THE RUSSIAN FUR-SEAL ISLANDS. 53 
The meau temperature of the surface of the water around Eobbeii Islaud is given 
by Makarof as 13 degrees centigrade (middle of August). 
These teiu[)eratures are considerably higher than the corresponding ones at the 
Commander Islands, and lend color to the statements by Captain Blair and Capt. G. 
Niebaum, that the Eobben Island seals can be distinguislied by experts from those on 
the Commander Islands, and that they do not mingle with them, being a separate 
and distinct herd (Fur Seal Arb., iii, pp. 193, 204). 
Very little is known about the movements of the Eobben Island seals, except that 
they migrate southward. I am informed by Capt. D. Greenberg, however, that sealers 
who are said to have followed xii> the migrating herd assert that these seals come up 
the Gulf of Tartary and pass tlirough La Perouse Strait into the Sea of Okhotsk. 
The feediug-groumls of the Eobben Island seals seem to be unknown. 
The knowledge of the condition of the rookery is also highly fragmentary. When 
the tirst sealers arrived there they found the whole beach surrounding the island so 
occupied by seals that there was no place to effect a landing without driving the 
seals oft'. At present the few remaining seals congregate on the very narrow beach on 
the southeast side of the island.' The bachelors are now hauling up on both sides 
of the breeding females, aiul so close that many females are caught in the drives. 
The various estimates of the number of seals on this island may be somewhat 
more accurate than similar tigures from the other seal islands, because of the small 
extent of Eobben Eeef and the ease with which the rookery can be watched. Thus, 
in 1871, when Hutchinson, Kohl, Philipi)cus & Co. took j)ossession of the place, Mr. 
Kluge found that “ there were not over 2,000 seals to be found on the entire island.” 
Capt. G. Niebaum, who visited it at the same time as the representative of the firm, 
states as follows: “The rookeries were also very small, and contained at that time, of 
all classes, about 800 seals, as I ascertained by a careful count, and, in addition, a 
small number in the waters adjacent.”^ 
In administrative resiiect Eobben Island is under the jurisdiction of the adudnis- 
trator of the Commander Islands and is included in the lease of the hitter. In fact, 
Eobben Island is regarded as a dependency of Bering Island, as the men of the 
killing gang are taken from that island and the money for the Eobbmi Islaud seals 
goes to the Bering Island natives. Since 1885 the government has stationed a force 
of 20 sailors and an ofiicer of the navy on Eobben Island, in order to protect it against 
‘ 'riie breeding-ground, according to Dr. Slnnin (Promysl. Bog. Kam. Sakh. Komand., p. 12), 
occupies about 4-5 sazbeu l)y 70-100 sazbeu (a sazhen being etjual to 7 feet). 
^ Dr. Sluuiu (Promysl. P>og. Kaiu. Sakb. Komand., p. 13) bas been able to utilize certain reports 
by some of tbe naval officers in charge, from wbicb a few interesting facts are noted: “According to 
tbe reports of Lieutenants Rosset (1887) and Brumer (1892) tbe arrival of tbe tirst bulls depends upon 
wbetber tbe ice bas disappeared along soutbern Sakbalin or not; but wbetber there is any ice j)resent 
in tbe Bay of Terpeuia or at the mouth of tbe Taraika is apparently of no significance. Thus, in 
1891, tbe bulls arrived very slowlj^; on .June 5 (old style) there were in all 28 males, 6.5 females, and 
one pup; iu 1892 tbe ice also remained late on northern Sakbalin, and on Dlay 15 (old style) tbere was 
not one seal on tbe rookery, tbe tirst bull arriving on tbe 16th of May (old style). In 1893 tbe first 
bulls appeared on May 17 (old style) at tbe coast, altbougb liroken ice was lying along rbe eastern side; 
tbe temperature of tbe water was 2.5^ C. Ice was covering the deep wa.ter of Terpeuia Bay. * * *■ 
In 1891, at the end of tbe period of birth, tbere were on July 3 (old style) 5,000 females and 4,000 pups, 
showing one-bftb of tbe females to be virgin. Lieutenant Brumer notes tbe following special circum- 
stance: Iu July and tbe beginning of August (old style) there were about 15,000 to 17,000 seals, but 
in September the inhabitants of the rookery bad increased considerably.” 
Dr. Sluniii himself, in tbe beginning of May (old style), 1892, calculated tbe number of seals on 
Tiuleni to be from 13,000 to 16,000 all told, allowing 3 square feet to each animal, large and small 
(op. cit., p. 17). In 1892 the lirst bulls arrived almut May 16 (old style), and tbe lirst females May 20 
(op cit., p.27). This is contrary to what be states on j). 18, where it is said that iu 1892 tbe bulls arrived 
about June 15-18 (old style), and tbe females came ashore on June 26. 
