FAUNA OF THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS 

 AND ALASKA PENINSULA 



By Olaus J. Murie, Biologist 



Introduction 



The Aleutian Islands, treeless, fog-bound, and volcanic, extend 

 westward from the tip of the Alaska Peninsula for about 1,100 

 miles to Attu, which is less than 600 miles from the Kamchatka 

 Peninsula of Asia. The Aleutian Islands Wildlife Reserva- 

 tion, now a National Wildlife Refuge, was established on this 

 chain in 1913. This reservation embraces the islands of the Aleu- 

 tian chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. 

 These islands were set apart as a preserve and breeding ground 

 for native birds, for the propagation of reindeer and fur-bearing 

 animals, and for the encouragement and development of fisheries. 



In 1920, the United States Bureau of Biological Survey l was 

 given the responsibility of enforcement of the Alaska fur laws 

 and administration of the blue-fox industry in the Aleutians. As 

 time went on, it became apparent that proper supervision of this 

 important wildlife refuge would necessitate an extensive inven- 

 tory of the resources of these islands. 



In 1936, assisted by Cecil S. Williams of the Bureau of Biologi- 

 cal Survey, I was assigned to make the necessary investiga- 

 tions. The motorship Brown Bear was placed at our disposal, 

 and H. Douglas Gray and Homer Jewell, both of the Alaska Game 

 Commission, joined us at Juneau. A second season was required 

 for the work, and, in 1937, Victor B. Scheffer, John H. Steenis, 

 H. Douglas Gray, and I made up the scientific party. During 

 these two seasons we visited every Aleutian island of any size, as 

 well as many islands south of the Alaska Peninsula and several 

 points on the Peninsula, including Bristol Bay and the Nelson 

 Island region of the Bering Sea coast. In 1938, Scheffer returned 



i Now a part of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 



