The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-07-12

baby seal, for they are gregarious and very
communIstic, the young not recognizing
parents or parental authority, consequently
many OF them come to a bad end
The Pribylov islands consist OF the
islands OF ST. Paul, St George and Otter
island. They lay in line from north to
soutn. The largest and most northeriy,
ST. Paul, Is perhaps mile long, or rather
nearly round. Directly south one and q
halt miles is the nearly round rock called
utter island, and not mere than two
miles south of this is st. George, which
Is perhaps a mile long and one
fourth mile wide. These islands lay low,
are composed of sand principally, with here
and there rocky beach, and on these kelp-
covered, rocky beaches the seals crawl and
lay as thick as sardines in can, making
the welkin ring with their roaring and
clumsy. uncouth antics. for the seal on
land Is the clumsiest of all ANIMALS and
always, when in masses, appears to be in
lighting humor. The little seals are born,
and soon after they clumsily flop to the
water, and we may say, after reading Pres
1dent Harrison's last proclamation, enter
upon the duties of life with that zeal (seaD
an assurance Of such protection gives.
No so the older ones; they have been
there before; and leaving their festive
progeny to play about the counters of
Mr.. Blaine's revenue cutters, they climb
upon the side OF wave and placing one
fipper over their heads. as Mr.. HIATT tells
u.s.. have one of their number keep a
lookout, and rocked thus ''in the cradle
of the Deep" shove away exactly like a
man, and continuously during daytime in
smooth water. Sometimes they ship with
the head under water, at times raising
the head (the eyes closed in slumber) for
breath. The seal lays all on the surface,
and when the sentinel gives alarm
silently sinks, without splash, coming
mp soon with inquiring eyes to see what
was the matter. AT night they feed, and
then Is the time q sensible Goldfish will
make himself as scarce as a policeman at
row. The sealers use shotgsns mostly.
Occasionally a young seal, when wounded.
fights viciously, and the old ones are
as hard to kill as poor joke. An average
large seal is about eight feet long and will
weigh from 500 to 400 pounds. The
young, when he takes to the water, is
about eighteen inches long, and is so
,exuberant and happy that he hardly knows
what to do with himself. and leads roll
iickipg life till some poacher comes along
and seals his fate.
When on the islands the natives place q
fence between the seals and water, then
drive them to an open place still further
away, and then the slaughter begins. and
the luminous, pleading brown eyes look
in vain for mercy, for great corporation
wants their coats, and dainty girls, who
faint at sight OF mouse, pay a premium
for their destruction. The presence of the
cutters in the North gives kind of an air
of dignity to those seas, and, possibly, .
certain amount of assurance to the seals;
but the poacher smiles audibly and gee-
fully drops his dories and s'shoots like the
shadow of ghost on his sleeping victim"
which he always tries TO shoot in the back
of the head and get hold of quickly, for now
and then the animal sinks and is lost. Far
away a line of smoke appears, the boats are
recalled, every stitch of canvas spread, and
often before the cutter folks can see them,
are safely away, or, if boarded, hide their
skins under coal or in some cute way the
ordinary cutterman don't know of.
Its expected there will be good catch
this season.