394 CALLORHINUS URSINUS NdRTHERN FUR SEAL. 



This change has ever since remained permanent, and greatly 

 facilitates the gathering of the droves for slaughter. It was also- 

 apparent that the killing of so many half-bulls the two previous 

 years had reduced to a minimum the number that hovered in 

 the vicinity of the breeding-rookeries, keeping the beachmastera 

 in continual alarm. The effect of this change could also be 

 perceived in the lessening of the noise resulting from the fight- 

 ing on the breeding-grounds. 



" When the season for the breaking up of the rookeries arrived,, 

 only a small part of the females moved to the coves with their 

 young, the remainder lingering on the breeding-places with 

 their pups, and gathering around the half-bulls and remnant of 

 the reserves that had not left the shore, as if their first cover- 

 ing had failed of impregnation, and they had again become in 

 heat and were seeking the males. 



" The introduction of mules and carts for the purpose of haul- 

 ing the seal-skins had greatly lessened the amount of physical 

 labor for the natives, and the full quota of 75,000 seal-skins 

 were ready for shipment by the 1st of August. The killing then- 

 ceased, except for fresh food for the natives, ainounitng to about 

 two hundred and fifty Seals a week. For this purpose care was 

 taken to kill, as far as possible, only animals whose skins would 

 be accepted by the company as a part of the quota for the next 

 season, it being for the interest of all concerned to obtain the 

 necessary quota of 75,000 skins and feed the natives with as 

 little waste of Seal life as possible. In September and October 

 a few females were seen to land and bear their young females 

 which had been covered out of season the previous year. This 

 was the first time this had been .observed, and was spoken of 

 by the natives, who are thoroughly familiar with every detail r 

 as exceptional. 



" The dissatisfaction of the London manufacturers with the 

 quality of the skins sent to market still continuing, the com- 

 pany, during the winter of 1872 and 1873, sent their agent to 

 London to find out under what conditions the skins were of 

 greatest value. This investigation established the fact previ- 

 ously noted that the best skins were obtained from three-year 

 olds. At four the value has already depreciated, while skins 

 of large-sized two-year-olds and five-year-olds are of still poorer 

 quality than those of the four-year-olds. On this basis was es- 

 tablished the rule by which the killing has since been regulated. 



" During the fall of 1873 the weather was again very mild, ar.d 



