PRIBILOF, pre'be-led, or &NL ISLANDS,* a group of islands in Bering Sea, belonging to the United States, about 200 miles north of the Aleutian Islands and 320 miles west of Bristol Bay. The largest islands of the group are Saint George, Saint Paul, Walrus and Otter, while the others consist of a number of islets, all of volcanic origin. The total area is about 180 square miles. This group is of great importance as here is the breeding place of the fur-seal, sea-bear, otter and blue-fox. About May the seal come to Pribilof Islands, where the fog hangs over the land almost con tinuously. The islands were discovered toward the end of the 18th century by Gerassim Priby lof (or Pribyloff), a Russian, and first mate on the boat Saint George. He had been drift ing about in the Bering Sea, looking for the breeding place of the fur-bearing seal, and at last he found it. He took possession of the island for Russia, and named it Saint George after his boat. Later the second island was
discovered and called Saint Paul and the whole group was named after its discoverer. There are on the islands about 600 permanent resi dents. Saint Paul, the largest island of the group, has an area of about 35 square miles and a population of over 200. Saint George has about half this population and an area of 27 square miles. In 1868 the Pribilof Islands were made a fur-seal reservation by the Ameri can government ; and since then schools and churches have been built on the islands, rein deer have been introduced and the condition of the natives has been very materially im proved. Consult Elliott, H. W., 'Our Arctic Province' (New York 1887) ; Greely, A. W., 'Handbook of Alaska' (New York 1914) ; tones, E. L., 'Report of Alaska Investigations in 1914' (Washington 1915).