THE NATURE OF SEYFERT 2 GALAXIES WITH OBSCURED BROAD-LINE REGIONS .1.OBSERVATIONS

We present high signal-to-noise ratio spectropolarimetric observations of 10 Seyfert 2 galaxies known to harbor obscured broad-line regions. Most of the data, covering the spectral range lambda lambda 3200-7400 at moderate resolution, were obtained with the Kast double spectrogra ph in combination with the CCD polarimeter on the Shane 3 m telescope at Lick Observatory. Optical polarimetric imaging was also obtained wi th the same telescope for one object (Mrk 463), and narrowband imaging observations were made for four galaxies using the Nickel 1 m telesco pe. We describe methods of data reduction and those used to correct th e polarimetry data for contamination from Galactic interstellar polari zation as well as dilution from unpolarized starlight in the Seyfert h ost galaxies. From a comparison of various spectral properties, we fou nd that the hidden Seyfert 1 galaxies do not appear to differ signific antly from the normal Seyfert 1 galaxies, although the apparent lack o f Fe II emission in the polarized flux spectra of most of them is intr iguing.