THE FUR SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 339 



swelling hill at the foot of Lukannon Bay, which rises perhaps ICO or 170 feet from the sea, abruptly 

 at the point, but swelling out, gently up from the sand dunes in Lukannon Bay to its summit at 

 the northwest and south. The great rookery rests upon the northern slope. Here is a beautiful 

 adaptation of the finest drainage, with a profusion of those rocky nodules scattered everywhere 

 over it, upon which the female seals so delight in resting. 



Standing on the bald summit of Lukannon Hill, we turn to the south, and look over Kee- 

 tavie Point, where another large aggregate of breeding rookery rests under our eyes. The hill 

 falls away into a series of faintly terraced tables, which drop down to a flat that again abruptly 

 ck'.sceuds to the sea at Keetavie Point. Between us and tht^ Keetavie rookery is the parade ground 

 of Lukannon, a sight almost as grand as that on the reef which we have feebly attempted to 

 portray. The sand dunes to the west and to the north are covered with the most luxuriant grass, 

 abruptly emarginated by the sharp abrasion, of the hauling seals ; this is shown very clearly on 

 the general map. Keetavie Point is a solid basalt shelf. Lukauuon Hill, the summit of it, is 

 composed of volcanic tufa and cement, with irregular cubes and fragments of pure basalt scattered 

 all over its flipper-worn slopes. Lukannon proper has 2,270 feet of sea margin, with an average 

 depth of 150 feet, making ground for 170,000 breeding seals and their young. Keetavie rookery 

 has 2,200 feet of sea margin, with an average depth of 150 feet, making ground for 165,000 breed- 

 ing seals and their young, a whole aggregate of 335,000 breeding seals and their young. This is 

 the point down along the flat shoals of Lukannon Bay, where the sand dunes are most characteristic, 

 as they rise in their wiud- whirled forms just above the surf wash. This also is where the natives 

 come from the village during the early mornings of the season, for driving, to get any number of 

 " holluschickie" or " bachelor" seals. 



It is a beautiful sight, glancing from the summit of this great rookery hill, up to the north over 

 that low reach of coast to Tonkie Mees, where the waves seem to roll in with crests that rise in 

 unbroken ridges for a mile in length each, ere they break so grandly and uniformly.on the beach. 

 In these rollers the "holluschickie" are playing like sea birds, seeming to sport the most joyously 

 at the very moment when the heavy billow breaks and falls upon them. 



TOLSTOI KOOKEBY. Directly to the west from Lukannon, up along and around the head 

 of the lagoon, is the sealpath-road over which the natives bring the "holluschickie" from Tolstoi. 

 We follow this and take up our position on several lofty grass-grown dunes close to and overlook- 

 ing another rookery of large size ; this is Tolstoi. 



We have here the greatest hill slope of breeding seals on either island, peculiarly massed on 

 the abruptly sloping flanks of Tolstoi ridge, as it falls to the sands of English Bay, and ends sud- 

 denly in the precipitous termination of its own name, Tolstoi Point. Here the seals are in some 

 places crowded up to the enormous depth of 500 measured feet, from the sea margin of the rookery 

 to its outer boundary and limitation: and, when viewed as I viewed it in July, taking the angles 

 aud lines shown on the accompanying sketch-map, I considered it, with the bluffs terminating it 

 at the south, and its bold sweep, which ends on the sands of English Bay, to be the most pictur- 

 esque, though it is not the most impressive, rookery on the island, especially when that parade 

 ground, lying just back and over the point, and upon its table-rock surface, is reached by the climb- 

 ing seals. 



If the observer will glance at the map, he will see that the parade ground in question lies 

 directly over and about 150 feet above the breeding seals immediately under it. The sand-dune 

 tracts which border the great body of the rookery seem to check these holluschickie from hauling 

 to the rear, since sand drifts here, in this locality so high and exposed to the full force of winds, 

 with more rapidity, and consequently more disagreeable energy to the seal, than anywhere else on 

 the island. 



