250 THE ASIATIC FUR-SEAL ISLANDS. 



of water, and are surrounded by enormously thick beds of long kelp, through which 

 we had the greatest difflculty in pulling our boat and effect a landing. Black Eock 

 (pi. 84), the northernmost of them, is low, with a number of grotesquely formed 

 isolated basaltic piunacles, cliffs, bowlders, etc., some as high as 50 feet possibly, raised 

 above the surface hke stumps of teeth iu a broken saw. It really consists of three or 

 four disconnected islets, the sea communicating across it by narrow channels in several 

 places. Plenty of sea lions were seen by us on this rock, but no seals, which, however, 

 we are positively informed, never hauled out here. 



The fur-seal rookery was located on the so-called Sea-lion Eock, or Plat Eock, as 

 it is also named. This is a low, flat mass of basalt, scarcely more than 20 feet out of 

 the water and about 700 feet wide by 2,000 feet long, trending northwest and southeast. 

 At the time of our landing there, on August 24, 1896, it was perfectly white from the 

 excreta of the large number of sea lions which had hauled out there, mostly large 

 bachelors, as only a few harems were seen. On the south side (pi. 85), near the eastern 

 extremity, there is a narrow bay or cove, just large enough for a boat, where a landing 

 is easy. The stench which met us from the fecal matter and from a number (59) of 

 putrefying carcasses of young sea lions which had been clubbed to death and skinned 

 a short time before by some schooner's crew, was almost overpowering. Some large 

 pools, filled with a mixture of water, blood, and urine were, particularly offensive, 

 though the sea lions did not seem to take any notice of the stench. In other respects 

 the rock presented an ideal hauling ground, and I have no doubt that the thick kelp 

 beds outside protected the young seal pups almost as well as a reef. However, we 

 saw no seals, and beyond the sea lions, only a limited number of water birds, including 

 some sandpipers and turnstones. Of higher plants there was, of course, not a trace. 



It was easy to see how the sealers during the occupancy of this rock by the fur 

 seals could manage to kill so many animals in so short a time and exhaust the rookery 

 so rapidly, for although low and comparatively flat the surface was sufScieutly broken 

 to afford ample shelter for a gang of men to conceal themselves, or even camp, without 

 disturbing the breeding seals. Even with the shy and wary sea lions there was no 

 diflaculty in sneaking close up, as some of our photographs show (pi. 84). 



The accompanying map (pi. 107) is constructed from several traverse plane-table 

 sketches on the Srednois and in Crater Bay, South Ushishir, by the author, a series 

 of sextant angles by Lieut. H. B. Parmenter, U. S. N., of the Albatross, taken on 

 August '25, from the 760-foot top above the village on South Ushishir, and from 

 Captain Snow's sketch as published by the British Admiralty. The location of the 

 sunken rocks and the soundings are chiefly from the latter. The altitudes, when 

 differing from Captain Snow's, are determined by Lieutenant Parmenter. 



MAKANRUEU ISLAND. (Plato 108.) 



This island is also known as Broughton Island in preference to Makanruru, 

 since tlie latter may easily be confounded with Makanrushi, an entirely different island, 

 belonging to the northern Kurils.' Unlike the islands treated of above, it does not 

 belqng to the Middle Kurils, forming part, as it does, of the southern group. 

 According to the British Admiralty chart, it is situated approximately in 46° 43' 



' This confusion has actually been made by the Japanese copyists of Captain Snow's plans of the 

 Kurils, with the unfortunate result that the name Broughton (or Boruton) has been misapplied to 



Makanrushi. 



