82 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



nine vessels secured more than 15,000 each, against seven the 

 previous season ; whilst the remaining ten averaged 8479 against 

 4309 last season, and none returned " clean." The average of 

 the whole nineteen reached 15,963. Two vessels made second 

 trips, the 'Wolf and the 'Panther' for 4501 and 1651 Seals 

 respectively. The ' Wolf is said to have made the quickest 

 voyage on record, leaving St. John's on March 10th and returning 

 on the 20th with a cargo of 26,912 Seals. As last year, four 

 Dundee ships were present at the Newfoundland Sealing, viz. the 

 ' Terra Nova,' which took 25,734 ; the ' Esquimaux,' 20,036 ; the 

 'Polynia,' 19,360; and the 'Aurora,' 11,166— all of which are 

 included in the above total. 



The young Seals at the Greenland fishery this year were 

 found about lat. 72° N., long. 1^° E., and the fishing commenced 

 early on the morning of April 3rd, about nineteen Norwegian and 

 four Scotch vessels being present ; the former captured 29,000 or 

 30,000 (I have only returns of seventeen of them), and the latter 

 2500 young Saddle Seals. In addition to these, the Scotch vessels 

 killed some 10,099 old Seals, and the 'Germania' returned from 

 Cumberland Gulf with 2480 others, the total number of Greenland 

 Seals being 15,079, against 14,388 in 1888. I am told that the 

 Norwegians had twenty-seven sealing vessels in all, and that they 

 took about 70,000 Seals, old and young. 



It thus appears that at Newfoundland and Greenland old and 

 young sealing together, eleven vessels from Dundee and Peter- 

 head captured 91,365 Seals, yielding 1062 tons of oil (against 

 82,235 skins and 997 tons of oil in 1888) — a considerable increase 

 in numbers, but owing to the value of the skins having declined 

 to something like 8s. 6d. each, and the oil to .£19 per ton, the 

 total value would probably be about ^£59,000, against an estimate 

 of i^G 1,057 in the previous voyage. Included in the seal-oil is 

 the yield of 312 Walruses from Davis Straits and Cumberland 

 Gulf. 



The total number of vessels which left Dundee for the Seal 

 and Whale fishery in 1889 was ten, the same as in the previous 

 season, the vessels being identical; from Peterhead there were 

 four, and the ' Germania,' which returned from Cumberland 

 Gulf. 



Turning to the Whale fishery, although the catches have not 

 been large, a very considerable improvement has taken place, both 



