The Western advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1872-1874, 1874-04-11
NUMBER 81.
The Fur Seal Of Alaska.

| VI Vic 0OVeIumeQC, returned In the eaTIV
part of the winter and has submitted to
the Secretary valuable and interesting
report, from which the facts narrated
below are taken:
The young seal or "pnp," as it is
called, for the first three months after
birth is jet black in color. The young
are treated with the greatest apathy, and
! if one stirs ever 50 short distance from
its station it can be picked up and killed
before its mothers eyes without causing
] the slightest concern. The males protect
the pups with great courage so long as
they remain on the station, but never
| beyond its limits. In September the pups
| begin to leave the station, and gather in
| immense masses and clusters, completely
| covering the ground, and sleeping and
| playing together by tens of thousands.
The mothers 60 off to sea for a day or
two at time, and when they come back
each is able to recognize her own pup by
the sound Of its cry, or bleat, which re-
sembles that of lamb, and to single it
| out from thousands; and she will suckle
no other than her own. The pups cannot
at first SWIM, but they succeed after few
efforts, and then delight in the water,
twisting, turning, diving and swimming
in endless evolutions. When they be-
come tired they 60 on the beach, shake
themselves like ducks, and sleep or en-
gage in lazy frolics. About the end of
October, or 10th of Novem Der, nearly all
the seals have gone of to sea, though
some remain until January, and are only
driven away by the cold and ice.
There is large and interesting class of
come upon the breeding grounds during
the season. They are called by the Rus
SLAMS the "holluschuckie," or bachelor
SEALS" They are the yearlings, and
almost all are male seals under six years
old. 1t is this class of seals from which
those are taken that are killed for their
skins. The "hauling- grounds for these
seals are mostly at English Bay. While
the full-grown males occupy the crook
cries" they will not allow the bachelors to
remain on the breeding grounds. Still,
by common consent, they have roadways
or paths open through these grounds, by
which the hollushuckie" pass back and
forth to the higher grounds further back
from the sea- To get to their resting
grounds these seals climb an abrupt cliff,
crawling up places where clumsy men
would scarcely venture. Any day during
the season fifteen or twenty thousand
seals can be seen lying on the cliffs.
These seals also repair to beaches on
which the breeding seals do not come,
where they haul up" by hundreds of
thousands. Mr.. Elliott saw at one time
three miles of beach covered, in places a
of mile back from the water,
Esa164b these seals; the aRGre number in
sight, by low estimate, n6tsheing less
than million and half
The bachelor" seals are the most rest
less animals in the world. They frolic
and lope about over the ground for hours
together without moments cessation,
and no ill-humor is ever exhibited in
their plays. They are the champion
swimmers, going through thousands of
evolutions, and driving through the water
with the rapidity of a bird on the wing.
The bachelor" seals do not fast like the
breeding seals, but 20 frequently into the
sea, and maintain their condition through
out the season, being as fat in the fall as
in the spring when they land. The shed.
ding of the fur begins about the middle
of September, and the skins are no longer
valuable for fur.
The capture of the seals begins with
their first landing on the island. In the
first of the season the bachelor seals do
not "haul up" on the island far from the
water. The natives approach slyly and
run between the sleeping seals and the
river, when the seals, startled by the sight
Of men between them and the water, turn
back by thousands upon the land. The
natives walk leisurely on the flanks and
rear Of the drove thus secured, directing
and driving them like flock of sheep
over toward the killing ground. A drove
Of seals are driven at the rate Of about
half mile an hour. They can be urged
o11 a 10 a orfo
hour, but this is done at the sacrifice of
many lives in the flock. They are per-
mitted frequently to rest and cool off. A
few become overheated and die on the
drive.
The seals, when brought upon the kill
ing ground, are herded there until rested
and cooled. Then squads of about fifty
are driven out from the main herd, and
are surrounded and huddled up one
against another by the natives, who carry
long, heavy clubs of hard wood, with
which they strike down the seals by blows
upon the head. A single sharp blow upon
the head of seal is sufficient to cause
death, but usually each zeal is struck
three OF four times. Only seals of such
an age and condition as are valuable for
their furs are killed, the others being al
lowed to escape and take themselves back
to the water
When all the valuable seals In squad
have been killed, the men drag their bod.
| les out from the heap in which they have
fallen, and spread them over the ground
singly, in order that their bodies may not
become heated. As this is done, into the
vitals of each seal sharp knife is thrust,
that the killing may be complete. Squad
after squad is separated out and treated
in the same manner till thousands have
been slain, or until the whole drove
has been disposed of. This work of
killing is rapidly performed. So also
is the work of skinning. Forty
five men of st. Paul's Island during
June and July, in less than four working
weeks, drove, skinned and salted the pelts
of 72,OOO seals, and could have managed
in the same time 100000. The blubber''
of the fur seal is of a faint, yellowish
white, and lies entirely between the skin
and flesh, not being deposited between
the muscles. 1t possesses an odor ex-
ceedingly offensive and difficult to wash
from the hands. The flesh of the fur seal,
when carefully cleaned of fat, is cooked
and can be eaten by most people. In
quality 1t resembles poor, tough, over
done beef. The skins are taken from the
field to the salthouses and here they are
laid open, one upon another, chair to
fat," with salt previously sprinkled upon
the feshy sides. After lying a week or
two sailed in this style the skins are
ready for bundling and shipping. Two
skins strongly tied with cord, the hair
outside, make a bundle. The proper
| L. g. e