XV 



assertion i«> true I am not in a position to say. But whilst these men 

 do not wish to be altogether debarred from killing female seals, they 

 view with abhorrence the destruction of the females whilst their 

 young are dependent upon them. More than one of them has 

 described how heartrending are the cries of the little seal left to 

 starve on the rocks before it can take to the water. These people 

 advocate a close time for seals every year, namely, the period when 

 the pups are being suckled and before they take to the water. The 

 time they suggest is November, December, and half January. This 

 is the season when the seals are easily killed, since they will not leave 

 their young. Before the young seals are born, apparently, the females 

 can take very good care of themselves. The Tasmanian sealers look 

 with apprehension also upon the advent of vessels from New Zealand. 

 They tell a story (I give it as I heard it) that the crew of one of 

 these foreign vessels once succeeded in extending a strong rope net of 

 some sort round a rock and then proceeded to kill everything upon it. 

 The story at least points to some very complete system of destruction 

 put in operation by these energetic foreigners. Without doubt we have 

 arrived at a critical epoch in the history of our seals. They are once 

 again extremely abundant, and wise regulations, framed without loss of 

 time, may save an interesting inhabitant of our seas and protect a 

 valuable industry as well. 



Mr. Bernard Shaw stated that the mutton birds are protected by 

 existing regulations all the year round, excepting from March to May. 

 The proposal now is to protect the young birds and stop the 

 destruction of the eggs. This will be met by the new regulations. 

 Birds sitting and feeding their young must also not be taken. With 

 regard to seals, the regulations which have been in existence since 

 1891 expired on July 25th. The Commissioners of Fisheries have not 

 yet been able to bring the new regulations into force, but he hoped 

 that when they were in force they would be in operation for a long 

 time. Fur seals only were protected, and of those the females were 

 entirely protected, as were the young under 10 months. The regula- 

 tions would be made to apply to Macquarie Island, so as to 

 strengthen the hands of the New Zealand Government, who protected 

 seals in their own waters, and when they discovered skins suspected 

 to be " poached " they were told the seals were captured on Macquarie 

 Island. 



Mr. A. Morton a'so spoke on the subject, and pointed out that the 

 Tasmanian fur seal, though not so valuable as the Alaska species, was 

 the true fur seal of commerce. There was no reason why the seals 

 should not return in the great numbers of early days so soon as they 

 were protected. The sealer had no better friend than Mr. Bernard 

 Shaw, while the industry itself could be developed into a very important 

 one. It should not be overlooked that the protection of the seal 

 was helping the half-caste. 



ADDITIONS TO THE MUSEUM. 



Mr. Morton laid on the table a number of interesting curios sent 

 by Rev. John Chalmers from New Guinea and the Fly Elver district, 

 which included a drum, bone daggers, stone axes, and other articles. A 

 very fine pair of horns of an Indian bison, presented and shot by 

 Colonel Cox, was also inspected by the Fellows. Colonel Cox gave some 

 interesting particulars of the animal under discussion, and stated that 

 its habitat was in the Sheveroy Hills, Madras Presidency, where he 

 had shot similar animals, and bagaed one of the best pair of horns ever 

 taken in India. 



Tba proceedings concluded with votes of thanks to the readers of 

 papers, the donors of the additions to the Museum, and the Chairman. 



