THE KURIL ROOKERIES. 249 



en masse and piling up like water in a cataract. In the sea their behavior was quite 

 different from that of the fur seal, for the family kept together as they swam, the old 

 bull in the middle, very closely surrounded by his females and pups, with the pointed 

 snouts sticking out of the water quite close together. 



Water birds, especially fulmars (Fulmarus glupischa, the dark phase) were very 

 numerous, but I observed also about half a dozen ravens near the old rookery on the 

 west side. 



My stay at the island having offered no opportunity for an independent map of 

 the place, I have introduced a copy of Capt. H. J. Snow's sketch in the corner of the 

 general chart of the fur-seal islands of the Middle Kurils (pi. 105). 



SREDNOI ROCKS. (Plate 107. )_ 



The Srednoi Eocks, famous as the first place in which breeding fur seals were 

 discovered in the Kurils, are found 45 miles SSB. of Eaikoke, the larger islands Matua 

 and Rashua intervening. Situated scarcely 2 miles from the Ushishir Islands and 

 separated from them it is stated by only 11 fathoms of water, they are properly only 

 outlying detached rocks belonging to these islands, but as "seal islands" they 

 have a distinct individuality, since fur seals are not known to have hauled out on 

 the Ushishirs proper. 



The latitude and longitude of the latter, or, more properly speaking, of the old 

 village site on South Ushishir, is given on the British Admiralty chart (No. 2128) as 

 47° 32' north latitude and 152° 42' east longitude, but I may add that Lieut. Le Eoy 

 M. Garrett, U. S. N., the executive officer of the Albatross on our recent cruise in the 

 Kurils, on August 25, 189C, determined the position as 47° 30' 56.8" north latitude and 

 152° 47' 45" east longitude. 



The distance of the Srednoi Eocks from Eashua is between C and 7 miles, while 

 the Ushishirs are separated from Ketoi, the next island to the southwest, by a channel 

 about 15 miles wide. 



The Ushishirs consist of two islands connected by a shallow bar, each a little 

 more than 1^ miles in longest diameter. The northern island forms a rather low and 

 flat plateau, with a cone-shaped knob, estimated at about 400 feet high, at its south- 

 western extremity. The South Island is entirely different, being in fact the narrow 

 rim of an ancient crater the bottom of which is now covered by the sea to a depth of 

 20 fathoms. A narrow and shallow S-shaped channel on the south side leads into the 

 circular and highly picturesque bay from which the walls rise up with very steep slopes 

 to an average height of about GOO feet, while at the western corner the massive Dome 

 Peak reaches an elevation of over 1,300 feet. On both islands there are traces of old 

 habitations ; in fact, some of the huts on South Island, said to be regular Aleut 

 barabras, are still in a condition which shows that they have been inhabited at no 

 very distant period. 



Tlie Srednoi Eocks proper consist of two larger rocks, viz. Black Eock and Sea- 

 lion Eock ; a small one. Button Eock, situated about IJ miles to the southwest, a 

 seaweed- covered rounded rock almost awash ; and a cluster of similar, but still 

 smaller rocks or stones, situated a similar distance to the southeast from Sea-lion Eock, 

 and connected with the latter by a reef on which it breaks in several places. These 

 are the so-called Sea Otter Eocks. 



Between the two large rocks and Button Eocks the water is said to be 16 fathoms 

 deep. They are separated by a channel less than half a mile wide with only 5 fathoms 



