170 ALASKA. 



species, [Strejisilas mterpres,) however, comes bere every sum- 

 mer, for three or four weeks' stay, in great number, and gets 

 so fat in feeding upon the larvse found on the killing-grounds 

 that it often bursts open when it falls, after being shot on the 

 wing. Our robin (T. migratorixis) was seen by myself, near 

 Saint Paul's Village, one cool morning in October, (the 15th,) 

 and the natives told me that it had been noticed before in this 

 way, never staying more than a few days or a week, and being 

 brought there, undoubtedly, by some storm or gale of wind 

 taking it up and off fropi its path over the mainland. In the 

 same manner hawks, owls, and numerous strange water-fowl 

 visit the islands, but never remain there long. 



"The Eussians tried the experiment of bringing up from Sitka 

 and Ounalashka a number of ravens, with the view of stimu- 

 lating them to live and breed upon these islands, where they 

 would be almost invaluable as scavengers ; but the birds inva- 

 riably, sooner or later, and within a short time, took flight for 

 the mainland or the Aleutian Islands. At the time of present 

 writing the Alaska Commercial Company have sent up to the 

 village of Saint Paul's a number of domestic pigeons, and the 

 experiment will be tried with them. 



" The natives have always, and still do, keep a small number 

 of chickens ; and, where poultry is taken into the winter living- 

 rooms of these people, they get return in eggs. But the main- 

 tenance of a hennery, owing to the long season of cold, stormy 

 weather, compelling the chickens to hunt shelter for weeks at 

 a time, is impracticable, regarded with a view of profitable 

 recompense for time and care. 



"Walrus Island is the most favorable spot, in this whole 

 Alaskan country, to observe the nesting and breeding birds of 

 Bering Sea. It is a low, lava rock, seven miles to the east- 

 ward of Northeast Point, with an area of less than five acres, 

 rugged and bare of all vegetation, save a species of close-grow- 

 ing curly grass. Here the Lomvia arra and many gulls, cor- 

 morants, sea-parrots, and auks come to lay their eggs in count- 

 less numbers. The face and brow of the low, cliff-like sea-front 

 are occupied almost exclusively by the ' arries,' {Lomvia arra,) 

 which lay a single egg each, on the surface of the bare rock, 

 and stand straddling over it while hatching, only leaving at 

 irregular and short intervals to feed. Hundreds of thousands 

 of these birds alone are thus engaged about the 29th of June 



