ALASKAN SEAL

On the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea, in June or July, a strange sight greets the eye­-- the Alaskan seals at courting time. Far from being a tranquil scene, it is warfare in which thousands of mothers and pups have been injured; for the old bulls weighing about five hundred pounds, fight with unparalleled jealously to gain a harem of from ten to a hundred wives each. Their im­mediate aim is to segregate the bachelors, or pups of around three years of age. This accomplished, they are free to fight among themselves for the possession of the ladies who weigh only about eighty pounds. Here the U. S. government agents perform a merciful task. By aiding the old bulls in segregating the young ones, thousands of female and pup lives are saved, and it is easy for the agents to select fine specimens of young seals, which otherwise would be destroyed.

Alaska Seal has been a Fur classic since the time of Catherine the Great, of Russia. It was during her reign that the Russian navigator Pribilof (after whom the Pribilof Islands are named) set out to investigate stories of strange water animals that inhabited the Bering Sea. He found mil­lions of them and claimed them as Russian prop­erty. Since the Pribilof Islands were included in the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867, the Alaska Seals came under the control of the United States. Since then the revenue from Seal­skin has paid for the Islands many times over.

In 1911, the Alaska Seal faced extinction due to ruthless slaughter. As a protective measure a pact was formed with England, Japan and Russia to place the conservation of seals in the hands of the United States government. The proceeds from the sale of pelts are divided among the nations con­cerned. All genuine Alaska Seals carry the stamp -"U.S. Government Alaska Sealskin" for your protection.

Today the United States excels in the art of finishing seal skins, a process that involves 125 operations and requires three months to complete. The romantic life of the seal is one of greatest interest and mystery. The flock arrives on the Pribilof Islands each year to bear their young,­ the time of arrival differing but a few days, year after year. At the close of the breeding season they depart for warmer waters, and are not seen on land or sea until months later, when they gather off the southern California coast in prepa­ration for another trip north. Despite his clumsy, awkward figure, the Fur bearing seal is a fine swimmer and has been known to travel sixty miles in an hour, for a sustained period.

While stopping off on the fog-covered Pribilof Islands, they lose hundreds of pounds in weight. All baby seals show an aversion to water and must be "spanked" before they try to swim. These pups do not return to the Island of their birth until they are two years old, after which they visit the Islands each year.

Seal is the warmest of Furs and will retain its beauty for a very long time. Alaska Sealskin today is much different from the Alaska Seal of our grandmother's day. The pelt is lighter, softer, more pliable, but just as durable as of old. The two Alaska Seal colors-lustrous, deep black or rich Safari Brown-are guaranteed absolutely fast.