SHOTGUN AND SPEAR. 145 



Tbe following description of the methods of taking seals is given by Lieutenant 

 Quinan.' of the reveuae-cutter Conrin, in relating his exi)erienee in a canoe with 

 Indian hunters off Sitka Sound, May 1, 1S!)2. 



\Xc had pulled several miles without seeiog anything, when suddenly the steersman gave the 

 canoe a shake and pointed in silenoe to a seal 75 yards distant. » » - xhc bowman took in his 

 oars and substituted the paddle, and the cauoe glided noiselessly toward the uneonscions seal. WTieu 

 within to yards oC it the after paddle alone wa? used and the bowman stood ready with the shotgun. 

 ■• * ' During all this time not a word was spoki ii, and so noiselessly did the canoe glide that we 

 got within 10 yards of it and the hunter fireil. pouring a charge of buckshot into its Vinast. The seal, 

 to my great astonishment, was not killed, hut gave us a surprised look, and instantly dived out of 

 sight. It rose again .50 yards off, gave us another look, and a second time disappeared. Then followed 

 a chase to windward, the Indians dexterously applying their paddles in that direction. Three times 

 it disappeared and reappeared before it was finally shot and captured. Even then it was necessary 

 to use the club to kill it. One hook with the gaff, a sudden pull, and the unfortunate seal was in the 

 sanoe. 



LOSS RESULTING FROM SHOOTING. 



It is plain that by the method of shooting a certain percentage of loss results 

 from the wounding of animals and also from the sinking of animals before they can 

 be recovered. That many of the wounded animals escape is shown bj- the con.sid- 

 erable number of bachelors on the hauling grounds which carry buckshot in their 

 bodies. At each killing the natives gather up a collection of slugs. That other 

 animals escape only to die later on may reasonably be inferred. In the summer of 

 1890 several seals wi>uuded bj- shooting were known to die after coming ashore on 

 the rookeries.-' What the percentage of loss may be which thus results can not be 

 determined. The hunters themselves can not tell what effect their shots produce, 

 where the animal is not recovered. It may escape unhurt, may have been slightly 

 wounded and thus likely to recover, or so seriou.sly injured as to cause it to give up 

 later on and die. 



The greatest loss probably results from the use of the ride. Where the range 

 is considerable and the animal is killed instantly it sinks out of reach before the boat 

 can get it. With the shotgun the same result is likely to occur, but the range being 

 shorter not so many animals are lost. Of late years the loss of shot seals has been 

 greatly diminished, because it has been found that when the animal is shot in the 

 head or neck and the lungs left full of air the body does not sink so rapidly. 



THE SPEAR LEAST WASTEFUL. 



With the spear the loss must be very slight. Where the animal escapes by the 

 tearing out of the spearhead it doubtless recovers, but these instances are rare. 

 That some animals escape through the breaking of the line attached to the spear- 

 head is shown by the number of these weapons picked up on the rookeries. Two 

 spearheads with the lines attached were found fastened in the rocks on Zapadni 

 rookery of St. Paul in 1S9G. The lines had become fast and the animals had torn 

 themselves loose. During the past season a cow came ashore on St. Paul with a 

 spearhead through her back which, while it did not kill her, left her crijjpled and 

 useless. ' 



■ Proc. Fnr Seal Arb., vol. 9, p. 3.51. 

 - See Daily .Tourual, Part II, <late of .July 2.5, 1S96. 

 "See Daily Journal, Part II, date of August 15, 1897. 

 1,j1S4 10 



