INVESTIGATIONS OF THE ALHATROSS. 5 



The seal-killing over, we retained on l)onr<l and got under way imme- 

 diately for a dredging trip. Five hauls of the beam trawl were made 

 off the south and west sides of the island, in depths ranging from 20 to 

 51 fathoms, bottom of fine gray or black sand and shells; a few pebbles 

 were found at some stations, and a trace of black mud at others. 



The general character of lite was nuich the same iu all of the hauls, 

 and while but few individuals of each kind were taken, the variety of 

 species vras comparatively large. An exception should be made, how- 

 ever, in the case of starfishes and ophinrans, the former being quite 

 plentiful, and the latter coming up by the bushel iu most of the hauls. 



The catch for the day may be summarized as follows: Small pollock 

 (one specimen); young cod, tomcod, young sculpius, eels, Lycodes and 

 Agonicke (a few specimens each); flounders {Limanda aspera, few, and 

 Lepidopsetta hiJineafa, one) ; crabs, hermit crabs, shrimps, prawns, and 

 pycnogonids; annelids; mollusks of several species, including naked 

 moUusks and a \ar^Q Troplion; ascidians andbryozoans; holothuriaus, 

 sea-urchins, starfishes, and ophiurans; medusre, hydroids, and sponges. 



Nothing Avas taken with the hand lines, though they were tried at 

 several stations. The natives report that cod and halibut frequent the 

 waters about the island during the winter and early spring, but the 

 former become scarce soon after the seals arrive and only a few of the 

 latter remain during the summer. Neither of these species is ever 

 taken iu large numbers. It is a well-known fiict that feeding seals go 

 farther and farther from the islands in search of food as the season 

 advances, until in the latter part of July they reach the vicinity of the 

 100-fathom line south and west of the Pribilofs, from 50 to 100 miles 

 and more from their rookeries. 



After finishing the biological explorations for the day, several hydro- 

 graphic soundings were made off the western extremity of the island, 

 and an excellent ancliorage for the night was found in 8 fathoms to the 

 westward of Cross Hill, near Northeast Point. The revenue cutter 

 Hush passed the night there also, A number of sea-lion skins were 

 procured the next day for specimens, and in the afternoon we returned 

 to our former anchorage at Village Cove, 



On the morning of August 5 the U. S. commissioners, Prof. T. C. Men- 

 denhall and Dr. C. Hart Merriam, came onboard, accompanied by the 

 British commissioners. Sir George Baden-Powell and Dr. George M. 

 Dawson, with a stenographer and interpreter, to visit the Northeast 

 Point rookery. They were landed on the east side of the point near 

 Cross Hill, where they were joined by Mr. G. ]{. Tingle, general agent 

 for the North American Commercial Company, Mr. J. C. Kedpath, and 

 Mr. Fowler, employes of the company, who acted as guides. Mr, Fowler 

 was in charge of the rookery. 



This rookery is the largest in the world, and the view from the sum- 

 mit of Hutchinson's Hill is simply astounding. Yet the evidences of 

 diminution iu numbers are unmistakable. 



