FUR-SEAL, INDUSTRY OF THE COMMANDEE ISLANDS 
297 
was: Zapalata, Urili, Lebiazhe, Zapadnoye, Sikatchinskoye, Palata, Babitche, 
and Gavarushetche, while Sabatcha Dira had disappeared as a rookery. 
In 1922 the seals had practically disappeared south of jPalata. Where 25 
years ago they were in evidence at Sikatchinskaya and other places, as shown by 
Figure 9, now there was none. Palata itself, one of the grandest views on the island ^ 
(Plate 72, Asiatic Fur-Seal Islands), had shrunk to a handful of seals. Khabarof 
mentioned 25 big bulls and about 35 cows. Zapadnoye also had vanished, but 
Urili and Lebiazhe were still holding their own; that is, in comparison with the 
last 10 years or more. 
Karabelnoye Rookeries. — The rookeries opposite Karabelnoye village were more 
contiguous than those at Glinka (see Plate 99, Asiatic Fm-Seal Islands) and extended 
not more than about IJ^ statute miles along the coast. Most of the coves under 
the overhanging cliffs were difficult of access from the land side and individually 
less significant than the Glinka rookei'ies, hence they have always been treated 
of as a whole and no estimate made of the seals occup3ning each cove or rock. In 
1896 I thought there were still 10,000 breeding seals present on those beaches. In 
1910 there were still some left at Nerpitcha Bukhta (or Nerpitchi Kamen), for 
Suvorof estimated the number present at 3 bulls and 150 cows. In 1911 the last 
seal disappeared, and in 1922 Karabelnoye rookery was ancient history. 
Ill .i:i:r< < I 
NEW HAULING GROUNDS 
There has always been a tendency among the Commander Islands fur seals, 
at least among the bachelors, to haul out in new places at certain seasons. This 
was noticed in 1882 and 1883, but at that time it was attributed to the continued 
expansion of the rookeries, which compelled the bachelors to occupy new groimd as 
they were being crowded out of the breeding area. Thus on Bering Island the 
beach at Kisikof (Tisikof) (Plate 94, Asiatic Fur-Seal Islands) was taken possession 
of in 1882; similarly on Copper Island bachelors at Glinka were hauling out in 
Gorelaya Buklita north of Lebiazhi Mys and at the other end at Kulomakh beyond 
Babinskaya Bukhta. At the latter place in 1895 there were a few half bulls left 
when on August 2 of that year Mr. Grebnitski and the writer camped on that very 
beach. Likewise at Lebiazhi Mys only bachelors formerly hauled out. It seems, how- 
ever, as if with the diminishing rookeries the cows, possibly attracted by the half bulls, 
that had hauled out there and become unduly numerous in proportion, must also 
have come ashore at some of these points, thus creating new breeding grounds; for 
in 1910 Suvorof reports 700 cows and a number of bachelors at Lebiazhe and 200 
cows and 200 black pups at Babitche, though in neither place did he see any buUs. 
It should therefore, perhaps, not cause great surprise that in 1921 and 1922 seals 
were reported to have hauled out on Bering Island not far from Northwest Cape, 
and at the southeastern extremity of Copper Island as early as 1917. In fact, it 
was at this recently formed hauling ground that the Japanese raiders, to be men- 
tioned later on in this report, were caught killing seals. It was said by the natives 
on Bering Island that the seals hauled out near Northwest Cape consisted of some 
• "Palata [in 1882 and 1883] to the looker-on coming over the mountains, was probably the most impressive rookery view in 
the whole Commander Islands group. The solid blackening masses of breeding seals, filling the gulley to overflowing and extend- 
ing under tbe.bluSs and along the beach on both sides, was a sight never to be forgotten." (Asiatic Fur-Seal Islands, p. 145),. 
