Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1874-05-30
THE FUR SEAL.
Their First Appearance in spring---An
Interesting Sketch EIll-N

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straits, come the first seals of the sea-
son, usually by the LIST or I'd of May.
All these early arrivals are males, full
grown, which anticipate the coming of
the females even six weeks in advance.
Thus, by being first upon the ground
for the season, they are able to choose
their locations without much difficulty,
upon which each is to receive his
family. .f.a..-fh
From the time the male comes out
and takes his position upon the rookery
ground until he leaves it at the close of
the season-a period usually of q little
over three months-he takes no food or
water, and never for an instant, unless
driven away by superior force, leaves
his ground, which is about ten feet
square IN area. The subsistence of fur
seal males for three or four months
without eating, while engaged in the
most violent exercise, combined with
the greatest vigilance, is marvellous,
for they do not stagnate, like bears, or
similar hibernating animals. None Of
the other classes, the COWS, young
males, and pups, sustain any protracted
fasting, the COWS feeding every two or
three weeks, at least, while the young
males and yearlings of both sexes sell
dom stay upon land more than q week
or ten days at any one time.
The males fight desperately, even to
death, for their positions on the rook-
cries, the combatants, with teeth
clinched in each others hides or flip
pers, struggling in savage though alert
unwieldiness, their roars of rage and
defiance being half stifed by the vio-
lence of the conflict.
The females are, however, exceed
ingly amiable in disposition, and are
only about one-fourth of the size of the
males, which will weigh from three
hundred to five hundred pounds early
in the season, having six to seven feet
of length. The females weigh on an
average eighty pounds, and measure
four feet in length.
From the 1st of June to the 14th the
females begin to make their appear
ance, and afterward, up to the 8th Of
July, they arrive by thousands and tens
Of thousands, landing in obedience to
some subtle instinct, without the dis
order or confusion which might be
supposed oexist among such numbers.
Within the short period of three weeks
acres Of ground are fairly packed by
these animals as close as they can lie.
They are stimulated to land by the ex-
piration of the period of CESSATION, for
soon after coming ashore, usually with
in day or two, they give birth to their
young.
The number Of seals taken annually
is restricted to one hundred thousand
young males, not under one year of
age, and policy prevents the killing of
any bulls at or over six. The time
chosen for taking the seasons quota
is from the date of their first arrival in
June up to the shedding of their coats
in August, and last year the whole
hundred thousand were taken in less
than thirty-three working days by the
natives, who receive forty cents a skin,
thus dividing $40, 900 every year among
themselves, or little over $4O0 to each
working man and boy. This price per
skin, which is an advance Of thirty
cents over that given by the Russians,
is also fixed by law. The company
sells to the natives an extensive assort-
ment of goods, embracing all the neces-
sites of life and many of the luxuries,
at the wholesale prices of the San Fran
cisco market and as all widows and
orphans are cared for and supported
voluntarily by the company, it will be
seen that these people are far better off
than any similar class of working men
in our country, or perhaps in the
world.
The seals are easily captured /; their
captors, the natives, reminding one Of
butchers as they go into stock-yard to
select and drive out batch of bullocks,
for the method of procedure is pre-
cisely similar.
To the right and left of the breeding
grounds stretch sand-beaches, or some
convenient landing, upon which the
"holluschickie," or the bachelor seals,
lie by tens of thousands, extended in
every attitude assumed by them in fit
full sleep or animated sport, and down
from the village to these "hauling-
grounds come the natives, who, after
making survey of the swarming
myriads, step in among them and turn
aside from the masses two to three
thousand of the most eligible animals,
usually males of not over four years old
and not under two. This drove which
they have selected is driven to the vii
lage as a flock of sheep would be, the
animals moving in a succession of sud
den starts, with frequent resting spells,
at the rate of about half a mile an
hour, provided the weather is cool and
foggy and the ground hard. Seals can
be driven at the rate of a mile an hour
under peculiarly favorable conditions of
road and weather but the loss of life
is great in q large drove, so many fall
ing senseless, gasping and palpitating,
some to rise again within @ few hours,
and others dying at once.
Only four or five men are required to
capture in this way drove of from one
to even fifty thousand, did they ever
want so many and the labor of driving
them overland to the salt-houses near
the village is light, as the seals move
without resistance and require but little
urging, only it should be constant and
gentle. They string themselves out in
long files as they travel, and drove of
four or five thousand will stretch over
a mile in length.
All the seals taken from the different
hauling grounds south of Northeast
Point, on st. Paul Island, are driven to
this place for slaughter. After the
drove arrives on the ground it is allowed
to cool, for the animals are always
heated more or less by travel, and if
they are killed while in this condition
~ 81. l,sx 81 r., fo1I NH ox 49,. l..