Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1896 edition. Excerpt: ...at the end of the drive as at the beginning. The younger seals are quite active; they walk about unconcernedly, and stand well up 0n their legs, while the big ones commence to light each other immediately upon the halt being made. Only one single seal dropped voluntarily out of the line on the road, viz; i large and particularly fat half-bull that got tired very early. The killing gang arrived from the village in two boats a little after 7 a. in. Six men with nicely finished oaken clubs did the killing while the others were skinning. Mr. True and 1 took the tally of each of the first ten "pods" of seals as they were separated oil' from the big herd to be killed. These "pods" consisted of from 15 to 40 seals, averaging about 25. Of these the killing gang clubbed to death those which appeared to come within the required size; the others, being either too large or too small, were allowed to escape to the beach close by. About 50 per cent were thus turned away, about one-half consisting of too small seals, the other half of too large oues. The killing was over at 10.30 a. in.. about 500 skins having been secured. It is to be noted that no female was observed among the seals driven. On the whole the a ft air was conducted with' care, although a certain hurry in order to get through as soon as possible was quite manifest. This haste, probably due to a desire to be back in the distant village before dinner, was responsible for the less deliberate way in which the "pods" to be killed were cut out from the main herd. This resulted in great worry and consequent heating of the remaining seals, which made it necessary to drive them repeatedly into the ice-cold waters of an adjacent pond in order to cool them off. This...