892 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



M* 



HOODED SEALS ON THE ICE 



BRINGING THE SEALS TO THE "NEPTUNE" 



HOODED SEAL AND YOUNG 



It is at this time that they give birth to their 

 young upon the floes, where they are found in 

 families consisting of the mother seal, her pup 

 and two or three old males. I have seen few 

 instances where a seal gave birth to more than 

 one pup in a season. 



The pup is a shapeless, furry, steel-grey ball 

 when first born, but grows and assumes shape 

 with truly wonderful rapidity. It is safe to 

 estimate that it increases three or four pounds 

 in weight in each twenty-fours hours during the 

 first eight days after birth. The stormier the 

 weather and the more snow that flies, the better 

 it thrives. 



The Hooded Seal attains its full growth in 

 four years, and competent observers state that 

 they begin breeding at that age. 



It sometimes happens that large herds become 

 imprisoned upon the floes, through long con- 

 tinued winds in one direction which raft the ice 

 and cut off their retreat. When this occurs and 

 the seals are long exposed to the strong rays of 

 the sun, their skins burn and crack, and they 

 are subject to intense suffering. When in this 

 condition, at times when the ice parted, per- 

 mitting them to again return to the sea, I have 

 observed them jumjJ clear of the water, giving 

 bellows of pain that could be heard for a long 

 distance. When the skins are thus burned they 

 are valueless, and the animals are not molested 

 by the sealers. 



The value of the Hood, and, in fact, all 



species of north Atlantic hair seals, lies in its 



hide and blubber. The hide is tanned into 



leather, and the blubber converted into oil. From 



its hide, wallets, traveling bags and other fine 



leather goods articles are manufactured. The 



oil is utilized in many ways. It has even been 



said that no small proportion of 



high grade seal oil which finds 



its way into the Italian market, 



passes through a process of de- 



odorization and refinement and 



is launched upon the market by 



the resourceful Italian as "olive 



oil." 



Sealing has long been one of 

 the most important industries of 

 the Colony of Newfoundland. 

 The seal fishery, it is said, had 

 its beginning early in the eigh- 

 teenth century, and the records 

 of the Newfoundland Board of 

 Trade state that as early as the 

 year 1742, Fogo and Twillingate 

 reaped a profit of nearly three 

 thousands pounds sterling from 

 trade in seal oil. 



