FUR SEALS AND OTHER LIFE, PRIBILOF ISLANDS, 1914. 



107 



and has been carried on in a more or less systematic way ever since. This matter is else- 

 where discussed. 



In marked contrast to the numbers taken on the Pribilof Islands during the middle 

 and latter part of the last century, the lessened number yielded during the last two 

 decades is of interest. The figures have been compiled from various authentic sources. 



Number of foxes taken on Pribilof Islands, l8go-lQlj. 



1890-91 . . . 

 1891-92 . . . 

 1892-93... 

 1893-94. ■ • 

 1894-95 . . 

 1895-96. . . 

 1896-^7. . . 

 1897-98. . . 

 1898-99 . . . 

 1S99-1900. 

 1900-1901 . 

 1901-2 .... 

 1902-3 — 

 1903-4 — 

 1904-5 — 

 1905-6. . . . 

 1906-7. . . . 

 1907-s. . . . 

 190S-9. . . . 

 1909-10. . . 

 1910-11 . . . 

 1911-12. . . 

 1912-13... 

 1913-14... 



St. Paul. 



Blue. White. Total, 



"525 



336 

 213 

 "B 

 256 

 214 

 149 



=45 

 JS5 

 163 

 228 

 IS 

 31 



149 



131 

 109 

 143 



ISO 



37 

 27 



36 



S2S 



m 

 373 

 240 



8 

 274 

 223 

 167 



m 



273 

 156 

 170 

 238 



St. George. 



Blue. White. Total 



928 



5S7 



.33 



d : 



lb) 



(6) 



(6) 



<l8s 

 ISI 

 136 

 173 

 17s 



'^33 



•^497 



'346 



'386 



'418 



C441 



<^246 



C511 



486 



263 



468 



366 



438 



367 



212 



240 



275 



262 



106 



793 



m 



928 



33 

 497 

 346 

 386 

 418 

 441 

 246 



SII 

 SOI 



272 

 480 



374 

 446 

 377 

 222 

 241 

 277 

 263 

 107 



Pribilof Islands. 



Blue. White. Total, 



1,31s 



1,264 



770 



8 



C289 



'=711 



'495 



■^386 



C663 



'596 



''409 



'739 



501 



293 



468 



366 



438 



367 



361 



371 



384 



40s 



256 



37 



41 



46 



31 

 26 



1.318 



1.301 

 811 

 "S 

 307 

 720 

 SI3 

 386 

 691 

 S97 

 416 

 749 

 521 

 30S 

 480 

 374 

 446 

 377 

 407 

 392 

 413 

 436 

 282 



a Including lo pairs blue foxes sold for breeding purposes. 



b No trapping done. 



' Including a few white foxes. 



<1 From Otter Island; none taken on St, Paul, 



« Including 19 blue and 1 white from Otter Island, 



It will be noticed that a few skins have been taken on Otter Island. In former 

 years this island, situated about 6 miles southward from St. Paul, maintained a con- 

 siderable herd of foxes. In December, 1875, according to the St. Paul records, 60 

 foxes were taken. In December, 1894, a trapping party took 8 foxes and was supposed 

 to have depopulated the island. No more appear to have been taken there until the 

 winter of 1904-5, when 33 were killed. In December, 1909, 19 blue foxes and i white 

 one were taken there. 



During our visit to Otter Island in July, 1914, we looked carefully for foxes, but 

 saw no traces. This island has large colonies of breeding birds and would support a 

 good number of foxes during the summer, but the natural supply of food in winter is 

 apparently not sufficient. In former times a few fur seals bred there, and the bachelors 

 hauled out in some numbers. Although none seem to have been killed there, the animals 

 dying from natural causes may have afforded some food, which, added to what was 

 obtainable on the beaches, permitted numbers of the foxes to survive the winter. That 

 they were never in a prosperous condition is indicated by the fact that the skins taken 

 there have always been reported as inferior. Unless seals should again resort to Otter 

 Island in numbers sufficient to warrant killing for the skins, so that winter provision 

 could be supplied, it will probably be unwise to encourage the foxes to increase there. 

 Although there are none there at present, a few are likely to reach there from St. Paul 

 whenever the pack ice occurs in quantity. 



