72 ALASKA. 



tiou of their kiutl would not follow. There arc, however, ten 

 or twelve species of grasses growing in every variety, irom 

 close, curly, compact tufts on the seal-grounds, to tall stalks, 

 standing in favorable seasons waist-high ; the "wheat" of the 

 north, [Elymiis,) together with over a huudr, d varieties of an- 

 nuals, perennials, sphagnum, cryptogamic plants, &c., all flour- 

 ishing in their respective positions, and covering nearly every 

 Ijoint upon which plants can grow with a living coat of the 

 greenest of all greens, as there is not sunlight enough to ripen 

 any deep tinge of yellow into it — so green that it gives a deep- 

 blue tint to gray noonday shadows, contrasting pleasantly with 

 the varied russets, reds, yellows, and grays of the lichen-cov- 

 ered rocks and the bronzed purple of the wild wheat on the 

 sand-dune tracts in autumn, and the innumerable blue, yellow, 

 pink, and white blossoms everywhere interspersed. Occasion- 

 ally by looking closely into the thickest masses of verdure our 

 common wild violet will be found. The floral display predomi- 

 nates greatly on Saint Paul, owing to the absence of the same 

 extent of warm sand dune country on the other islands. 



By the end of August and first week in September of normal 

 seasons, the small edible berries [Empetrum nigrum and liuhus 

 chamccmonis) are ripe, which are found in considerable quanti- 

 ties, the former being small, watery, and black, about the size 

 of an English or black currant, and the other resembling an 

 unrii:»e and partly-decayed raspberry. They are the only fruit 

 aflorded by the islands, and are of course keenly relished by 

 the natives. 



There are very few insects on the Seal Islands. A large 

 flesh-fly appears during the summer in a striking manner, and 

 settles upon the long grass-blades which flourish on the killing- 

 grounds especially, settling by tens of millions, causing the 

 vegetation over the whole slaughtering-field and vicinity to 

 fairly droop to the earth as though beaten down by a tornado 

 of wind and rain. Our common house-fly is not present, and 

 those just mentioned never come into the dwellings unless by 

 accident. It docs not annoy man or beast. There are no mos- 

 quitoes. A small gnat flits about, inofleuibive, taking shelter in 

 the grass. 



Aside from the seal-life on the Prybilov Islands, there are no 

 indigenous mammalia with the exception of blue and white 

 ■foxes, and the lemming, {Myodes ohensis,) which latter is re- 

 stricted, singularly enough, to the island of Saint George,wher6 



