her sealing ground in time to secure a further take before 

 the close of the season. An exceptionally good take for a 

 season is 10,000 skins; this, at an average rate of 2 i$s. 

 per skin, gives a gross return of 27,500, and shows how 

 profitable an undertaking fur-seal fishing is where attended 

 with success ; but it is quite a lottery, and the only way to 

 secure success is unwearying vigilance and a determination 

 never to let a chance escape. Even then, it is by no means 

 certain, and it often happens that the most active vigilant 

 crew come off worse than those who may have lighted by 

 chance upon a well-stocked rookery. 



The seal rookeries are marked upon the charts, and, as a 

 rule, the seals return year after year to the same rookery ; 

 but occasionally they take up fresh ground, and sometimes 

 the most prolific hunting ground is that which has perhaps 

 been regarded as barren by the sealers for years past. In 

 the early part of 1880 I came through the western channels 

 of Patagonia, having entered the straits at Tres Montes. 

 On my passage down, I had occasion to send a boat away 

 to examine the passage between a group of barren rocks, 

 called the Covadonga Group, and the island to the west- 

 ward, that passage being the channel I was recommended 

 by the sailing directions to use. On reaching the group, 

 my people found that it was occupied by a dense seal 

 rookery, of some thousands of seals. As the boat ap- 

 proached, one fine patriarchal old seal gave the signal, and 

 all the seals took to the water, the old dog seal following 

 them very leisurely, and in a most dignified manner, taking 

 a look before doing so, to see that all his subjects were in 

 safety, and apparently determined not to compromise his 

 dignity by any undue haste. When the boat had passed 

 them they returned, the old dog-seal taking the lead this 

 time, and again taking up his position on the highest point 



VOL. VII. C. M 



