﻿58 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  favourable 
  weather 
  at 
  this 
  stage 
  of 
  the 
  voyage, 
  

   which, 
  however, 
  did 
  not 
  last 
  long, 
  the 
  losses 
  from 
  the 
  objection- 
  

   able 
  practice 
  of 
  "panning" 
  do 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  so 
  heavy 
  

   as 
  usual 
  ; 
  it 
  often 
  happens 
  that 
  through 
  eagerness 
  to 
  secure 
  as 
  

   many 
  Seals 
  as 
  possible 
  in 
  the 
  short 
  time 
  available, 
  many 
  more 
  

   are 
  killed 
  and 
  the 
  pelts 
  panned 
  than 
  can 
  afterwards, 
  owing 
  

   to 
  bad 
  weather, 
  the 
  breaking 
  up 
  of 
  the 
  ice, 
  or 
  other 
  causes, 
  be 
  

   recovered, 
  thus 
  involving 
  much 
  useless 
  sacrifice 
  of 
  life 
  and 
  

   property. 
  

  

  Of 
  all 
  the 
  northern 
  fleet, 
  the 
  ' 
  Windward 
  ' 
  was 
  the 
  most 
  

   unfortunate. 
  Although 
  she 
  arrived 
  early 
  at 
  the 
  breeding 
  patch, 
  

   she 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  force 
  a 
  passage 
  into 
  the 
  ice, 
  and, 
  other 
  troubles 
  

   following, 
  she 
  had 
  to 
  return 
  with 
  only 
  1185 
  Seals. 
  The 
  young 
  

   Seals 
  were 
  in 
  excellent 
  condition, 
  the 
  average 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  fat 
  

   being 
  40 
  to 
  46 
  lb. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  sealers 
  the 
  report 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  good, 
  the 
  four 
  vessels 
  

   only 
  securing 
  about 
  34,000 
  Seals 
  between 
  them. 
  The 
  captain 
  of 
  

   the 
  ' 
  Newfoundland 
  ' 
  reports 
  that 
  he 
  first 
  struck 
  the 
  Seals 
  on 
  the 
  

   12th 
  March, 
  eight 
  miles 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Bird 
  Kocks, 
  but 
  was 
  unable 
  

   to 
  get 
  near 
  them. 
  All 
  through 
  the 
  spring 
  the 
  vessel 
  was 
  jammed 
  

   more 
  or 
  less, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  till 
  the 
  23rd 
  or 
  24th 
  of 
  March 
  that 
  any 
  

   number 
  of 
  Seals 
  were 
  taken 
  ; 
  these 
  were 
  quite 
  in 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  

   Gulf. 
  " 
  The 
  ice," 
  says 
  Capt. 
  Farquhar, 
  " 
  was 
  in 
  enormous 
  sheets 
  

   three 
  to 
  ten 
  miles 
  wide, 
  and 
  the 
  weather 
  so 
  bad 
  that 
  men 
  could 
  

   not 
  work. 
  Had 
  the 
  weather 
  been 
  fine 
  a 
  big 
  catch 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  

   assured, 
  but 
  the 
  distance 
  travelled 
  by 
  the 
  men 
  was 
  too 
  great." 
  

   His 
  final 
  result 
  was 
  10,530, 
  almost 
  all 
  young 
  Harps. 
  The 
  

   'Harlaw,' 
  with 
  the 
  ' 
  Algerine 
  ' 
  and 
  ' 
  Nimrod,' 
  found 
  the 
  Seals 
  off 
  

   Cape 
  Anguille, 
  but 
  they 
  all 
  became 
  jammed, 
  and, 
  although 
  there 
  

   were 
  Seals 
  all 
  around, 
  the 
  ice 
  was 
  so 
  heavy 
  that 
  they 
  could 
  not 
  

   be 
  got 
  at. 
  The 
  ' 
  Algerine 
  ' 
  was 
  the 
  most 
  fortunate 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  

   sealers 
  ; 
  she 
  had 
  about 
  8000 
  young 
  Harps, 
  and 
  2000 
  young 
  and 
  

   2200 
  old 
  Hoods, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  being 
  very 
  heavy. 
  Her 
  catch 
  

   altogether 
  numbered 
  12,820, 
  and 
  but 
  for 
  the 
  heavy 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  

   ice 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  larger 
  still. 
  As 
  it 
  was, 
  her 
  nett 
  weight 
  was 
  

   331 
  tons, 
  a 
  trifle 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  'Iceland's' 
  16,337 
  young 
  Harps, 
  

   although 
  they 
  also 
  were 
  very 
  fine. 
  

  

  The 
  average 
  take 
  of 
  the 
  twenty-two 
  vessels 
  was 
  14,444 
  Seals, 
  

   twelve 
  of 
  them 
  being 
  above 
  that 
  number, 
  and 
  ten 
  below. 
  Twelve 
  

  

  

  