454 WEIGHING AND CUTTING. 



The weight of the different kinds of seals varies con- 

 siderably. The young harp, in its prime, weighs from 

 45 to 60 pounds ; the young hood, from 50 to 60 pounds; 

 the one-year-old "bedlamer,"* about the same as the 

 young hood ; the two-year-old " bedlamer," from 60 to 

 75 pounds ; the old female harp, from 70 to 90 pounds ; 

 the male, from 85 to 110 pounds; the old female hood, 

 from 90 to 150 pounds; and the old dog hood, from 100 

 to 300 pounds. The square tipper, which is rare, some- 

 times weighs 650 pounds. " In these weights," says the 

 writer in the Scotsman already quoted, " the skin and 

 fat alone are meant; the carcass is of no use, and is always 

 left on the ice when skinned. The value of the seals 

 varies according to the demand for and the price of seal 

 oil and skins; 35s. per cwt. is a good price for young 

 harps, which are the highest in value. The others grade 

 as follow, each 2s. per cwt. under the preceding quality : 

 young hoods, bedlamers, old harps, and, lastly, old 

 hoods." 



After the seals have been brought into port and landed, 

 they are weighed ; next, they are placed in the hands of 

 the skinner, who separates the fat from the skin. The 

 fat is cut up by an apparatus of cutting-blades, set in 

 motion by steam, and then steamed, so as to render up 

 the oil more easily the greater portion of the oil thus 

 obtained being tasteless, inodorous, and clear as water. 

 The residuum of blubber is stowed in bags, and submitted 

 to a heavy pressure, which extracts a brown and inferior 

 quantity of oil. From the steaming-pans the oil is drawn 

 off into tanks, and thence into casks of various sizes, 



* Seals when one or two years old, whatever their species, are called " bed- 

 lamers." 



