valleys, through which run rapid streams occasionally in 

 cascades, falling into the sea. All the summits, owing to 

 atmospheric influence, which rapidly destroys the schistic 

 rocks, take the shape of cones. The schistic rock on Beh- 

 ring Island broadens in the direction from South-East to 

 Nord-West, changing in the northern part into a plateau, 

 which extends from East to West and is intercepted by deep 

 valleys, in which the largest lake of the Islands-Sarannoye 

 is situated. Near it, standing separately, are the Table- 

 (Stolovoi) hills, enclosing the swamp below to its present 

 state. The plateau is divided into three terraces, sloping 

 towards the sea except in the N. Eastern part, where it 

 breaks off steep into the sea, forming a long submerged 

 reef. The eastern part of the mountain chain has a broad 

 sea-shore; steep descents, except the extreme southern 

 part. The shore is shoaly with reefs, extending far out 

 into the sea. There are proofs existing, that the beach 

 was higher, as molluscs Pholas were found there; one 

 may state, that also at present the shore rises as the part 

 on which Behring's vessel was stranded, lies on a entirely 

 dry place far off from the boundaries of the strait and 

 those reefs, over which the vessel lurched, are connected 

 with the shore. A steep shore, which has a precipitous in- 

 cline under the water exists on the S. Eastern part of 

 Behring Island, but the principal parts of the steep rocky 

 shores have an increase by alluvium — which is formed 

 by the waves depositing refuse of rocks and sand. This 

 alluvial reef and the shores, which recede into the land 

 are the means of lowering the sea level. A similar shore 

 is often bounded on one side b}^ a flat beach with shal- 

 low water. The shore, for instance which is the principal 

 settlement on the Behring Island, is of this character and 

 the same kind of shore is again found on the eastern 

 part of this Island. On the Eastern boundary of Copper 

 Island, steep alluvial shores predominate. The type of 

 this beach must be placed with the type of longitudinal 

 shore (Richthoffen's Classification), characterised by their 



