AMPHIBIAN MILLIONS. 351 



of smell became blunted and callous to such stench by long familiar- 

 ity. Like the other old residents I then became quite unconscious 

 of the prevalence of this rich "funk," and ceased to notice it. 



Those who land here, as I did, for the first time, nervously and 

 invariably declare that such an atmosphere must breed a plague or 

 a fever of some kind in the village, and hardly credit the assurance 

 of those who have resided in it for the whole period of their lives, 

 that such a thing was never known to St. Paul, and that the island 

 is remarkably healthy. It is entirely true, however, and, after a 

 few weeks' contact, or a couple of months' experience, at the long- 

 est, the most sensitive nose becomes used to that aroma, wafted as 

 it is hourly, day in and out, from decaying seal-flesh, viscera, and 

 blubber ; and, also, it ceases to be an object of attention. The 

 cool, sunless climate during the warmer months has undoubtedly 

 much to do with checking too rapid decomposition and consequent 

 trouble therefrom, which would otherwise arise from those killing- 

 grounds. 



The freshly-skinned seal bodies of this season do not seem to rot 

 substantially until the following year ; then they rapidly slough 

 away into the sand upon which they rest ; the envelope of blubber 

 left upon each body seems to act as an air-tight receiver, holding 

 most of the putrid gases that evolved from the decaying viscera 

 until their volatile tension causes it to give way ; fortunately the 

 line of least resistance to that merciful retort is usually right where 

 it is adjacent to the soil, so both putrescent fluids and much of the 

 stench within is deordorized and absorbed before it can contami- 

 nate the atmosphere to any great extent. The truth of my observa- 

 tion will be promptly verified, if the sceptic chooses to tear open 

 any one of the thousands of gas-distended carcasses in the fall, that 

 were skinned in the killing-season ; if he does so, he will be smitten 

 by the worst smell that human sense can measure ; and should he 

 chance to be accompanied by a native, that callous individual, even, 

 will pinch his grimy nose and exclaim, it is a "keeshla pahknoot !" 



At the close of the third season after skinning, a seal's body 

 will have so rotted and sloughed down, as to be marked only by 

 the bones and a few of the tendinous ligaments ; in other words, 

 it requires from thirty to thirty-six months' time for such a carcass 

 to rot entirely away, so that nothing but whitened bones remain 

 above ground. The natives govern their driving of the seals and 

 laying out of the fresh bodies according to this fact they can, 



