130 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



IVohrs. — Wolves are abundant in \"ancouver Island and 

 throughout the interior. In the north, around the region drained 

 by the Porcupine River, they assume very large dimensions, 

 some skins measuring nearly six feet from nose to tip of tail ; and 

 a large percentage of these w^olves are black. Coyotes have 

 pushed north from the American boundary as far as White 

 Horse, at the headwaters of the Yukon River. 



Foxes. — Red, cross, silver and black foxes occur in the interior. 

 The two latter command enormous prices, in some cases as high 

 as $i,ooo for one skin. These animals are being killed off by 

 the use of poison in the hands of white men, and many more 

 are destroyed than are recovered. The natives are afraid to use 

 poison, owing to several tragedies which have occurred from its 

 careless handling. 



Along the Arctic and Bering Sea coast white foxes abound, 

 and blue foxes are found from the mouth of the Yukon River 

 southward, their center of abundance being Nelson Island, in 

 Bering Sea, near the mouth of the Kuskokwim River. 



Bear. — Bear are extremely abundant in Alaska, especially on 

 the Pacific Coast. Their great numbers are probably due to the 

 fact that they have an abundant food supply in the great schools 

 of salmon that ascend the rivers. Before the arrival of the 

 salmon, these bear, like the grizzlies of our own Rockies, feed 

 on spermophiles and grass. During the salmon season they are 

 easily found and killed by hunters, and as this occurs during the 

 summer season, their fur is of very little value. The period of 

 the salmon run, in fact the entire summer, should be made a 

 closed season for bear throughout this district. Owing to the 

 recent decline in the price of bear skins these splendid animals 

 have been hunted rather less than formerly. 



The black bear occur in Vancouver and Queen Charlotte Is- 

 lands, but, as far as I know, do not occur in any of the large 

 islands north. They are, however, found along the mainland of 

 the southeastern coast, and found everywhere throughout the 

 interior in the timbered region. The blue or glacier bear is 

 found rarely around the glaciers of the Mt. St. Elias region. 



Grizzlies occur in considerable numbers along the mainland of 

 the coast as far north as Skagway, and are ftiund in relatively 

 small numbers throughout the interior. There are very few 

 grizzly bear on the Seward Peninsula, and I was unable to get 

 any skulls or to obtain any definite data concerning them. This 

 bear may prove an interesting ty]X' if a sufficient series of 

 specimens could be obtained. 



