38 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
cation tlirougli a small swamp witli two smaller lakes, which emjjty into the sea at 
the western side, through the LadiginsJcaya River. A somewhat larger lake, the 
Gavamlcoye Ozero^ occui)ies the center of a large swamx> immediately east of the 
main village. The stream by which it discharges its water passes the. latter, and 
is Steller’s Osernaya Reshka. The low land between the lake and sea is protected 
near the latter by several rows of high sand-dunes from the village to Ladiginsk. 
It is a curious fact that Steller (Nenste Rord. Beytr., ii, 171)3, pp. 2(>0-3G7) describes 
this lake as the largest on the island, and that he has entirely overlooked the exist- 
ence of Saranna Lake. It is i)retty good evidence that Steller did not visit that 
part of the island personally (unless jmssibly when it was covered with ice. and snow) 
and (‘.xplains also his omission of mentioning the great North seal rookery. There 
are a few small lakes, or rather i)ouds,iu the southern mountainous i)ortiou, which need 
no special mention, except the one in Lissonl'ovaya Buy, as the natural conditions 
there are a miniature rei)roductiou of the Gavauskoye Ozero. It may be added that 
Lissoidfovaya is Steller’s Yushin’s Valley. 
Bering Island has no sheltered harbors, and the few anchorages are indifferent or 
even dangerous under anything but the most favorable circumstances. The principal 
anchorage is in the corner off Nikolski, but with southerly or westerly winds it is not 
safe. It can be approached from the west by keexring close to the south shore of Toxj- 
orkof Island, in order to avoid an outlying rock off the so-called Ykhodni Point, or 
Reef. The channel north of Ari Kanien and Toxjorkof is very dangerous and should 
be avoided. Farther south, on the same side, are two larger bays, Gladkovskaya and 
Lissonkovaya, but they are oiren and no lauding can be effected in rough weather. 
On the east side is Staraya Gavan, the “ Old Harbor,” where there was formerly a 
settlement. The bay is small and narrow, with dangerous reefs on both sides. 
These reefs are quite a feature of the Bering Island shores. In the northern 
portion they are mostly of volcanic nature, but in the mountainous portion they consist 
of stratified rock on edge in such a manner that many of them, especially at Tolstoi 
Mys and northward, when bare at low tide have the appearance of i)lowed fields with 
furrows of great length and regularity. On the stretch of coast just mentioned these 
reefs form a nearly continuous belt, one-fourth to one-half mile wide, and parallel to 
the beach. A narrow channel of somewhat deeper water, though only deep enough 
so that a large boat can be barely i)ulled and pushed through by low water, extends 
the whole length between the beach and the reef belt, which is covered by high tide. 
The continuity of the reef is only broken where some larger stream emx)ties into 
a slight indenture of the coast, as, for instance, at Komaudor, at Polavino, and at 
Buyan. 
The main settlement is at WikoWd,^ so named in honor of Mr. Nikolai Grebuitski, 
situated at the inner corner of the little bay east of Toporkof Island (pi. 17). The 
houses are built in several rows on the raised beach at the mouth of the Gavan skaya 
Reshka and i)artly ux)on the sandy sloxie of the adjacent hills, and being mostly 
frame structures are x)Ainted in many gay, if not always tasteful colors. Prominent 
also in this resx)ect the new church, dedicated to St. Nicolas, raises its yellow dome over 
a grass-green roof, while the body is x^ainted x^ink with white and sky-blue trimmings! 
The old church of St. Inakeuti is still standing, dismantled and neglected. 
1 Ou some maps called Grebnitski Harbor, or Grebnitskoye Seleui. 
