THE SHIFTING SPITS 323 



of my first visit, in August, 1891, and is shown in my 

 photograph of the two islands at the beginning of this 

 article. The date of its downfall was probably 1888 or 

 1889. Hence its known history covers a period of 120 

 years. 



THE SHIFTING SPITS OR BARS. 



The East and Southeast Spits of Old Bogoslof. 



Projecting from the east side and southeast end of Old 

 Bogoslof is a long broad spit which toward the cliffs rises 

 in low terraces and is obviously of greater age than the 

 other spits about the islands. While it has undergone 

 various changes of form and extent, the character and 



O ' 



elevation of its base show that parts of it have been in 

 existence a number of years. The part at the southeast 

 end, in continuation of the axis of the island, was the first 

 to appear. It was observed by Tebenkof in 1806 and de- 

 scribed as cold and flat, while the body of the volcano 

 was still hot. In 1820 Doctor Stein mentioned seeing a 

 herd of sea-lions at the southeast end. In 1832 Tebenkof 

 described the south side as a steep wall from which pro- 

 truded a low tongue of land on which sea-lions hauled 

 out. 



In 1873 the spit was observed by Dall, and its length 

 was estimated as not exceeding one-third the length of 

 Bogoslof say 350 feet. 



In 1884 it had grown, according to Cantwell, to measure 

 1800 feet, and was still confined to the end of the island. 

 On Cantwell's chart (fig. 16) the axis of Old Bogoslof, 

 continued through the spit, is too nearly east and west, 

 while on Stoney's chart of the same date (fig. 19) it is 

 too nearly north and south, its true position being inter- 

 mediate between the two. Both Cantwell and Stony agree, 

 however, that in 1884 there was no spit on the broad east 

 (or northeast) side of the island. 



