SEALSKIN INDUSTRY IN UNITED STATES. 519 



As aresiil: of tbe work I have peifoimed for so inai.y years I am 

 able to distiBguisli, without difficulty, the skm of a leiu ale seal lioiu 

 that of a male seaL There are generally several ways m which I can 

 tell them apart. One of the surest ways consists m seeing whethei 

 any teats can be found. On a female skin above the age f^^^lf^ 

 teats can practically always be discovered; when the animal is ovei 3 

 years old, even a person who is not an expert at handling skms c;nn di - 

 cover two promii.ent ones on each side of almost every skm. This is 

 because after the age of 3, and often even after 2, al- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

 most all fem ales h ave been in pup. T here are a iso teats 5^^^^ p^pg. 

 on a male skin, but they are only very shghtlydevel- ,, ^ ^^.,. 



oped. When the fur is matted, as it is m salted fur seal skins, the male 

 ?eats can not be found, but the female teats of skms more than 2 years 

 years old can be found under all circumstances. 



I have been able to test all my observanons as to the teats on salted 

 fur-seal skins by following these skins through the various processes 

 which I have described. "During these processes the ^«kms become 

 Thiiner and thinner, and the teats more and more "^ticeable, and at^n 

 early stage in the dressing they must be wholly removed. /" M^re aie 

 other ways of distinguishing the skins of the two sexes. I will state 



^ i'femal'eTeal has a narrower head than a male seal. By the word 

 "head" I mean here to include the part ot the body j,^^,.,^^,^,,^^,^^^, 

 from the head down to the middle ot the back. ,i Do- head than male. 

 lieve all men who have handled the skins of both sexes 



'^h^t^il^^n ?^e whiskers have not been cut ofi; th^. g^ei ally 

 aftbrd a safe means of distinguishing the sexes. Male whiskers a e 

 much more brittle and of a darker color than those ot the female ani- 

 mal When the male seal is over years old it begins to have a mane, 

 and for this reason it is after that age called a wig _ 



Finally it is generally possible for me to tell the skins of the two 

 sexerSrt by j'nst taking a look at them or feeling them I suppose 

 f can dpthis because I have been at the business so long that I am an 



""""The chief classes of seal skins which I have handled are the Alaska, 

 the Northwest coast, and the Copper Island skms. i ^^^^^^^,^^^ ,,,,t 

 pan always distinguish the skins of these classes, catch mostly femiii.s. 

 The NoTlhwest coa'-st skins are most easily told by the ^iJ^^^'-^ 

 verv sreat nroportion of females contained in any given 

 Tot. Among tlie Alaska and Copper skins I have hardly ever seen a 



^Thilf the Alaska and Northwest coast skins are taken from the 



same species or herd of seals, I am convinced that the ^.^.^^^^^ ^^^^.^^ ^^ 



Copper skins are taken from seals of a different herd. ,,,13. 



I have noticed the difference in the skins, both in their 



raw state and during the processes of dressing Ihe haii ot the 



Copper skin is shorter, thinner, and g^neraUy of a ^^^^^^^„^^.,,,^. 



somewhat darker color than that of the Alaska or p^,„ ,i,i,„. 



Northwest coast skins, and in most cases the difierence 



in shape is sufficiently marked to enable me to distinguish them by 



^^TU'SrelTce^'between the Copper and the other skins is still more 

 marked during the processes of dressing. It is very jy^^^-^^^,^;,.^ ,„;,,!,,. 

 much more difficult to unhair a Copper skin. I^ ^"^^ ^e^, , . ,^ 



more, the pelts of the Copper skms ai-e less porous than those ot tne 



