92 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



6012 Seals at Halifax. We have therefore to deal with only 21; 

 these captured a total of 152, 82J Seals old and young, the 

 'Hope' heading the list with 16,499, followed by the 'Diana' 

 with 15,122 ; only two other vessels had over 10,000, the 

 average of the 21 being 7277, an improvement upon the previous 

 season, which averaged only 5866 ; but still far from a paying 

 cargo. 



The Greenland sealing was again very unimportant, only 

 4712 being brought home by three vessels. In addition to this a 

 vessel called the ' Alert,' which acts as a carrier sailing from 

 Peterhead to Cumberland Gulf with stores for Mr. Noble's station 

 there, and returning with produce, brought home 7000 skins, 

 making a total import of 11,712 from the northern fishery ; added 

 to these, 13,458 from Newfoundland gives a total of 25,170 Seals 

 taken by six Scotch vessels (including the 'Active'), producing 

 269 tons of oil, which at £17 per ton, and skins at, say, 4s. each, 

 represents a sum of £9607, as compared with a like valuation of 

 £9915 in the previous season. 



The year 1894 marks a new era in the declining history of the 

 British Whale fishery. For the first time since the year 1788, 

 Peterhead, which port has in its palmy days sent as many as 29 

 ships to the Arctic Seas, has been totally unrepresented in either 

 the Greenland or Davis Straits fishery, except by the small 

 carrier already mentioned, in the employ of the station in Cum- 

 berland Gulf. The last Peterhead vessel, the ' Windward,' which 

 Capt. David Gray commanded in 1893, has been sold to the 

 Jackson-Harmsworth Expedition, and, should her commander 

 have been successful so far in his arduous undertaking, is now 

 wintering somewhere in the neighbourhood of Franz Josef Land. 

 Dundee sent out only eight vessels, and, should report prove true, 

 it is probable that three or even four of these will be laid up next 

 season. Present prices are so low, and the produce, even when 

 obtained, so difficult to dispose of, that there is little inducement 

 to continue the fishing. It seems not unlikely also that the 

 present financial crisis in Newfoundland may have the effect of 

 materially reducing the number of the sealing fleet which will 

 leave the ports of that colony in the spring. 



The three vessels which sailed from Dundee last season for 

 the Greenland fishery were the 'Active/ the 'Diana,' and the 

 4 Polar Star.' The first captured two small Right Whales, 



