The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1912-05-04

Of mighty and indlscriminate slaugh-
ter. Today this wnnton 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 prl-
vate source.
The Prbllof 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 penetratcs the dense mlsts that
cnshroud the islets. At the time they
were discovered, in 1856. they were un-
inhabitated. Today there Is popu-
lation of about five or six hundred,
mostly OF Russian ancestry, who sub
sist mainly on the returns incident to
the sealing industry, When the United
States acquired Alaska from RUSSIA
there were 5000,CGO pinnipeds OH the
Pribilof group. There was no APP
preclable diminution in their number
until 1856. when pelagic sealing began
to be extensively prncticed. In 1891
! they had decreased to 1,OOO,G00. Aft
or that the decrease became 80 mark
| ed that last year the United States gov
| eminent. Russia. Japan and Great
Britain entered into an agreement pro-
| viding that pelagic sealing Che kill
| ing Of female SEALS OH the Pribilof is
| lands should be abolished. There We're
less than 200 600 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 oil 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't leave his sta
ton an hour during the entire season,
but remains for three months, neither
eating nor drinking, but subslsting
solely upon superfiuous 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 1t 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 and
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
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 fexibillty of the
spine. A strange habit when wild Is
the swallowing of large stones without
any apparent reason for so doing.
Under the terms Of treaty signed
by the United States, Great Britain.
japan and Russia, which IL now In ef-
feet, the future Of the seal industry is
assured. The life of the treaty is If
teen years, and the nations concerned
believe It will operate to enlarge the
seal herds,