94. U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 
Drying.—The drying may be done in any large room where an even tempera- 
ture can be maintained. It is always desirable to dry the skins slowly and with 
as little artificial heat as possible. The present method is to lay the frames in 
rows across light racks suspended from the ceiling at suitable intervals, the 
remainder of the frames being stood up about the walls. With the improvement 
of facilities this practice may be bettered. 
After a lapse of from four to six days on the stretching frames the skins may 
be examined, and if dry all over, may be removed. The nose is one of the last 
parts of the skin to become fully dry. The skin should also be examined for 
excessive grease, and if any is found it must be removed with corn meal, for if 
it is left it will putrefy and weaken the skin. In taking the skin from the frame 
the hind and fore legs and tail are unbound and the skin gently started with the 
palms of the hands, after which it may be pulled off by the nose. When the skin 
has been removed from the frame a tag, bearing the date of capture, is tied into 
the mouth or eyeholes and the skin is hung up in the drying room for a few 
days, or until a sufficient number of pelts has accumulated for removal to the 
storage room. 
Storing.—The two most important requirements for a storage room are dry- 
ness and darkness. The necessity for keeping the skins dry is apparent; the 
darkness is a safeguard against the fading of the fur, as the darkest furs com- 
mand the highest prices. In storing the skins they are usually tied through 
the nose into clusters of 10 skins each, and these bunches are carefully tallied 
when stored. All the skins are again counted at the close of the season so as to 
verify the record of animals killed. 
Shipping—Fox skins are packed and shipped in boxes made of 1-inch boards 
of spruce or Douglas fir (spruce is preferable), with inside dimensions of 58 
inches in length, 16 inches in width, and 12 inches in depth. The case is pro- 
vided with a set of battens near each end, which lend rigidity to the whole and 
at the same time prevent any face of the box from coming into solid contact with 
a flat surface. 
The packing of the skins is usually done within a day or two of the time 
shipment is to be made. The cases are lined with tarred building paper and 
relined with wrapping or newspaper as a protection against insects and damp- 
ness. The skins are carefully counted and laid flat in the case; unnecessary 
folding or creasing is to be avoided. The skins are shipped pelt side out. 
From 40 to 45 skins may be packed in a case such as the one described above. 
After the proper number of skins has been packed in the box, the top is 
closed with the layers of paper and then the cover. The cover is nailed to the 
sides and ends of the case and to the battens on the sides. All cracks and 
holes are then closed by tacking on strips of galvanized iron or sheet zine. The 
eases should be marked on both sides with the name and address of the con- 
signee, the serial number and gross weight of the case, the number of skins it 
contains, and the legends, “ Keep Away From Boiler Bulkheads” and “ Keep 
Dry.” 
Disposition of Carcasses. 
The disposition of fox carcasses is a matter of some importance. Jt is well 
known that foxes are, aS a general rule, infested with parasites and intestinal 
worms of various kinds, and it should always be the effort of the agent to see 
that the carcasses of foxes killed are disposed of in such a manner as to pre- 
vent any possibility of infection from that source. The bodies of foxes found 
dead should be handled in a similar manner when practicable. The method now 
in use is that of putting the bodies into a covered pit, a practice both simple 
and effective. ' 
Breeding Reserve. 
Selection of animals.—The breeding foxes must be selected with care. The 
points of judgment are: (1) The condition of the teeth; (2) depth of color and 
condition of fur, short fur or white patches indicating an undesirable animal ; 
and (3) weight, reserved males to weigh net less than 11 pounds and females 
not iess than 84 pounds. Cripples are always killed, though a short-tailed 
fox may be released if the animal appears to be a particularly desirable one 
from other points of judgment. 
Since the beginning of the present method of handling foxes on St. George 
Tsland it has been constantly the purpose to eliminate the white foxes. That 
it has been partially successful is shown by the presence of only 4 white 
