SIZE OF P. BAEBATA. 59 



long, by six or six and a lialf feet in circum- 

 ference, and weighs six hundred pounds, or 

 upwards. The skin and fat amount to about 

 one half the total weight. The blubber lies 

 in one layer of two to three inches thick 

 underneath the skin, and yields about one- 

 half of its own weight of fine oil. The value 

 of a seal of course varies with the state of 

 the oil market all over the world, but at the 

 time of which I write, oil being unusually 

 cheap, they only averaged about five or six 

 dollars apiece; but still the fact of the 

 animals being of some use, contributed to 

 render the chase of them much more ex- 

 citing, as nothing can be more distasteful or 

 unsatisfactory to the feelings of a true sports- 

 man than taking the life of anything which is 

 to be of no use when dead. 



When seals are in the water they are not 

 the least afraid of a boat, but come boldly 

 up quite close to it, first on one side and 

 then on the other, as if impressed with the 

 deepest curiosity to see what the unusual- 

 looking object is. When they are shot dead 

 in the water, however, they sink so rapidly 

 that it is very difficult to get possession of 

 them. The most approved plan is, not to 



