formerly taken there, but we did not get a seal, and saw only 

 one." He took three there, however, in 1887. 



SANDWICH LAND. 



Early in the present century many fur-seals were taken atBouvette 

 Island and Sandwich Land, small islands a few hundred miles south- 

 west of South Georgia, but when visited by Captain Morrell in 1822, 

 he found not a single fur-seal at Sandwich Land, and succeeded iu 

 procuring only about 200 at Bouvette Island. (Morrell's Voyages, pp. 

 58, 59, and m.) 



According to Captain Budington (affidavit), in 1875-'76, the southern 

 island of Sandwich Land w^as searched unsuccessfully for seals, but 

 about 2,000 wer<i taken that season on the northern islainl, where also 

 in the season of 1870-'77 six vessels took about 4,000. The next year's 

 catch, however, did not exceed 100 skins. During the season of 1880-81 

 the island was again visited but no seals were taken. In 1891-92 about 

 400 w^ere obtained and about 200 more w^ere seen. Prior to 1871 the 

 Sandwich Land group of islands had not been worked for twenty-five 

 or thirty years, during which time the seals had greatly increased hi 

 numbers and had become very tame. At first they were easily killed 

 with clubs, but since 1880 it has been necessary to shoot them. Old and 

 yctuug were killed indiscriminately, only the young x>up« being left, 



