22 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



NOTES ON THE SEAL AND WHALE FISHEBY 



IN 1904. 



By Thomas Southwell, F.Z.S. 



The sealing fleet from Newfoundland, in the season of 1904, 

 consisted of twenty-one steamers, a reduction of one, the changes 

 consisting of the withdrawal of the ' Neptune,' ' Harlaw,' ' Terra 

 Nova,' and ' Windward,' and the addition of the ' Bloodhound,' 

 ' Viking,' and ' Eagle.' The ' Terra Nova ' was sent out by the 

 Government with the ' Morning,' as a sister relief ship to the 

 Antarctic exploring vessel ' Discovery,' and the ' Windward' was 

 purchased by Messrs. B. Ferguson & Co., of Dundee, to replace 

 the ' Vega,' wrecked in Davis Strait last season. 



The vessels left port as usual on the morning of March 10th, 

 the St. John's fleet experiencing some difficulty at first from the 

 ice, which was close packed on the shore ; but the more powerful 

 steamers giving a lead to the others, and the floe having slack- 

 ened somewhat before a westerly breeze, they soon got clear 

 away. 



The first to arrive in port from the eastern fishery was the 

 ' Aurora,' which sailed from Westleyville (Bonavista Bay), and 

 was absent only sixteen days, having not only made the quickest 

 but the most successful voyage of the season, her catch con- 

 sisting of 34,849, only 189 of which were old Harps. Her 

 captain reports that the ice was met with almost at once, the 

 first " Whitecoat " seen on the 11th, and the breeding patch 

 sighted on the 12th, about seventy miles N.E. of Fogo ; he 

 estimated the young Seals in this locality at not less than 

 100,000, and, at once setting to work, he had 4000 pelts on the 

 ice before dusk. This went on day after day, impeded only by 

 stormy weather, the vessel drifting south till she was only six 

 miles outside the Funks ; finally, with some little difficulty and 

 delay, she got clear of the ice, and had a good run home. The 

 weather proved very severe ; every day a blizzard was experi- 

 enced, which sometimes lasted for hours. Several other vessels 



