CHAPTER XV. 
The position of Behring Island—Its inhabitants—The discovery of the 
island by Behring—Behring’s death-—Steller—The former and present 
Fauna on the island: foxes, sea-otters, sea-cows, sea-lions, and sea- 
bears—Collection of bones of the Khytina—Visit to.a ‘^rookery”— 
Toporkoff Island — Alexander Dubovski — Voyage to Yokohama— 
Lightning-stroke. 
Behring Island is situated between 54° 40' and 55° 25' N.L. and 
165° 40' and 166° 40' E.L. from Greenwich. It is the westernmost 
and nearest Kamchatka of the islands in the long chain formed 
by volcanic action, which bounds the Behring Sea on the south 
between 51° and 56° N.L. Together with the neighbouring 
Copper Island and some small islands and rocks lying round 
about, it forms a peculiar group of islands separated from the 
Aleutian Islands proper, named, after the rank of the great sea¬ 
farer who perished here. Commander’s or Commandirski Islands. 
They belong not to America but to Asia, and are Russian 
territory. Notwithstanding this the American Alaska Company 
has acquired the right of hunting there,^ and maintains on the 
main islands two not inconsiderable commercial stations, which 
supply the inhabitants, several hundreds in number, with pro¬ 
visions and manufactured goods, the company buying from them 
instead furs, principally the skin of an eared seal (the sea-cat or 
^ In February 1871 the right of hunting on these islands was granted 
by the Russian government to Hutchinson, Kohl, Philippeus & Co., who 
have made over their rights to the Alaska Commercial Company of San 
Francisco. 
VOL. II. 
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