72 TRANSACTIONS. 1 897-8. 



May are found in great numbers west and north-west of Sitka, 

 on what are called by the pelagic sealers the Fairweather 

 grounds. They move more quickly after leaving that part of 

 the ocean and are supposed to go straight to the Pribylov 

 Islands. While at sea the only animal known to prey upon 

 the fur-seal is the Great Orca, or killer-whale, as it is popularly 

 called. Whether these animals destroy many fur-seals in mid- 

 ocean cannot be determined, but the seals are scattered over 

 so wide an area that it is probable that the number killed by 

 the Orca is not great. Before the seals leave the islands in 

 the autumn, however, the killer destroys a great many of the 

 pups. They come close up to the land and swimming in 

 among the young seals seize them and kill them at a single 

 bite. Many pups are killed apparently through pure wanton- 

 ness, though many of them are eaten. It is not probable that 

 many of the older seals die from any other cause but old 

 age while they are absent from the islands. They feed upon 

 squid and all kinds of surface-swimming fish, and swim so 

 rapidly and can go such a long time without food that it is 

 not at all probable that many of them die from starvation. 

 Nor can rough weather have any effect upon them, as from 

 the time the young seals first go into the water they delight 

 to play among the breakers and in heavy seas, and are so 

 essentially an aquatic animal that the roughest weather, no 

 matter how long continued would fail to injure them. 



While absent from the islands the only known destruc- 

 tive agency of importance is pelagic sealing. From January 

 until May in the North Pacific Ocean and from the ist of 

 August until the weather grows rough, in Behring Sea the 

 seal is killed in large numbers by the pelagic hunter. A 

 short account of his methods may not be without interest. The 

 Canadian sealing schooners are for the most part fitted out in 

 Victoria. If white hunters are employed they also are en- 

 gaged there, but if the hunting is to be done by Indians, the 

 schooner after having been provisioned sails to the west coast 

 of Vancouuer Island where most of the Indian hunters live. 

 These schooners are of all sizes, the best of them averaging 

 about 100 tons. If white hunters are employed boats are used, 

 if Indians, canoes. The boats are peculiarly adapted for seal- 

 ing and have been specially modelled to serve the purpose for 

 which they are intended, being the same shape at both ends, 

 either end thus serving as bow. Outside of Behring Sea 

 guns may be used. When hunting with the gun the hunter 

 stands in the centre of the boat, both of the boat-pullers facing 



