THE ANTARCTIC SEAL FISHERIES. 431 



" HABITS OF THE SEALS. Now I will state the habits of the fur-seals of Cape Horn : About 

 the first uf November the old wigs (which arc the old male seals) come on shore to form the rook- 

 eries for the pupping season, which is soon to follow. When the old wigs come on shore all the 

 clapmatches (or female seals) that reared pups in the year past are still on the. rookeries with their 

 young, which are now yearlings, and prime skins. The old wigs when they arrive make it their 

 business to drive all the yearlings off the rocks, and as soon as they accomplish this the clap- 

 matches leave and take to the water, leaving the rocks iu charge of the old and young wigs. 



" About the 25th of November the young clapmatches of four or five years, that are to have 

 their first pups, come on shore, and I have seen a pup as early as the 20th of November, but the 

 main herd of the old clapmatches do not begin to haul in any great number before the 5th of 

 December, and from that to the 25th of December they come in fast. I don't think it is a good 

 plan to commence killing until they get well into pupping. Don't kill any of the old wigs until 

 you have worked off most of the clapmatches, or near the end of the pupping season, as they hold 

 the other seals and will not let them go off the rocks if they can prevent it. If you should want all 

 the seals that are on the rocks to make up your cargo, you can all through the pupping season be 

 working off the young wigs, which are always hauled in small rookeries near the pupping seal, 

 driven there by the old wigs. 



" Great care should be taken, if the men are landed when the wigs begin to haul, to make as 

 little show as possible for a few days, until they get well settled, and when the wind blows from 

 the house direct to the rookeries it is best at that season to make as little smoke as possible, for 

 the seals have a scent equal to any dog. 



" You will bear in mind that the full grown clapmatches, or young wigs that are larger, are 

 the most valuable. The next in value are the two and three year old seals, that haul at different 

 times on the rocks. The yearlings that are driven off in November are prime skins, and taking 

 into account how much less work it is to skin them, and how much less salt, and room they take, 

 they are worth striving for. The large old wigs are of the least value, taking more work, salt, and 

 room. Still they are better than nothing. 



" You must try and get to the island in time to get all of last years pups with the clapmatches. 

 If you can get there thus early it will give you a great start and make everything smooth for you ; 

 but if you cannot get there iu time to take the young seal season, get there as soon as possible, and 

 be sure that you examine the islands and rocks thoroughly. 



" What I have written about the habits of thefur-seal applies to the region of Cape Horn. It 

 may be possible that where you are going their habits may be different, for at the South Shetlauds 

 there are no seal on shore from March to the middle of November. Also at South Georgia, with a 

 lower latitude than Cape Horn, the seal, after shedding the last of February, take to the water and 

 do not return till the following November. If they should work the same where you are going yon 

 see that if you arrive there in September, or up to the middle of October, there may be very few if 

 any seal hauled, so of course you will have to land and examine the rocks, and it will be easy for 

 you to tell if there has been any number of seal in the habit of hauling there, although the fre- 

 quent rains of that latitude will wash away much of the evidence of the past season, so you will 

 have to use your own judgment. Don't condemn in haste. Make sure you are right. 



"THE SEAL HUNT. If you get to the islands early in the season, and find the seals hauled in 

 such numbers that you think there is a good chance to use up all your salt and more besides, I 

 will tell you what I should do. Land all the men that could work to advantage, with the best 

 man I had to head them, with provisions to last all the season, and all the salt except enough 

 to result what skins they could take in the time that T could wait and still have time to get back 



