FAUNA OF THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS AND ALASKA PENINSULA 303 



An interesting experience on Rat Island illustrates the sur- 

 prising behaviour of these animals at times. To quote from my 

 field notes — 



I sat down to rest on a ridge. Through the tall grass I could see two adult 

 foxes and a well-grown young in the draw below me. I was sharpening my 

 pencil and one of the foxes evidently caught the motion of my hand, and 

 saw my head and shoulders. The young fox disappeared and one of the 

 old foxes came charging straight up the slope. To my amazement it came 

 all the way, ran up to me, poked me in the aim, apparently with bared teeth 

 for it was a sharp sensation, then ran off a little distance. Immediately, 

 the other fox started up the hill in the same manner. But at this point, 

 I quickly stood up and waved it back. Both foxes then stood at a little 

 distance and barked at me. 



The blue fox is a clever hunter. According to the Aleuts, some- 

 times a fox will catch an emperor goose when it is asleep and has 

 its head tucked under its wing. On occasion, too, a fox will 

 stand on a point of rock where ducks are diving and, when a 

 cluck is rising in the water nearby, the fox will jump in and 

 seize it while it is still below the surface. The Aleuts added that 

 the blue fox will jump in the water and seize salmon. Incidently, 

 Homer Jewell, a member of our party, said that he had known of 

 several dogs in southeastern Alaska that would seize salmon in 

 the water. 



Blue foxes readily swim from one island to another when the 

 distance is not great; sometimes they will attempt this where 

 there are strong tidal currents and are carried off to sea and 

 lost. Foxes also can climb moderate cliffs with ease. Occasionally, 

 one will even leap across a chasm and down to the top of a pin- 

 nacle where ducks are nesting, then clamber down the pinnacle, 

 and swim back to shore. 



Foxes have learned to take every possible advantage over birds, 

 and the birds must nest on sheer cliffs or inaccessible offshore 

 rocks to be entirely safe. 



Birds vs. Blue-Fox Industry 



Possibly, there are areas where bird colonies are so huge that 

 the Arctic fox has made only an insignificant reduction in the 

 number of birds. In the Aleutian Islands, there are some large 

 bird colonies, and the foxes take their toll. In some instances, 

 this has not as yet made a great difference, but, in many other 

 instances, great changes have taken place. On some of the smaller 

 islands the birds have been almost eliminated, and on many is- 

 lands such birds as eider ducks have ceased to nest, except on a 

 few offshore pinnacles where they can find protection. The 

 cackling goose and lesser Canada goose have become so scarce 



