MINOR FUR-BEARING ANIMALS. 127 
Such experiments would prove of inestimable value to those engaged in the propaga- 
tion of blue foxes, and if successful, as we firmly believe they would be, an important 
step will have been made toward the establishment of a remunerative industry in 
Alaska. Even a small percentage of the money accruing from the sale of fox pelts 
taken off the Pribilof Islands would go a long way toward furnishing the necessary 
funds for a proper and thorough investigation of this subject. As for ourselves, we 
are more than willing to inform those who are interested exactly what methods we 
have pursued in our attempts at breeding blue foxes, and we invite an inspection of 
our ranch by any who might desire to investigate our methods. 
Stock or THE Kop1axk Fox Farm.—In starting the ranch of the Kodiak Fox Farm 
it was the plan to devote most of our attention to the propagation of blue foxes, for 
we did not then believe it would be possible to secure enough black foxes from the 
wild to stock a ranch of the size we had decided upon. However, through circum- 
stances, our plan has been considerably altered in this respect, and the foxes we now 
have in captivity consist mostly of blacks. 
On August 24, 1914, we received at Kodiak 11 pairs of blue foxes, old and young, 
from the Semidi Propagating Co.’s ranch on Ukamok Island. Our corrals were not 
built at this time, and we were not ready to take the foxes to Long Island, so they 
were kept ina warehouse at Kodiak until December 18, almost four months. Desiring, 
however, to experiment with a few blacks and crosses, we notified the native hunters 
who left Kodiak on the opening of the fur season that we would pay better than fur 
prices for any good live animals they might bringin. The result was that we secured, 
in addition to our blues, 5 cross foxes and 3 blacks. Since we had accommodations 
for but 12 pairs of foxes, and owing to the fact that it was too late in the season to 
attempt to build more corrals, we turned loose on the island all but 8 pairs of the blues. 
We therefore retained in the corrals the following stock during the winter of 1914-15: 
8 pairs blue foxes, | pair black foxes, | pair black female and cross male, 2 pairs cross 
foxes. 
The blacks and crosses were brought to us, one at a time, from December to the 
middle of February of this year, and this fact made it necessary to disturb the foxes, 
more or Jess, until the breeding season was almost at hand. On this account, and 
also for the reason that many of the animals were 1914 pups, we did not figure on 
much ofanincrease. In fact, when no pups had been born by June 1 of this year [1915] 
we had about given up hopes of securing any. 
On June 6, however, the female black with the black mate whelped. She had 
three black pups, one female and two males, and these have now been reared to 
maturity. On June 12 two pups, one red female and one black female, were born to 
the pair of cross foxes, and both of these have also been raised. Since both of these 
mothers were but 1 year old when their pups were born, we believe we can safely 
depend on getting larger litters from both another season. 
Our stock of blue foxes has been considerably increased this year by the following 
purchases: 
From Chas. Pajoman, Afognak, we purchased six pairs. These originally came 
from Dry Island, Abrams Island, Alfs Island, and Hog Island. From Ingwald Loe’s 
ranch, on Raspberry Island, we secured three pairs, originally from Dry Island. We 
have also purchased two pairs from the Semidi Propagating Co.’s North Semidi Island 
ranch. All the above, except those from the Semidi Propagating Co., had been in 
corrals fromone to three years; but the owners, Messrs. Loe and Pajoman, had become 
discouraged through failure in their efforts to raise blue foxes in captivity, so disposed 
of their entire stocks of this variety. 
We have also purchased a number of black and cross foxes from the wild this season, 
and three black pups, born in captivity last spring, were secured from Carlson & Smith, 
Uyak. Our stock now consists of the following: 
