196 



SEAL LIFE ON THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



Table ofpercentayes of annual seal-skin supply compiled from table of London trade sale 

 as given by Emil Teiclunann. 



CRUISE OF THE LOUIS OLSEN IN THE BERING SEA. 



BY A. B. ALEXANDER. 



On the 25th of May, at Seattle, I met Capt. E. P. Miner, master of 

 the American sealing schooner Harry Dennis, who, on the same day, 

 had arrived from Japan, his vessel having been wrecked on that coast. 

 At the time of meeting him he was endeavoring to charter another 

 vessel, and hoped to be in the Bering Sea by the 1st of August. Inform- 

 ing him that the United States Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries 

 was anxious that I should make a cruise with him should he succeed 

 in getting a suitable vessel, he freely consented, and informed me that 

 if he found out in time he would let me know by mail. 



On the morning of the 28th I sailed in the City of Topeka for Sitka, 

 and from there took passage in the Crescent City for Unalaska. Soon 

 after arriving there I joined the Albatross, and remained by her until 

 the evening of the 29th of July, when I joined the sealing schooner 

 Louis Olsen, of Astoria, Oreg., Captain Guillains, master, who did not 

 for a moment hesitate about giving me a passage. My reason for 

 joining the Olsen was on account of not having heard from Captain 

 Miner as to whether he had succeeded in obtaining a vessel; I was 

 also informed by several sealing captains that he did not get a vessel, 

 and in consequence would not be in the sea. The time having arrived 

 when pelagic sealing was about to commence, I was glad to accept, as 

 I thought, the only opportunity which would be offered for the season. 



The next day, in latitude 54 38' north, longitude 167 04' west, we 

 saw our first seals, 20 in number, 12 of which were " sleepers." Seals 

 when sleeping are by sealers always called by the above name. In the 

 afternoon we saw 6 seals about half a mile from the vessel playing in 

 a bunch of seaweed. The sea at the time was perfectly smooth with a 

 light air stirring. Two hunters and myself started out in a boat to 

 watch them and see how near we could approach without disturbing 

 them. We soon learned that they were unusually tame, as we approached 

 near enough to touch one with a spear pole which was in the boat. They 

 showed little signs of fear, notwithstanding that we were within 30 feet 

 of them for fully five minutes. Diving under the seaweed and sud- 



