At this season the seals frequently
are seen sunning themselves on the shore rocks, and the hunters stalk
and shoot them.
Newfoundlanders carry on their sealing in steamers built for the
purpose. They go out to the great ice floe, far out to sea and quite
too far for the liveyeres to reach in small craft. Here the seals are
found in thousands. These vessels, depending upon the size, bring home
a cargo sometimes numbering as many as 20,000 to 30,000 seals in a
single ship, and there are about twenty-five ships in the fleet.
This terrible slaughter has seriously decreased the numbers. The
Labrador Eskimos used to depend upon them largely for their living.
They can do this no longer, for not every season, as formerly, are
there enough seals to supply needs. All of the five varieties of North
Atlantic seals are caught on the coast--harbor, jar, harp, hooded and
square flipper. The last named is also called the great bearded seal
and sometimes the sealion. The first named is the smallest of all.
Scarce a year passes that we do not hear of a serious disaster in the
Newfoundland sealing fleet.
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