238 CABNIVORA PINNIPEDIA. 



"The female Seals are protected by law and custom 

 from killing; and breeding seals are never disturbed. The 

 three-year-old, and large two-year-old bachelors are the 

 animals killed ; the younger, and older animals being allow- 

 ed to return to the sea ; the former to be the basis of a 

 future killing quota, the latter to replenish the stock of 

 breeding males." 



"The processes of driving and killing are simple and 

 humane. The fur seal is well adapted to land travel to the 

 extent to which it is necessary to drive the animal. The 

 powerfully developed muscles of the fore limbs on which 

 it depends in swimming are the ones used in land locomo- 

 tion. Though of strong instincts the fur seal is not an 

 animal of high intelligence, or susceptible to injury by 

 nervous strain. The processes of land travel do not con- 

 travene that natural law which decrees that the fittest 

 shall survive." 



As the skins will spoil in a few hours if they are not 

 flayed at once, and properly salted, they are taken from 

 the field to the salt-houses as quickly as possible; there 

 they are laid out flat, one skin upon the. other, in bins or 

 on benches, salt being spread thickly over the pelt side of the 

 skin. After lying in the salting bins for two weeks the 

 skins are taken out and .rolled pelt to pelt, in bundles of 

 two skins each, and strongly corded. In this shape they 

 are packed in casks, containing from forty to fifty skins 

 each, and shipped to the point where they are to be sold 

 at auction in December. Before being offered for sale 

 the skins are sorted according to the following classifica- 

 tion: 



Middlings and Smalls 4 to 5 years old 



Smalls 4 " " 



Large Pups 3 " li 



Middling and Small Pups 2 " 



Extra Small and Grey Pups 1 year " 



The average price for raw seal-skins in 1888 was 78s. 

 each, and the figures, showing the prices obtained at the 

 December sale in 1906, prove that they had increased three 

 hundred per cent, in value up to that time. There was 

 a further increase of more than fifty per cent, during the 

 period from 1906-1913. 



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