Island of the Blue Dolphins Chapter 1-5

gulls a water bird with webbed feet

otter an animal that has dark brown fur and webbed feet with claws and that eats fish

ravine a deep, narrow gorge with steep sides.

Russian a person born, raised, or living in Russia a person whose family is from Russia

leagues any of various units of distance from about 2.4 to 4.6 statute miles 1 league = kilometers

dolphin a small usually gray whale that has a pointed nose

skimming that which is skimmed from a liquid

pelts to strip off the skin or pelt of (an animal)

bale a bundle of paper, hay, cotton, etc., tightly wrapped and bound with cords or hoops.

retreat withdraw from enemy forces as a result of their superior power or after a defeat.

cormorants a large diving bird with a long neck, long hooked bill, short legs, and mainly dark plumage.

kelp a large brown seaweed that typically has a long, tough stalk with a broad frond divided into strips.

intruder a person who intrudes, especially into a building with criminal intent.

Aleuts a member of a people inhabiting the Aleutian Islands, other islands in the Bering Sea, and parts of western Alaska.

mesa an isolated flat- topped hill with steep sides, found in landscapes with horizontal strata.

glistening shine; glitter

carcasses the dead body of an animal.

dusk the darker stage of twilight.

surged move suddenly and powerfully forward or upward.

abalones an edible mollusk of warm seas that has a shallow ear- shaped shell lined with mother-of-pearl and pierced with respiratory holes