124 SEAL LIFE ON THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



were put over here and fishing carried ou for two liours, resulting in 

 tlie (rapture of 22 coil and 4 halibut. 



Early in the afternoon', Avith a liglit wind from the eastward, we worked 

 toward Ca])e Clieerful, which, the next morning (August l),bore south- 

 east 25 miles, the lleet by this time being considerably scattered. At 

 9 a. m. 2 sleeping seals were observed, and shortly afterwards the vessel 

 was hove to and tlie canoes put over. l^]ach hunter among the Indians 

 was anxious to secure the first skin, a su])erstition i»revailing that he 

 who kills the first skin at the beginning of a cruise will be attended 

 with good luck during the remainder of the season. Ko time was lost 

 in getting the canoes in the water, as a number of other vessels in sight 

 had already lowered their boats. After the canoes had gotten about 2 

 miles ahead, the vessel followed in their wake; and as the day was clear 

 they could be seen for a long distance. Occasionally a sail would be 

 seen to lower, which iiulicated that the canoes were among seals. 



Before entering into a discussion of the details of my observations it 

 may be well to state that the positions of each day's catch will be found 

 in appended Table Ko. 1, the same corresi)onding with those given in 

 the vessel's ofiicial log. The noon position each day is shown in Table 

 No. 2, in which is also recorded the direction and force of the wind, 

 the barometer reading, and the tem))erature of the air and water. 

 The temperature of the water was taken 5 feet beloAv the surface. The 

 material found in the stomachs of seals has been labeled with reference 

 to the noon position. 



In the afternoon Ave i)asse(l numerous ])atches of seawt^ed and kelp. 

 In a few instances seals were seen witli their heads and llippers thrust 

 up through this Hoating material. Occasionally they would dive and 

 swim a short distance, soon returning to the surface, however, rolling 

 over and over in the tangled seaweed, but sometimes stoj)ping in their 

 play on the alert for danger. When on sealing ground, hunters always 

 carefully inspect fioating seaweed, and, as a ruie, if there are seals about, 

 they are almost sure of finding one or more in each large patch. Late 

 in the afternoon we ])assed close to such a i)atch, covering a considera- 

 ble area, in which 6 seals were playing. They i)aid lu) attention to the 

 vessel, altliough within 100 yards of them. A hunter with a shotgun 

 could have ca])tured 2 or o of the number, and an Indian with a spear 

 would have secured at least 2. 



At 5 p. m. the canoes returned with a catch of 42 seals. Tliree of 

 the males were about 5 years old, all the others of both sexes being 

 from 2 to 4 years old. Their stomachs were nearly all empty, a few con- 

 taining some nuiterial, which, however, M'as too much decom[)osed to be 

 identified. The hunters re])orted seeing but few seals asleep, and these 

 appeared uneasy. Most of those observed awake were finning. No 

 great body of seals had been noticed, and in such ])leasant weather, if 

 there had been many on the ground, 18 canoes and 2 boats could have 

 picked up 100 or more. This number of boats, traveling, as they do, in 

 a path from 10 to 1 .1 miles wide, must necessarily see nearly every seal 

 witlii 11 that be] t. The few seals seen traveling to-day were going toward 

 the northwest. 



The chief of the tribe reported hearing the discharge of firearms a 

 short distance to windward of his canoe, but he could not tell to what 

 vessel the boat belonged. 



The next day, August 2, the boats were lowered at 7 a. m. The 

 weather bid fair lor a successful day's hunt, the Avind being north- 

 northwest and light, and the sea smooth. In the early part of the fore- 

 noon we jogged close to 3 seals playing. Frequently they Avould roll 



