12 THE FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



upon, with a living coat of tlie greenest of all greens — for there is not sunlight enough there to ripen any 

 ])erceptible tinge of ocher-yellow into il — so green that it gives a deep blue tint to gray noonday shadows, 

 ooutrasting pleasantly with the varying russets, reds, lemon-yellows, and grays of the lichen-covered rocks, and 

 the brownish purple of the wild wheat on the sand-dune tracts in autuam, together, also, with innumerable blue, 

 yellow, pink, aud white phteuogamous blossoms, everywhere interspersed over the grassy uplands and sandy flats. 

 Occasionally, on looking into the thickest masses of verdure, our common wild violet will be foimd, while the 

 phloxes are especially bright and brilliant here. The flowers of one species of gentian, Gentiana verna, are very- 

 marked in their beauty; also those of a nasturtium, and a creeping pea- vine on the sand-dunes. The blossom of 

 one species of the pulse family is the only one here that emits a positive, rich perfume; all the others are more 

 suggestive of that quality than expressive. The most striking plant in all the long list is the Archangelica 

 (fficlnalis, with its tall seed-stalks aud broad leaves, which grows first in spring and keeps green latest in the fall. 

 The luxuriant rhubarb-like stems of this umbellifer, after they have made their rapid growth in June, are eagerly 

 sought for by the natives, who ])ull them and crunch them between their teeth with all the relish that we experience 

 in eating celei-y. The exhibition of ferns at Kamminista, St. Paul, during the summer of 1872, surpassed anything 

 that I ever saw : I recall with vivid detail the exceedingly fine display made by these creuulated and waving fronds, 

 as they reared themselves above the rough interstices of the rocky ridges. From the fern roots, aud those of the 

 geotiau, the natives here draw their entire stock of vegetable medicines. This floral display on St. Paul is very 

 much more extensive and conspicuous than that on St. George, owing to the absence of any noteworthy extent of 

 warm sand-dune country on the latter island. 



When an unusually warm summer passes over the Pribylov group, followed by an open fall and a mild winter, 

 the Elymus ripens its seed, and stands like fields of uncut grain, in many places along the north shore of St. Paul 

 and around the village, the soow not falling enough to entirely obliterate it; but it is seldom allowed to flourish to 

 that extent. By the end of August and the first week of September of normal seasons, the small edible berries 

 of Empetrum nigrum aud Rubus chamwmoriis are ripe. They are found in considerable quantities, especially at 

 "Zapaduie", on both islands, and, as everywhere else throughout the circumpolar latitudes, the former is small, 

 Avatery, and dark, about the size of the English or black currant; the other resembles an unripe and partially 

 decayed raspberry. They are, however, keenly relished by the natives, and even by the American residents, being 

 the only fruit growing vipou the islands. 



Agriculture and its possibilities.— A great many attempts have been made, both here and at St. 

 George, to raise a few of the hardy vegetables. With the exception of growing lettuce, turnips, aud radishes on 

 the islaiul of St. Paul, nothing has been or can be done. On St. George, on the south shore, aud at the foot of a 

 mural blufi", is a little patch of ground of less than one-sixteenth of an acre, that appears to be so drained and so 

 warmed by the rarely-reflected sunlight from this clifi', every ray of which seems to be gathered and radiated from 

 the rocks, as to allow the production of fair turuips; and at one season there were actually raised potatoes as large 

 as waluuts. Gardening, however, on either island involves so much labor and so much care, with so poor a return, 

 that it has been discontinued. It is a great deal better, and a great deal easier, to have the "truck" come up once 

 a year from San Francisco on the steamer. 



Insects. — There is one comfort which nature has vouchsafed to civilized man on these islands. There are very 

 few indigenous insects. A large flesh-fly, Bomhylius major, appears during the summer and settles in a striking 

 manner upon the backs of the loafing natives, or strings itself in rows of millions upon the long grass-blades which 

 nourish over the killiug groiujds, esjiecially on the leaf-stalks of the Elymus, causing this vegetation, on the whole 

 slaughtering-field and vicinity, to fairly droop to earth as if beaten down by a tornado of wind aud rain. It makes 

 tiie landscape look as though it had molded in the night, and the fungoid spores were blue and gray. Our common 

 house-fly is not present; I never saw one while I was up there. The flesh-flies which I have just mentioned never 

 came into the dwellings unless by accident: the natives say they do not annoy them, audi did not notice any 

 disturbance among the few animals which the resident company had imported for beef and for service. 



Th( n, again, this is perhaps the only place in all Alaska where man, primitive aud civilized, is not cursed by 

 mosquitoes. There are uoue here. A gnat, that is disagreeably suggestive of the real euemy just referred to, flits 

 about in large swarms, but it is inoffensive, and seeks shelter in the grass. Several species of beetles are also 

 iMuuerous here. One of them,, the famous green and gold "carabus", is exceedingly common, crawling everywhei'e, 

 and is just as bright in the rich bronzing of its wing-shields as are its famous i)rototypes of Brazil. One or two 

 species of Ichneumon, a Cymindis, several representatives of the ApMMphaga, one or two of Byfiscidw, three or 

 four Cicindelida' — these are nearly all that I found. A single dragon-fly, Perla bicaudata, flitted over the lakes and 

 ])onds of St. Paul. The, to our eyes, familiar form of the^ bumble-bee, Bombus borealis, passing from flower to 

 flower, was rarely seen; but a few are here resident. The Hydrocorkw occur in great abundance, skipping over the 

 water in the lakes and i^ools everywhere, and a very few species of butterflies, principally the yellow Nympltalidw, 

 are represented by numerous individuals. 



Land mammals. — Aside from the seal-life on the Pribylov islands, there is no indigenous mammalian creature, 

 with the exception of the blue and white foxes, Vulpes lagopus, and the leuuning, Myodes obcnsis. The latter is 



