HISTORY OF THE KURIL ROOKERIES. 253 



history of Robben Island, which, in 1870, upon its rediscovery, yielded in one year 

 probably more than 15,000 skins after having been "practically cleaned out" scarcely 

 more than fifteen years previously.' By remembering tliese facts it is not difficult to 

 understand that during the time of a more numerous population of the islands the 

 seals were kept down to such a minimum as not to be of sufficient value to attract the 

 attention of the Russians, who were much more anxious to obtain sea otters and foxes,^ 

 but that upon the gradual decrease of men in the neighborhood of their haunts the 

 seals themselves were annually increasing until the rediscovery of the rookeries by 

 white men in 1881. That the few remaining natives knew of the existence of the seals 

 on the island is proven by the fact that Captain Petersen, when he visited the native 

 village on Rashua in 1876 and found fur-seal trimmings on the clothes of the inhabitants, 

 was informed by them that the seals occurred in numbers on Srednoi, the unwillingness 

 of his own crew to approach those dangerous rocks being the only reason which 

 prevented him from making the discovery which fell to Captain Snow's lot five years 

 later. 



It is also highly probable that volcanic phenomena have something to do with it. 

 It would seem as if the Kuril Islands were formerly subject to more violent and 

 frequent eruptions than at present, which may have tended to keep the number of 

 seals at a low ebb. Thus Pallas (Neue Nord. Beytr., iv, 1783, p. 127) gives an 

 account of Raikoke, based upon Shebalin's observation of the eruption in 1780. A 

 large quantity of stones and ashes was thrown out, filling up the coves and beaches. 

 It is added, however, that "the sea lions are common there, nevertheless, and bring 

 forth their young, though neither men nor birds can inhabit this new volcano." It is 

 pertty safe to say, however, that the fur seals would have a pretty hard time of it at 

 a place where not even the birds could live. 



DISCOVERY AND LATER HISTORY OP THE ROOKERIES. 



I have just related how Captain Petersen, according to his own statement to us 

 in 1896 in Yokohama, came pretty near being the first discoverer of Srednoi rookery, 

 and consequently the Kuril Island rookeries, and that the prize instead fell to 

 Captain Snow. 



The latter, during our recent visit to Japan in order to secure information in 

 regard to these points, told the story of the discovery to Captain Moser and myself, 

 and the following account is mainly based upon the narrative of the genial explorer 

 of the Kurils, who, now the seals are all gone, was quite willing to have the facts made 

 known. A few points have also been obtained from Captain Petersen and from various 

 statements to be found in the fur seal arbitration case. In nearly every instance, 

 however, the latter are involved in great confusion concerning the years, and as they 

 are all simply based on memory they can not be taken into account when conflicting 

 with statements by Mr. Snow, which are based upon contemporaneous written notes. 



> See my Russian Fur-Seal Islands, pp. 54, 55 ; ante, p. 73, 74. 



* There is positive record of the fact that the native Kurilians in the ante-Russian days went to 

 these uninhabited rookery rooks for the purpose of killing the animals inhabiting them. In Pallas's 

 account of the Kuril Islands (Neue Nord. Beytr., iv, 1783) it is expressly said that the Kurilians from 

 the Seventh Island (Shiashkotan) and other islands were in the habit of repairing every summer to 

 the Mushir Rocks in order to kill the young sea lions which are born there in June. 



