A Seal Rookery.

Manawatu Herald, 28 January 1897, Page 3

A Seal Rookery.

The seals, of course, are the aim and object of everyone's existence on the 6ehring3 Island, and from June to September are the months that they honour it with their presence. The funny thing is that it is on the two rookeries alone, and nowhere else, that the seals are seen.

The big rookery is about fourteen miles from the village on the opposite side of the island, and is a shady spit about 70 yards wide, running out less than a quarter of a mile, and ending in rocks, some of them pretty high. This space was just one mass of fur seals. To look at it one would have said it was impossible to stow another one on it, while for a couple of hundred yards around there were numbers of seals playing in the water. The noise wag perfectly deafening. It is usually called a bark, but although the old bulls had a hoarser note, the females bleat very like a sheep. There was apparently a hard and fast lino between each family, and at intervals of half a dozen yards, or, in fact, whereever there was a boulder for him to get on, an old bull was roaring away, and keeping a watchful eye on his numerous wives to see that they did'nt stray into the other Johnnies establishment, which must bo a difficult job to prevent, as there is no room for space between the various families.

The seals are of all colours, ranging from a sort of dirty yellow to jet black, most of the cubs being black, and several of the old bulls having a sort of yellow mane. These seals come up every year, the bulls arriving first in June, and having tremendous battles for their various " pitches " with the other males, the beaten ones never being allowed near the others, but on * coming ashore draw up by themselves. The females arrive in July, and all hand 3 leave when the young ones are Strong enough to travel, about September. The hunters have built small mud huts close to the rookeries, and the day that we were there had had a small " kill " of §00 seals, the seals killed always being the beaten males, or " Holluschuckie." A misty and damp morning is chosen, as the seal does not get so hot, and is better able to travel. The hunters get between the seals and the sea, and drive them inland with sticks, just like so many mobs of sheep, each man taking perhaps fifty or a hundred, and marching close behind the man ahead of him. The hats are built on top of a small hill rising up from the sea coast ft bout 600 yards from the rookery, and the grass and bushes have been cleared away to make a broad track up to the square cleared in front of the huts, a spot fatal to many thnu* Sands of seals. The seals are marched up this track, the leading company being halted on the killingground, and the remaining companies close up in " quarter column." Although a seal can travel pretty fast for a few yards overland, it is hard and hot work for him, so after a mardfc of this distance they stand the companies at ease for a bit, to allow the seals time to cool, as the skins are not improved by the animal being hot when killed. They are easily killed with clubs, and as each company marche3 up they are attended to by a party of Aleuts after they have had their rest.

These fur seals are fast disappearing, the kill so far -two- thirds through the season — being only 1,800. Last year 8,000 were killed, and some years ago a3 many as 80,000 were killed in one season.