ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 91 



entire field again. The two plats then, laid side by side, substantially 

 agreed, and I now present the great rookery to the public. It is in 

 itself, as the others are, endowed with its own particular physiog- 

 nomy, having an extensive sweep, everywhere surrounded by the sea, 

 except at that intersection of the narrow neck of sand which joins it 

 to the main island. Hutchinson Hill is the foundation of the point — 

 a solid basaltic floor, upon whicli a mass of breccia has been ijoured at 

 its northwest corner, which is so rough, and yet polished so highly by 

 the constantly pattering flippers of its visitors, as to leave it entirely 

 bare and bald of every spear of grass or trace of cryj)togamic life. 

 The hill is about 120 feet high; it has a rounded summit, flecked 

 entirely over by the "holluschickie," while the great belt of breed- 

 ing rookery sweeps high up on its flanks and around right and left 

 for nearly 3^ miles unbroken — an amazing sight in its aggregate, and 

 infinite in its detail. 



The picturesque feature, also, of the rookery here is the appear- 

 ance of the tawny, yellowish bodies of several thousand sea lions, 

 which lay in and among the fur seals at the several points designated 

 on the sketch-map, though never far from the water. Sea Lion Neck, 

 a little tongue of low basaltic jutting, is the principal corner where 

 the natives take these animals from when they capture them in the 

 fall for their hides and sinews. ^ 



Cross, or St. Johns, Hill, which rises near the lake to- a height of 

 60 or 70 feet, and is quite a landmark itself, is a perfect cone of sand 

 entirely covered with a luxuriant growth of elymus ; it is growing 

 constantly higher by the fresh deposit brought by wind, and its reten- 

 tion by the annuallj^ rising grasses. 



At this point, it will be noticed, there is a salt house, and here is 

 the killing ground for Northeast Point, where 19,000 or 20,000 "hollus- 

 chickie " are disposed of for their skins every season ; their carcasses 

 being spread out on the sand dunes between the foot of Cross Hill 

 and Webster's house; a squad of sealers live there during the three 

 or four weeks that they are engaged in the work. The "hollus- 

 chickie " are driven from the large hauling grounds on the sand flats 

 immediately adjacent to the killing grounds, being obtained without 

 the slighest difficulty. 



Here also was the site of a village, once the largest one on this 

 island ere its transfer to the sole control and charge of the old Russian- 

 American Company, ten years after its discovery in 1787. The 

 ancient cemetery and the turf lines of the decayed barraboras are 

 still plainly visible. 



The companj-'s steamer runs up here, watching her opportunity, and 

 droj)s her anchor, as indicated on the general chart, right south of the 

 salt house, in about 4 fathoms of water; and the skins are invariably 

 hustled aboard, no time being lost, because it is an exceedingly uncer- 

 tain place to safely load the vessel. 



There is no impreasion in my mind really more vivid than is the one 

 which was planted there during the afternoon of that July day, when 

 I first made my survey of this ground; indeed, whenever I pause to 

 think of the subject, the great rookerj- of Novastoshnah rises promptly 



' The sea lions breed on no one of the other rookeries at this island, the insignifi- 

 cant number that I noticed on Seevitchie Kammin excepted. At Southwest Point, 

 however, I found a small sea-lion rookery, l3ut there are no breeding fur seals 

 there. A handful of Eumetopias used to breed on Otter Island, but do not now, 

 since it has been necessary to station Government agents there, for the apprehen- 

 sion of fur-seal pirates, during the sealing season. 



