SEALS AND SEAL SHOOTING 143 



They are nearly as large as hooded seals. I 

 have the measurements of two adult specimens, 

 which I shot, as follows: One male in July, 

 1898, seven feet ten inches from tip of nose to 

 end of flippers, girth four feet seven inches, and 

 weight, in poor condition, 374 pounds. The 

 second one was a female with young, shot on the 

 26th of October, 1901, at Manicouagan, while on 

 my way to Tadousac in a canoe : length seven feet 

 four inches, and estimated weight at about 500 

 pounds. The young was about two feet and a 

 half long, and fully matured, which shows that 

 these animals have their young in the fall and not 

 in the spring like other species. The color of the 

 young was like that of most other seals, yellowish 

 white. The stomach of the female was crammed 

 full of smelts and flounders, but I suppose this 

 was due to the abundance of these fish more than 

 to selection, because in other specimens I have 

 found a larger variety of food. When they feed 

 near rocky places, sculpins, rock eels, and lump 

 fish seem to be their chief food. In June and 

 July, however, they are fastidious in their tastes 

 and feed on salmon, but not always on their own 

 catch. The one I shot in July, 1898, had been 

 robbing my brother's net for more than a week, 

 and had gone through it several times. My bro- 

 ther had fired several shots at it with a shot gun, 

 all at long ranges, to drive it away, but it re- 

 turned daily. I ended his tricks with a Win- 



