SEALS AND SEAL ROOKERIES

Auckland Star, Volume XXV, Issue 252, 22 October 1894, Page 3

SEALS AND SEAL ROOKERIES

THE AUCKLAND, CAMPBELL AND

OTHER ISLANDS,

(by telegraph.—parliamentary re-

I'ORTER.)

a Wellington, thia day. | The report of Mr James P. Joyce on the Auckland, Campbell, and other islands and bheir seals and seal rookeries, waa laid on the table of the House on -Saturday. In describing tho ialanda, Mr Joyce says : Although inmostplaces a conßiderable depth of peabty Boil has been formed by disintegration of rock and decay of vegetation, native trees and shrubs are nowhere of an age beyond a few hundred yeara. Thero aro no braces of paat forests. The trees (chiefly iron-wood) bhat fringes much of the eastern coasb line are of small dimensions, in few instances exceeding lfc in diameter. Above this belt of trees and shrubbery, ab an average height of say 250 yds, the country is op6u and for the mo3b parb well clubbed wibh grasses peculiar bo bhe islands, of a about and succulent nature, together with New Zealand tuasock and herbage of various kinds. The whole of the country, contrary to the opinion expreased by former viatora, i 8 adapted for pastoral pursuits although undoubtedly web and spongy, over its general surface, bub this drawback would soon be diminished were the ground grazed over by sheep and cattle, whose tracks would at once consolidate the surface and form lines of drainage. At presenb, sea lions, which frequenb bhe coasb line and go a long distance inland, tend to keep the surface in a condition the reverse of favourable to rapid evaporation of the rainfall. The condition of sheep which have been landed ab several places and ab various timea by Capbain Fairchild ia such aa to warrant the statement thab for pastoral purposes the Aucklands rank high. Even if their area is nob so large as hitherto estimated (114,000 acres), there would still be sufficienb country bo depasture ab once from 20,000 bo 30,000 sheep, and a fair proportion of cabbie. Two sheep of bhe Lincoln typos taken oil' Rose Island and brought up by tho Hinemoa, are proof of bhe foregoing estimate. Their fl.eces are of four or live years' growth, some of the locks reaching a lengbh of 23£ inches, while the condition of tho animals themselves waa perfect. The goats placed on different parba of the island have thriven and increased in number, while pigs, although nob many were seen, must bo in considerable force, as bheir rootings were in plaeeß extenaive. Referring bo seals and sealing, Mr Joyce says that there has been poaching ia well known, and bhere is but too much reason to fear that bhe number of fur seals is likely to be a continuously diminishing quantity. That thoy wiil ever be completely exterminated is not probable, some of the rookeries being exceedingly difficult of acceas, either from landward by means of ropes, or from seaward by boat. At ono place (Rose Island) ninety wore counted on the beach and among the scrub and tussock aomo hundreds were seen.- At other places, where a landing was only effected for bhe purpose of setting up guide posts, from ten to thirty were often seen on the beaches. They are, in short, fairly numerous along the extenaive easbern coaatline from bhe north to the aoutb, and this aba season of the year when their numbers are already reduced by the annual migration. In tbe absence of data as to commercial value of the animals, bhe results of conservation cannot be even approximately appraised ; £2 per head would be a low eatimate. Mr Muagrave speaka ofhaving tried out as much as 35 gallons of oil from a single seal. The temptation to poaching becomeß evident. Formerly only the blubber of the sea lion was deemed of value, bub there' ia reason to believe that ekins could be turned to account. To act the question at reßb ib would be only necessary for the Governmenb to authorise Capbain Fairchild to kill and bring over bo the mainland half a-dozen sea-lion skins, which could be banned, and the. carcases breated to the besb advantage. There is certainly no sufficient reason to continuously protect sea-lions. They simply occupy and defile considerable areas on tho coast thab could be utilised for pastoral purposes. There is practically no danger of there complete exterminabion, for, as has been said, they are migratory, and a periodical slaughter could be conducted as at the Alaskan sealeries, under proper supervision. Although the sea lions might be driven from parts of the coasb suitable for sheep or cattle, there would be still ample tpace for them on the numerous islets, and in the least accessible bays. Regarding the habits of the seala.it may i be aaid that their time is divided pretty equally between fishing in the sea and sleeping, or rather dozing, on bhe land. Ungainly and sluggish in bheir movemenba ashore, no aponer do they enter the water than their, whole atructure seems to undergo an entire change. Without apparent eflort, they dart and dive with such arrowy swiftness that one haa no difficulty in underatanding how they may get their living by fishing, buc their activity in this roc poet baa rendered the finny tribe scarce, and ib would go hard with them at times if ib wero nob for the teeming abundance of crabs of two kinds, one in shape resembling a gigantic spider and named accordingly, the other a counterpart of zhe larger kind common on the coasts of Greab Britain. Of these, the sea lion in a few dives of bhree or four minutes' duration, can obtain enough to occupy his digestive organs till the next day. It is more than suspected that he occasionally varies his diet by preying upon penguins and other sea birds and their eggs. Where be goes in tho winter months is thu3 far a mystery, bub that ib is to some islands or shoal waters in the further south there can be no question. Captain Fairchild considers ib auite feasible to follow tbe sea lions and penguins on their journey, the latter more especially going in immense flocks, and swimming at tbe rato of from 4 to 5 miles an hour, a pace that even during nighb would enable a steamer to keep within range of them.