EARLY SEAL-HUNTING IN THE GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE. 555 



sharper snouts than the rest. There are some of them which 

 flounce only in water [qui ne sont que fretiller dans Peau] ; our 

 sailors call them frasseurs, as they call another sort nau, of 

 which I neither know the origin nor' meaning. Another sort 

 are called Grosses tetes, Thick-heads. Some of their young are 

 very alert, and dextrous in breaking the nets spread for them ; 

 these are of a greyish colour, and are very gamesome, full of 

 mettle, and as handsome as an animal of this figure can be * ; 

 the Indians accustom them to follow them like little dogs, and 

 eat them nevertheless. 



"M. Denis [Denys] mentions two sorts of sea- wolves, which he 

 found on the coasts of Acadia ; one of them, says he, are so very 

 large, that their young ones are bigger than our largest hogs. 

 He adds that a little while after they are brought forth, the 

 parents lead them to the water, and from time to time conduct 

 them back on shore to suckle them ; that this fishery is carried 

 on in the month of February, when the young ones which they 

 are not desirous of catching, t scarce ever go to water ; thus 

 on the first alarm the old ones take to flight, making a prodi- 

 gious noise to advertise their young, that they ought to follow 

 them, which summons they never fail to obey, provided the 

 fishermen do not quickly stop them by a knock on the snout 

 with a stick, which is sufficient to stop them. The number of 

 these animals upon this coast must needs be prodigious, if it is 

 true, what the same author assures us, that eight hundred of 

 these young ones have been taken in one day. . . . 



"It is by all agreed that the flesh of the sea- wolf is good 

 eating, but it turns much better to account to make oil of it, 

 which is no very difficult operation. They melt the blubber fat 

 of it over the fire which dissolves into an oil. Oftentimes they 

 content themselves with erecting what they call charniers, a 

 name given to large squares of boards or plank, on which is 

 spread the flesh of a number of sea- wolves ; here it melts of it- 

 self, and the oil runs through a hole contrived for the purpose. 

 This oil when fresh is good for the use of the kitchen, but that 

 of the young ones soon grows rank, and that of the others if 

 kept for any considerable time, becomes too dry [de'fle'che trop]. 

 In this case it is made use of to burn, or in currying leather. 



* An allusion probably to the Phoca vitulina, which is said to be very de- 

 structive to nets. 



t The original " lorsque lea Petits, auaquels on en veut principalement" 

 states just the opposite. 



