The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-11-10
HABITS OF TIE FUR SEALS.

From st. Nicholas.
The fur seal dts name should be FUR
v sea lion) is the most celebrated of
all our furbearers. and the United
States government has been as active
In protecting it from destructian as it
was Indifferent to the fate of the buffa-
10 millions. If our great international
dispute with England and Canada over
the fur seal had arisen seventy years
ago. before the days of peaceful arbi-
tration, there would surely have been
war over it. Nor is our interest in
our fur seal to be wondered at when
we stop to consider that from 1870 to
500 our national treasury received
20. as royalty on the animals killed
,siX-sevenths of the purchase price of
Alaska). When to this we add the
amount received in a twenty percent.
import duty on the dressed skins as
they come back to US from the En-
glish Overs. the total revenue de-
rived from the fur seal in twenty
years amounts TO the enormous sum of
g.. 500. coo. Such an animal was worth
saving from destruction. No other
quadruped ever became such bone of
contention betw cen two great nations
for long period. the discussion wind
ing up with a high and mighty confer
ence of arbitration.
As usual, the whole trouble arose
through the greediness Of few ire
sDonsible and lawless individuals. The
~ Tho ID, m
on taking fur seals by shooting them
in the open sea, by which wasteful
process seven were lost for every three
secured. But if ii were not for the
loss OF money revenue derived from
this animal, II is quite certain the gov
.rnment would have allowed the waste
ful slaughter to go on until the last
seal was dead.
The fur seal is not true seal BY any
means, but sea lion. with naked, pad
ile-shaped fippers and tiny ears. II
is about two-thirds the size OF the
Zalophus. and is therefore the smallest
member of the scalion family. Mr..
Elliott gives the average length Of
the full-grown male animal as six feet
from nose TO tail. and weight from
three hundred and fifty To five hun
1red pounds. The average length Of
the adult female is a trifie over four
feet. and weight from sixty-two to sew
auty-tve pounds When dry, the coat
i of dark, steel-gray color. and only
the course. stiff outer hair j. visible.
[ Underneath this lies a dense coat Of
very fine and soft light-brown fur. IN
which lies all the value OF the skin. In
preparing the pelt. the coarse outer
hair i entirely removed. and the I'M
DERIVING fur : dyed shiny. lnstrous
black. and sheared down very evenly.
For some mysterious reason. we, the
people OF Yankee ingenuity" are
Rctually unable 10 dye seal fur success
fully. and this work i from sheer neces-
sity sent 10 England. When it comes
back, there i u high rate of duty 10
pay, which in addition 10 the original
royalty Of sl0.22 paid 10 the govern
meut bv the North American [ ommer-
cial Co for every skin taken. the
very long bil! % trausportatiuS charges.
IL Dor. and profits all along the line,
from the back Of the seal 10 that Of the
fortunate wearer. accounts FOR the
price Of from $3.50 10 500 on sealskin
cloak
In its abits the fur seal is remark
sble creature With S.ceo miles 81
,oast 10 land upon II IL chose. this
strange and perver~e animal now re