Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1912-05-02

! OF mighty and indiScriminate slaugh-
ter. Today this wanton killing has
been stopped, and the United States
government is in entire control of the
industry of these islands, where be-
fore it received royalties from a pri-
4 vate source.
The Pribilof group consists of two
volcanic rocks about thirty miles apart,
situated in the heart of the Boring
sea. ST. Paul, the larger. is no more
than thirty-two square miles in extent.
During the breeding season the sun sell
| dom penetrates the dense mists that
enshroud the islets. At the time they
We're discovered, in 1856, they We're I'M
| inhabitated. Today there is u popu-
| lation of about five or six hundred,
| mostly Of Russian ancestry, who sub
sist mainly OH the returns incident to
the sealing industry. When the United
States acquired Alaska from Russia
| there We're 100000 pinnipeds OH the
Pribilof group. There was no APP
preclable diminution in their number
until 1856. when pelagic scaling began
to be extensively practiced. In 1891
they had decreased to 100000. Aft
| er that the decrease became so mark
ed that last year the United States gov
eminent, Russia. Japan and Great
Britain entered into an agreement pro-
viding that pelagic sealing (the kill
ing o1 female Seals) on the Priblof is
lands should be abolished. There We're
less than 200 GOO seals recorded in the
last official report of the islands.
SEALS FIERCE FIGHTERS
During the early days of May the
mature seals begin to arrive on the
islands, and for several weeks the
males Of the species engage in fierce
battles for position upon the rookery.
proximity to the water determining de-
STABILITY. In these combats many
seals are killed or MANNED SO that they
die. The females arrive about month
later. The bull doesn'ts1eave his sta
ton an hour during the entire season,
but remains for three months, neither
eating nor drinking, but subsisting
solely upon superfluous fat. with which
he is provided OH his arrival.
The most important element in seal
life on the rookeries consists of the
minated specimens, for it is from their
ranks that the entire supply OF skins
Is secured. The fur Of the bull after
the sixth year is Of no commercial
value.
The bachelor seals, as they are call
ed, do not attain the development nee
essary to admit Of their forcing aud
maintaining places for themselves in
the rookeries until they are over six
years old. To enter the area pre-
empted by the breeding seals is GER
tain death to the bachelor seals.
The movements of seals in water are
very rapid and graceful On land they
are very different. The body is con-
tracted by an upward bending Of the
spine and so thrown forward by a.
series Of jerks, and they manage to
cover the ground far from slowly In
this way. One Of the chief peculiari-
ties Of the seal Is the fexibility Of the
spine. A strange habit when Wild is
the swallowing Of large stones without
amy apparent reason for so doing.
d Under the terms Of treaty signed
{ BIZ the United States. Great Britain.
Japan and Russia, which Is now ia ef-
fect. the future Of the seal Industry IL .
assured. The life Of the treaty Il fif-s
steen years, and the nations concerned
believe II WIN operate to enlarge the
lseal herds