114 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
I found that while on the whole the breeding grounds had retained their former 
shape — necessarily, because of the natural conditions of the beach — there was a 
great thinning out of the ranks of the females. At the same time a large area at the 
northwestern end had become nearly depopulated. At first I credited the thinness 
of the breeding herds to the bright weather, but another visit to the heights the nest 
morning showed no inijirovement. 
That day I saw no hachelors, except the little patch at the Stolp; none at 
Vodopad and Krepkaya Pad. At Malinka Bukhta, I was informed, they had ceased to 
haul up several years ago. The next day we saw a few more bachelors — a somewhat 
larger patch — at the Stolp, and two other patches, of possibly a hundred seals each, 
one on each side of the Vodopadski Nepropusk. 
But one feature that struck me with surprise was the great number of hulls and 
half -hulls. This almndance of old males was particularly interesting, coming, as I 
did, directly from Bering Island, where this element was so scarce. 
Pu2)s were present in good proportion. 
The decrease in the yield of this rookery has been considerable. While as far 
back as 1881 0,500 skins were secured without trouble, it was impossible for the men, 
in 1895, try as hard as they might, to secure more than 2,000. They were given full 
swing and encouraged to take as many as possible, though they needed no special 
encouragement, for the decrease in skins meant a corresponding decrease in food and 
comfort during the following winter. Moreover, the season was extended to the first 
week of September, and yet with no better results. Between August 12 and Septem- 
ber 10 they could scrape together ojily 188 skins. 
GLINKA KOOKERIES, 1882-83. fPlate 13). 
The capacity of Glinka used to be more than double that of Karabelni, having in 
good years yielded over 20,000 skins. The best hauling-grounds were Palata, Zapadni, 
and Pestshanaya, but bachelors then hauled out as far as Babinskaya Bukhta in the 
south and Gorelaya Bukhta in the north. These distant grounds were only drawn upon 
occasionally, and the grounds between Urili Kamen and Palata Mys furnished the bulk 
of the skins. Of these Pestshani hauling ground was the most prolific and the handiest, 
although the driving was very severe before the new salt-house was built, and single 
drives yielding more than 4,000 skins from this place were no exceptions.’^ 
The principal breeding-grounds occipiied the inaccessible beach between the Stolbi 
in Gavarushkaya Bukhta to Palata Mys, comprising Sikatchinskaya and Zapalata, 
the gully and basin north of Palata, and, finally, the family grounds designated as 
Zapadni or Zapadni Mys. Palata, to the looker-on coming over the mountains, was 
proliably the most impressive rookery view in the whole Commander Islands group. 
The solid blackening masses of breeding seals, filling the gully to overflowing and 
extending under the bluffs and along the beach on both sides, was a sight never to be 
forgotten. My original sketch, made in 1883 from a prominent point 800 feet above, 
is unfortunately lost or mislaid, and I am therefore obliged to substitute an elaboration 
of it (pi. 52) made shortly after my return, probably in January or February, 1884. I 
know it to be a pretty ffiithful rendering of the sketch, but of course the latter would 
have been more authentic. 
Zapalata and Sikatchinskaya were the mainstay of the rookery, however. There 
the breeding seals were absolutely safe against all iiossible interruiitions from the land 
Dr. Sluuiu reports that in 1887 a drive yielding 6,000 took i)lace from this hauling-ground. 
