64 'Transactions. 1897-8. 



The Pribylov Islands are not so barren and bleak as 

 they are generally supposed to be. Except where the rocks 

 have not yet been covered with soil the ground is everywhere 

 hidden by a luxuriant growth of grass interspersed with beauti- 

 ful flowers. Though the hours of sunshine are few in summer 

 this does not affect the coloring of the blossoms, for I have 

 nowhere seen deeper, richer colors than are exhibited by the 

 flowers growing on the Pribylov Islands. Blues and yellows 

 of every imaginable shade predominate, the light yellow of 

 the Poppy contrasting with the orange rays of the Arnica and 

 the Dandelion, and the pale blue of the Polemonium with the 

 very dark blossoms of the Monkshood. 



The number of species is not great, only about 150, and 

 of these only some 50 species are at all conspicuous, but these 

 make up in individual numbers for the paucity of species. 

 They are so mixed together, however, that without studying 

 them attentively one is apt to imagine the number of species 

 to be much greater than is really the case. 



Pribylov, in the name of the Russian government, took 

 possession of the islands he had discovered, and from 1786 until 

 1867 they were owned by Russia. With the cession of Alaska 

 they passed into the possession of the United States. Re- 

 liable statistics are not available for the earlier years of the 

 Russian control of the islands, but it is known that at least 

 1,000,000 skins were taken from them between 1798 and 1821, 

 and about the same number was marketed between 1821 and 

 1867. The method of killing, and curing the skins will be 

 dealt with in another section of this paper. 



The islands being uninhabited, the Russians when they 

 began to kill the seals transported several hundred natives 

 from the Aleutian Islands to the Pribylov Islands. Here 

 these people built for themselves sod huts or barabaras such 

 as they had always lived in. There was no improvement in 

 this respect until the U.S. control, when comfortable modern 

 houses were built for all the natives. In many other respects, 

 too, their condition has been improved, they have been 

 taught habits of cleanliness and economy, aud nearly all of 

 them read and speak English though they still retain the 

 Russian religion. One of the stipulations made by Russia 

 when the islands were sold to the United States was that no 

 other church should be established there. During the sealing 

 season from June i8th to August ist, these people work very 

 hard, but throughout the rest of the 3^ear they live in absolute 



