hunters creep into the rookeries and kill the mother seals, leaving the
poor little pups to die by thousands for want of their mothers' care.

Because of this wholesale killing of the seals, there are few young seals
left to grow up in the place of those that have been taken away, and so
after a time there will be no more flocks at all.

The sealskin which we use is made out of the under fur of the animal. The
seals which are caught for fur have a very thick, velvet-like undercoat,
covered with a quantity of long hair, which has to be removed from the
skins before they can be used for market.

The roots of these long hairs grow much deeper into the skin than those of
the short, thick fur, and so the pelts can be laid face downward, and
pared away very carefully at the back until the roots of the long hairs
are cut through. The long hairs are then pulled out of the skin, and the
beautiful soft fur is left.

It is to be hoped that, in the discussion of this matter between England
and the United States, the proper rules for killing the seals may be very
strictly laid down, that they may be enforced. It will be too bad if this
splendid fur is lost through ignorance and carelessness.

* * * * *

Another of the old questions that have vexed our Government is being
brought to the front again. This one is the annexation of the Hawaiian
Islands.

The reason why this subject has come up again is that the Japanese have