NORTH ROOKERY IN 1895. 137 



smell whicli used to form the first impression of the visitor arriving at the village. 

 E^owadays every carcass is utilized. The choice parts of the meat are salted down 

 in the many boxes and barrels dotting the ground in the rear of the killing grounds, 

 while the rest, including the entrails, are put in holes in the ground for winter food 

 for the sledge dogs. 



On the rookery itself the first change which struck me was the fact that the 

 entire beach between Babin and Kishotchnaya was depleted of seals — not a single 

 breedin g seal between Babin and the creek, nor a bachelor — all the way to Kishotchnaya. 

 Later on I found that the hauling grounds south of the latter place were also deserted. 

 Instead of the imposing series of breeding and hauling grounds from Sivutohi Kamen 

 to Tizikof, I found only two patches of breeding grounds, now forming almost two 

 distinct rookeries — the Eeef and Kishotchnaya. 



I was prepared for a diminution of the seals, and it caused me, consequently, no 

 surprise. On the other hand, I was considerably surprised at finding (July 8-10 and 

 July 16-20) the breeding grounds of the Eeef outlined very much as I had seen them 

 in 1883.' The bulk of the harems were located on the western side of the Eeef, 

 rounding the point of the "sands" and extending in a long, narrow horn south along 

 the eastern edge of the latter. A narrow band obliquely across the "sands" formed 

 a connection and separated off an oval bald spot of the white ground toward the 

 northern extremity of the " sands." It is a noteworthy fact that this " bald spot" was 

 an equally characteristic feature of the rookery in 1883 as in 1895. But what I did 

 miss was another connecting band, viz, between the southeastern extremity of the 

 breeding seals toward the one alluded to above. While thus the distribution on 

 the whole was the same as formerly, there was a ijerceptible shrinkage in the width 

 of the areas covered by the seals, and it seems to me also in the density of the seals, 

 though of this I can not be so sure. The rookery is so much looked at from the side 

 that it is very difficult to judge correctly of the space between the seals. 



To showtlie changes from 1882 to 1895, 1 submit some illustrations and two maps, 

 which need some words of explanation.^ 



The drawing submitted (pi. 20) is taken from a photograph of a pencil sketch made 

 by me July 30, 1882. Mr. Grebnitski, in going to St. Petersburg in the autumn of 1882, 

 was anxious to have it accompany his report, and upon his arrival at San Francisco 

 had a photographic copy made, which he sent me, and which is here reproduced. Like 

 most drawings, the vertical dimensions are exaggerated, but on the whole it gives a 

 fairly accurate representation of the rookery. The inner edges of the breeding-grounds 

 are obscured by an immense number of bachelors on the "parade" or "sands," but 

 the sketch shows pretty conclusively that the salient features are yet maintained. 



1 When I first saw the rookery on July 4 it had not quite filled out yet, and I thought the depletion 

 very great indeed; there was then no sign of the oblique helt across the sanda, and the seals at the 

 southeast corner formed a small, isolated herd. 



' Dr. Slunin in his recent report (Promy si. Bog. Kam. Sakh. Komand. Ostr. ) has been singularly 

 unfortunate in misunderstanding an old map by Mr. Grebnitski with regard to the extent of the 

 rookeries on Bering Island. In the legend on plate 7 the dotted areas are represented as being the 

 "rookeries according to Grebnitski." I have the original map, the so-called "Sandman-Grebnitski" 

 map before me, and can assert positively that Grebnitski never meant to represent the rookeries by 

 the dotted areas, which are nothing else but the reef surrounding the island. Of course Grebnitski 

 did not intend-to convey the idea that more than 60 miles, or half the entire coast line of Bering Island 

 were occupied by the rookeries. 



