Some Notes on the Rideau Canal. 459 
is to the operation of shore parties, destroying and disturb- 
ing the cow whales inthe breeding grounds, that I attribute 
the extinction of the whales. The sperm whale, which 
lives more constantly in the deep sea, lasted longer and 
lingers still. At this once famous whaling station one whale 
—possibly two—has been killed in the last twenty years. 
The boats have rotted on the beach; it is not worth the 
while of the Maori owners to look after them. With the 
the town of Dunedin in the bay, numbering 45,000 inhabit- 
ants, and a trade of some millions annually, the survival of 
the whales could not be expected. 
I cannot but attribute the depletion of the seals to the 
same cause. ‘They are very timid, and as is the case with all 
timid creatures disturbance on the breeding grounds is fatal 
to the maintenance of the race. Disturbance in this case has 
taken the form of reckless slaughter. There could be no 
hope of preserving the seals on the east coast, which is now 
settled and is rapidly becoming well peopled. On the wild 
west coast they could only be preserved by stringent laws 
judiciously administered. There are reasons which lead 
me to conclude that once or twice in recent years, when 
left undisturbed for a time, they have increased in certain 
places. The comparatively large number obtained in 1891 
caused some surprise to experts, and this fact may be taken 
as some evidence of increase. Such an increase can, how- 
ever, only lead to partial restoration of the seal fisheries on 
the uninhabited west coast and on the islands which are 
probably useless for other purposes, if great care is used to 
make the protection effective. 
Dunedin, N. Z., March 22, 1893. 
Some NoTEs ON THE RIDEAU CANAL, THE SOURCES OF 
Its WATER SUPPLY, AND ITS HaRLy HISTORY. 
By A. T. Drummonp. 
A somewhat careful investigation into the nature of the 
country bordering on the Rideau Canal, as well as of the 
lakes on its course and of its water powers—all inconnection 
with a line of railway now being surveyed—has led to my 
