COUNTER-CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 167 



that the fnr-soal does, and must, sink immediately when 

 shot. They stnte that such an assum]>tion is based cliietiy 

 on the circumstances that various si)ecies of hair-seals 

 generally thus sink, but show (1) that the two groups of 

 animals differ greatly in respect to pro])ortional weight of 

 skeleton and size of lung, and (2) that when fat, even hair Aiyiondix, vol. 

 seals are well known to float when killed. Two hair-seals ' ^" 

 shot near Middleton Island, Alaska, in the summer of 1892, 

 in Mr. INIacoun's i)resence, both floated till tlie bodies were 

 recovered. In fact, a great number of such seals are 

 annually taken both in the Labrador and Greenland fish- 

 eries by shooting in the water. 



THE ASSERTION THAT LARGE NUMEERS OF WOUNDED 

 SEALS ESCAPE AND DllC IS SO VAGUE AS SCARCELY 

 TO ADMIT OF ARGUMENT. 



As to the further assertion that large numbers of seals, 

 being merely wounded when lired at, escai)e and subse- 

 quently die; it is obviously diOicult to meet such a state- 

 ment by direct evidence of a precise kind: for a seal tired 

 at and not hit, or one but slightly wounded, naturally dives 

 instantly, and does not again come to the surface for a long 

 time, and then at a great distance from the hunters. Seals ^^ ^^^n^i^; ^*''' 

 seriously wounded are almost certain to be recovered, for 

 they either remain struggling on the surface, or travel 

 slowl}^ and rise often, and are easily overtaken. 



THE ADOPTION OF THE SHOT-GUN NECESSITATES A 

 CLOSE APPROACH TO THE SEAL RENDERING LOSS 

 INFREQUENT. 



JVloreover, the general adoption of the shot gun in place 

 of the rifle, necessitating a comparatively close approach 

 to the seals, minimizes tlie chances of missing the animal; 

 while the evidence obtained from sealers shows that in 

 practice they make sure of hitting by firing only when at 

 close quarters. 



CONTENTION THAT THE ESCAPE OF SOME WOUNDED 

 ANIMALS 

 EDENTED. 



ANIMALS RENDERS SHOOTING ILLEGITIMATE, UNPREC- 



It is not known that the escai)eof a certain proportion of 

 any wild animals shot at and wounded, or killed and lost, 

 has ever heretofore been advanced as a reason for the aban- ^,^)'\''"-'*'7' ^"'' 

 donmentof the killing of such animals with the gun. The ''''''' '* "^' 



logs of sealing schooners ])rinted in the Ai)i)endix 

 192 are sulhcient to show that, for any boat employed in 



sealing, each seal taken involves, on the average, 

 many hours of rowing and exposure at sea. There is, there- 

 fore, no question of a promisc^uous and reckless slaughter 

 among dense droves or schools of seals. The hunters are 

 themselves remuneiated on a princi[)le of shares depending 

 on the number of seals taken, and every possible ])recan- Procautiona 

 tion against loss is, therefore, naturally employed by the|,'iueai8'8[io*t?^^' 

 /neu so engaged. 



