50 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
The first of these coves, as the name ZapaJafa (hehiud Palata) indicates, is 
situated immediately under the perpendicular southern wall of Palata itself, and 
guarded on the east side by the pillar-shaped Stolbi. The beach itself is narrow, but 
smoothly covered with small stones rounded and polished by the water and of a very 
light pearl-gray color. This is, possibly, the most important of the breeding grounds, 
and is accordingly named by Colonel Voloshiuof “ Glavnoye-Glinkovskoye Lezh 
bishtche” (Glinka Main Eookery). Tlie name Zapalata, employed by the natives, 
however, is much pueferable, not only because in common. use, but also ou account of 
its brevity aud euphony (pis. 55, 5d). 
SibatchinslriAja follows on the other side of the “Stolbi” (pi. 575), possessing the 
same main characteristics as Zaj^alata, merging eastward into GavarmhJcaya BuMta. 
The end of the latter, or rather the beginning of the next bay, is marked off by a 
solitary, conical rock rising up in the middle of the reef. It is called Babin, and hence 
the name of the beach beyond, Babinskaya Bukhta, and the valley opening at this 
place several hundred feet above the beach, Babinskaya Pad. The beach is covered 
with the same water-polished, light-gray stones. This bay at its eastern end is blocked 
by a very rocky and rough reef, for which the natives only have an Aleut name, 
Kulomakh. This is the eastern end of the Glinka seal rookeries. 
The main killing -grotmds at this rookery are situated on the eastern side of the 
island, where the village and the salt-houses are located. Only of late years, when 
many drives have been so small that there Avere people (men, women, and children) 
enough to carry the skins ou their backs across the mountains, aud the meat Avas not 
wanted in the village for food, has it been the custom to kill the seals ou the west side. 
I have already remarked that the hauliug-grouuds east of Palata are utterly 
inaccessible from the laud side. Formerly, Avheu seals were plentiful, the bachelors 
used to haul up in great numbers on some of these beaches, notably at Babinski, and 
if the company’s steamer, Aleksander II, happened to be at the island at a time when 
the Aveather and the waves on the west sitle of the island allowed boats to land there 
it Avas customary for the steamer to take the j>eople around the Southeast Cape and 
laud them ah those hauling- grounds. The seals were slaughtered and skinned on the 
beach, Avhile the pelts Avere taken on board tlie steamer and salted in the hull. 
On the photograph representing Palata Eookery (pi. 50) a small patch of 
numerous white dots Avill be observed on the grass-clad hills near the extreme right 
of the lAicture. These white dots are sea gulls feasting on the carcasses of a small 
drive of seals killed here. It will be seen that this drive was neither long nor could 
it have been i)articularly severe. Not so the regular driveAvay from this rookery to 
the killing-grounds at Glinka village, a distance of nearly 2 miles over a ridge more 
than 1,200 feet high. The slopes to be climbed, or slid doAAm, are in places 35° to 40°. 
They are partly grass-clad, and then very slippery. 
From Zapadni and Sabatchi Dira the driveway is somewhat shorter and the pass 
over the mountain lower, only 700 feet, but the ascent is exceeding rough. The lower 
part follows the bottom of a narroAv V-shaped valley — or rather gully — the bed of 
a short torrent filled Avith large bowlders, over which the seals have to struggle hard 
(pi. 58«). Higher up the slope becomes steeper and at the same time covered with a 
tenacious clay, hence very slip])ery. Steps have been cut in the ground to facilitate 
the ascent, but the clayey soil is soon smoothed down aud made as slippery as before. 
