24 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



1 Kite,' for reasons already explained, captured only 733 Seals. 

 The total catch of the steamers was 284,473, valued at £80,758, 

 against 317,760, valued at £89,958, in the previous season. To 

 these must be added the Seals taken from the shore, and those 

 secured by the schooners. 



In consequence of the readiness with which the breeding Seals 

 were found, the " Whitecoats " were very immature, and the 

 Editor of the ' St. John's Evening Herald,' comparing the season 

 of 1902 — the year of the strike, when the vessels did not get 

 away till the 12th, and the main body of the Seals was not found 

 till the 18th — with that just past, points out that whereas the 

 number of Seals taken in the former year was 10,000 less than 

 in the past season, the weight of fat was almost 1000 tuns more 

 (6153 tuns against 5186 tuns), thus clearly showing the advan- 

 tage of giving the Seals a few days' longer grace.* The growth 

 of the Whitecoats under favourable circumstances is very rapid, 

 but, in addition to the earlier killing, the past spring has, owing 

 to the absence of snow and the severity of the frost, been very 

 unfavourable to their development ; the difference, however, in 

 the money value in the two years has been lessened owing to the 

 increase in the price of produce, which is now 4 dols. per cwt. 



Hitherto the carcases of the Seals have been left on the ice 

 after the stripping off of their pelt and fat, but it was said that a 

 whaling vessel, the ' St. Lawrence,' would this season be sent 

 out to collect the carcases, with a view to extracting the remain- 

 ing oil, and the conversion of the flesh and bones into manure. 

 How far this has been successful I am not aware. 



As is usual, many " panned" Seals were lost owing to fog, 

 or swept away before they could be got on board ; the ' Erick' 

 alone is said to have lost 86 " flags " of from 80 to 100 Seals 

 each; she is reported to have killed and "panned" 30,000 

 Seals in ten days, from March 15th, but her final return is only 

 17,300. Similar losses were experienced by other vessels. It 

 is therefore evident that vastly more young Seals were killed 

 than were secured, and this wasteful method cannot fail to be 

 regarded with regret. 



■ ;: Cf. further remarks on this subject in ray Notes for 1901 (Zool. 1902, 

 February, pp. 44-45). 



