THE RUSSIAN FUR-SEAL ISLANDS. 
39 
At tlie western end of the village is located the new government building with 
offices for the administrator and the doctor, and Jiext to it the new school-honse, both 
rather large, but nninteresting, lead-colored strnctnres (pi. 17?;). In the center of the 
village is located the company’s dwelling-house for the agent (pi. 18a), painted a friendly 
white and surrounded by the magazines, stores, stable, bath-house, etc. Beyond is 
the administrator’s dwelling, unpretentious, but comfortable (pi. 18/>). The sod-huts 
are relegated to the rear, and, hardly differing from tlie surrounding grass, are very 
incons]>icnons (pi. 15?;). 
At Saranna (pi. 61) there is (piite a village of small houses and huts for tlie women 
in summer, when they live there in order to put up the large salmon catch. A small 
frame chapel was being built last year on the brow of the hill back of the village. 
The summer village at Severnoye, or the hiorth liookery, will be described under 
the head of the latter. There was formerly also a temporary village at Staraya (lavan, 
to accommodate the ];eople during the planting and harvesting season, but a new one 
has been built in its stead at Fedoskia, not far from Nikolski. 
SEAL ROOKERIES. 
It was on Bering Island that Steller, in the spring of 1741, discovered for the iirst 
time the rookeries and breeding-grounds of the fur-seals, which he had previously 
observed traveling northeastward toward unknown regions. His classical descrii^tions, 
so well known to all naturalists, need not detain us here, excexd in so far as they relate 
to the extent aird location of the rookeries. Unfortunately, his works contain very 
little bearing directly nxwn this question. In his “Besclireibuug der Berings Insel” 
(Nenste Nord. Beytriige, ii, 1793, j). 289) there are a few observations, however, which 
throw some light on the subject. On the 29th and 30th of Ax)ril (new style) the 
shix>wrecked crew had killed the first bulls just arrived. Steller at once concluded 
that they had found the breeding habitat of these animals and hoped for more to 
follow. He says : 
lu this hope we were not deceived, for numberless herds soon followed, lilling the entire coast to 
such an extent that one could not pass by without danger to life and limbs ; nay, in some i)laces where 
they covered the whole shore we were often obliged to travel over the lulls and rocky places. * * » 
These animals landed only on the southern side of the island,' opjjosile Kanichatlca, consetiuently at least 18 
icersts from the nearest place to our dwellinys. * » * [This was a long way to carry the big bulls, the 
flesh of which, moreover, was very unpalatable.] But we soon discovered that another smaller kind 
of fur-seal, grayish of color, which arrived with them in still greater numbers, had a much tenderer 
and more palatable meat, without odor, which consequently could be eaten without nausea. We 
discovered also a nearer road to these directly south from our dwellinys, scarcely more than half as long 
as the former. 
From these quotations it is perfectly jilain that at the time of the discovery of 
Bering Island there were no breeding-grounds or rookeries on the east side of the 
island; that there were well-filled breeding-grounds on the west side; that these were 
situated on the shore where now are located the few hundred females forming the 
Poludionnoye, or South, Rookery, and that vast numbers of bachelors hauled iq; in 
Lissonkovaya Bay, where there are none now, nor have there been any apxiarently 
within the memory of the natives residing on the island. 
* Steller applies the term “south side” to the entire shore, which from our better knowledge of 
the topography of the island we would call the western shore. It is evident from various statements 
in his works that he did not visit the true northern shore between Cape Waksell and Zapadni Mys. 
