184 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



and young Seals. In consequence of the lateness of the season 

 the young Seals were in very fine condition, and probably sixteen 

 days old, as the parents generally take to the ice about March 

 ySnd. The old sealing, later in the season, was equally bad. The 

 total number of old and young Seals brought in from the Green- 

 land and Davis Straits fishery was 7964, against 32,302 in the 

 season of 1885. 



I regret that in my last year's notes by an error I stated that 

 there were eighteen Scotch vessels present at the Greenland 

 sealing : this was the total number both at Greenland and New- 

 foundland. I should have stated that ten Scotch vessels took 

 pai't in the Greenland and Davis Straits sealing, capturing 

 26,448 Seals, and that the proceeds of 5852 other Seals 

 were brought home by the ' Germania ' from a station in the 

 Cumberland Gulf. 



At Newfoundland and Greenland together, the thirteen 

 Scotch sealers last season killed 49,570 Seals (against 103,574 

 in the season of 1885) ; these, at 6s. per skin, would represent a 

 sum of ;£14,871, and the yield of 582 tons of oil, at £20 per ton, 

 a further sum of ^11,640; gross total, s026,511, against an 

 estimate in J 885 of ^57,412, a sad falling off, which in this 

 branch of the fishery must represent a considerable loss to those 

 engaged in it. 



In the article "Seal Fishery," in the 21st vol. of the 

 ' Encyclopaedia Britannica,' p. 582, are some remarks with regard 

 to what is there termed the "Jan Mayen Seal Fishery," which 

 are calculated to be very misleading. It is stated that the 

 British, Norwegian, Swedes, Danes, and Germans, all take part 

 in the fishery, and that the number of Seals taken by the 

 British vessels " about equals that taken by all the others 

 together." If by the " Jan Mayen fishery" the author means the 

 capture of young Saddle Seals at the Greenland west ice, this is 

 certainly not correct ; the foreign vessels at present greatly out- 

 number the British, and the number of Seals taken by them is pro- 

 portionately larger ; it will be seen that in the season of 1886 the 

 numbers of British and foreign vessels present were respectively 

 three of the former and twenty-one of the latter, and for 

 many years past the disparity has been almost equally great. 

 The Norwegians, who did not commence sealing till 1845, now 

 outnumber all the other nationalities. Previous to that time 



