164 COUNTER-CASE OP GREAT BRITAIN. 



CHARACTER OF BOATS EMPLOYED IN SEALING. 



The boats employed in sealing are light, swift craft, with 

 bow-shaped ends, and the oarsmen sit one facing each way, 

 ready, at a word from the hunter, to make after any seal 

 he may hit. 



CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH SEALS KILLED AT SEA 



ARE LOST. 



Ibid., pp. 7-13. It is admitted by all the pelagic sealers, that a small 

 percentage of seals is lost as above described, or in other 

 ways, as, for instance, when a wounded seal goes off to 

 windward faster than it can be followed by the boat in a 

 choppy sea. Sleeping seals seldom, if ever, sink when shot, 

 and probably three-fourths of the seals shot are " sleepers." 

 When "travellers" happen to be shot tlirough the wind- 

 pipe they generally sink, and, in consequence of this 

 188 fact, experienced sealers generally try to shoot such 

 seals from behind. Su(;h seals as do sink, however, 

 sink slowly the specific gravity of the body being only 

 slightly greater than that of the water, even when the 

 breath has escaped. Tlius, it is generally possible to gaff 

 the carcass, and, in ordinary " sealing weather," the precise 

 spot where the seal has been killed is easily found by the 

 bubbles rising to the surface, or by the blood staining the 

 water. 



GENERAL STATEMENTS AS TO PROPORTION OF SEALS 

 THUS LOST BY WHITE HUNTERS. 



The evidence of a general kind actually quoted or per- 

 •^ sonally obtained by the British Commissioners, in regard 

 to the loss of seals killed at sea by white hunters, may be 

 summarized as follows: 



British Coin- Captain J. D. Warren. — Not over 6 per cent. lost or escape. 

 pnrr'D'aras ^6 ^''- ^' Fewing8.—A.Y&viigii loss does not exceed 6 per cent. 

 622. ' ' Cajifain H. F. Sieicard. — Lower coast, not over 6 per cent. Alaskan 



coast and Behriug Sea not over 4 per cent. 



Captain W. O'Leary. — Does not exceed 6 per cent., and sometimes 

 much less. 



Mr. W. Munsie. — Probably not over 2 per cent. 



Mr. A. R. Milne. — At most only 6 per cent. 



Mr. C. J. Kelley. — Average loss less than 3 per cent. 



Captain TV. Peiit. — Loss not more than 5 per cent. 



Captain W. E. Baker. — Loss not more than 3 per cent. 



Mr. C. N. Cox. — Loss 4 or 5 per cent. 



Captain T. N. Magnesen . — Average loss 3^ per cent. 



Mr. H. Crocker. — Loss 3 to 4 per cent. 



Mr. G. Roberts. — Loss 3 to 5 per cent. 



Mr. R. Thompson. — Loss 3 to 5 per cent. 



Mr. M. Lundberg (with three other sealers), concurred in stating 

 that a man losing 2 out of thirty killed would be considered a poor 

 hunter. Say 6 per cent. 



Captain Lavender. — Not over 7 per cent lost. 



Sealers' Association of Victoria. — Loss averaged below 6 per cent. 



Captain of "liliza Edwards." — "Green hands" might lose 25 per 

 cent. With experienced hunters loss might reach 5 per cent. 



