526 FAMILY PHOCID^. 



pitch, would seem by scent or otherwise to discern the toils ; and 

 even should they get entangled in the meshes, their strength is 

 such, especially in the case of the Grey Seal, that it must be 

 a very strong net to retain them within its folds. Odman tells 

 us, indeed, that they at times carry away the net altogether. 

 * A man of my acquaintance,' he goes on to say, ' related to me 

 that he once captured au old seal with portions of ten different 

 nets attached to its body, which was, however, finally secured 

 by the eleventh. On flaying the animal, a part of one of the 

 nets was found to have grown into the skin, and a considerable 

 portion of the others were in a state of decomposition.' When 

 within the folds of the net, the struggles of the seal are most 

 violent, and as it constantly endeavors to ' go ahead', never to 

 retrace its course, it soon becomes so entangled that the captor 

 has difficulty in disengaging it. What with the animal's great 

 exertions, however, in its endeavors to escape, and the want of 

 air, it soon becomes exhausted, and when taken out of the 

 water is often found quite dead." 



On the coast of Newfoundland larger nets than those above 

 described are used. Mr. Carroll says: "A seal-net is usually 

 fifty fathoms long and seventeen feet deep. The twine they 

 are made of is about three times the size of salmon-net twine ; 

 it will require sixty pounds of such twine to make a seal-net. 

 The net is made on an eight and a half inch card." Each net 

 requires twenty pounds of good cork cut into oval pieces, 

 pointed at each end, seven inches long and two and a half 

 inches wide at the widest part. These are placed one fathom 

 apart on the head rope. The net, with all its attachments, will 

 weigh about two hundred pounds.* 



The manner of using these nets, or " seal-fi?ames," is thus 

 described by Mr. Eeeks: " Three long nets of strong seal twine 

 are required to construct a frame. One net is firmly secured by 

 anchors xjarallel with the shore, and at such a distance that the 

 remaining nets, placed one at each end, will just reach the 

 shore, thus forming a kind of oblong figure, the longest net 

 being on the outside. If in the spring, when the Seals migrate 

 from the westward, the net nearest that point is sunk to the 

 bottom; but if in the fall, when the Seals migrate in the reverse 

 direction, the shores of the island running nearly N. E. and 

 S. W., the eastern net is sunk. Two men are required to con- 

 stantly watch the nets. As soon as a herd of Seals has been. 



* Seal and Herring Fislieries of Nowfonuilland, p. 35. 



