114 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



ing the age when they are self-supporting. This seems to be especially desirable at 

 Northeast Point, which is very suitable as a breeding ground for foxes, but which 

 has no important bird rookeries. When the killing of seals on a commercial basis is 

 resumed, the refuse from the killing fields may be sufficient for this purpose. Careful 

 observations regarding the needs of the young foxes during the summer are needed. 



On St. George Island the foxes are more numerous and more generally distributed 

 than on St. Paul because of the extensive bird rookeries, which occupy about one-half 

 of the shore line, and the many square miles of the interior where innumerable auklets 

 raise their young; but since the same topographic features which determine the dis- 

 tribution of the birds, and in turn that of the foxes, limit the seals to a few scattered 

 areas, probably not more than half the foxes have their homes near the hauling grounds. 

 Still the comparatively small size of the island makes it possible for most of the animals 

 to reach easily some place where seals might be killed. Owing to the limited number 

 and small size of the hauling grounds and the difficult nature of the ground, it will 

 probably never be feasible to develop as complete a system of transportation on St. 

 George as is necessary for St. Paul, but such improvements should be made as will 

 render Staraya Artel, Zapadni, and East Rookeries more accessible. This will permit 

 arrangements to be installed at these places for the feeding and trapping of foxes. The 

 remaining place where feeding seems to be desirable is Garden Cove. This place is one 

 of the few possible landing places and is often the only one feasible. At present it is 

 connected with St. George village only by a foot trail. If a wagon road were built it 

 would be possible at times to utilize Garden Cove to good advantage as a landing place 

 for supplies, and the food necessary for maintaining a foxing station could be easily 

 transported. Failing the construction of a wagon road, the food could be taken there 

 by boat at some favorable time in the summer. 



Reserves for breeding. — With improved methods of feeding and capturing the foxes, 

 enlarged opportunities for selecting and reserving a sufficient number of animals fit for 

 breeders will be possible, since a larger proportion of the entire herd may be handled. 

 The standards governing the selection of animals for reservation, as practiced in the 

 past, seem to call for no criticism, and if the methods of feeding and capturing the foxes 

 be improved and carried into effect on both islands a marked advance in the effective 

 strength of the herds should soon be apparent. 



Elimination of white foxes. — As before stated, the blue foxes, though representing an 

 abnonnal state, are so predominant on the Pribilof Islands as to be practically the 

 normal condition. Owing to their greater value, it is desirable that they form as large 

 a percentage as possible of the herd, and the elimination of the white element as far as 

 practicable is therefore important. This fact has long been recognized, and ever since 

 selective trapping on St. George Island has been practiced all white ones caught have 

 been killed. The result has been that the number of white ones now found there is almost 

 negligible. During the last lo years St. George Island has produced 3,560 foxes, only 

 88 of which have been white; during the last four years out of 888 foxes only 5 have 

 been recorded as white. 



On St. Paul, v/here the attempt to eliminate the white element has been prosecuted 

 only in a half-hearted way during the past five years, the proportion of white is much 

 larger. In the last five years out of 830 foxes taken for fur on St. Paul 148 have been 

 white. The proportion from year to year has not varied greatly. 



