72 SARfTSCHEW’s TRAVELS. 
cept that the tail is not covered with a shell, on which account 
they like to conceal themselves in the shells of snails, which 
they often drag about with them. 
Judging from the barrenness, rude aspect, and deficiency of 
the necessary articles of food, one would imagine, that this 
island was not destined for the habitation of man ; but, ac¬ 
cording to the assurance of the Aleutians, it was sufficiently 
peopled before the arrival of the Russians, but hunger and 
other untoward accidents had reduced the population to 
less than one half, and at present not more than one third 
was remaining. Their residences are all fixed on the shore of 
the sea, and on the north, east, and west-side of the island, that 
to the south being uninhabited; they reckon fourteen dwelling- 
places in the w hole, and three hundred and twenty-three male 
inhabitants. Each dwelling-place consists of two or three mud 
hovels of various sizes, the largest of which are nine fathoms 
long, and three broad. 
The floor of such a hut is sunk somewhat under ground, and 
the roof is made of the floating wood which they fish out of the 
sea, covered with moss and grass. The light is admitted through 
some small openings in the roof, that serve also for the egress and 
ingress of the inhabitants, by means of a ladder, which consists of 
different steps cut out of a plank. About seven foot from the outer 
wall stakes are driven into the ground, which partly support the 
roof, and partly serve to mark out the partition for each family, 
in which, instead of beds, platted grass-mats are spread. They 
sit on these mats in the day-time to work, and sleep on them 
at night, using their cloaths for covering. They empty their dirty 
slops and every filth, into the middle of this common dwelling, 
which becomes by that means excessively wet and muddy ; and 
were there no openings in the roof, w ould soon occasion an in¬ 
supportable stench and vapor. Each partition has a particular 
wooden reservoir for the urine, which is used both for dyeing 
the grass, and for washing their hands; but after cleaning the 
latter in this manner, they rince them in pure water, and dry 
them in the open air, by swinging them backward and forward. 
They seldom make a fire in the jurt, except to cook the 
flesh of the sea-animals, and some sorts offish: but they eat the 
cod-fish raw after cutting them into small pieces, which they 
consider as a preventive against the mischief that they might 
otherwise receive from some small worms, supposed to be in 
the flesh of these creatures. 
They obtain fire by striking two flints over the down of 
birds, sprinkled with brimstone, which instantaneously catch the 
falling sparks. 
In the evening they bum train-oil in stone lamps, on which 
