128 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



to maintain small herds of sheep on both islands is one that may well merit careful 

 study. 



Swine. — For many years swine have been kept by the natives on both islands. 

 The well-known omnivorous propensities of the animals enable them to pick up an easy 

 living during the summer, as they usually have the run of the villages and the neigh- 

 boring fields, where they secure a variety of vegetable food. The near-by killing fields 

 are also drawn upon for a part of their subsistence. No prejudice against pork pro- 

 duced from a diet of seal offal seems to have arisen in the minds of the natives, and 

 perhaps has no just grounds for existence. 



There seems to be no valid objection to the raising of a limited number of pigs by 

 the natives, but the careless habits of the people and the crowded nature of the villages 

 tend to undesirable conditions with this industry unless there is very strict supervision. 



Cats. — These animals were early introduced on both islands and have thrived. 

 They seem to have been ineffective in reducing the numbers of house mice which here, 

 as elsewhere, are a great pest. No apparent benefit has resulted from the presence of 

 the felines, nor has any particular harm been apparent, excepting the annoyance which 

 always accompanies the presence of large numbers of cats. 



Poultry. — The Government, as well as many native families on both islands, have 

 flocks of fowls which furnish their owners with a fair supply of eggs. Owing to the 

 length and severity of the winter, against which no adequate protection is provided, it 

 follows that the productivity of the fowls during the colder season is very limited. 

 Many of the natives are obliged at this season to house their poultry in the attics of 

 their own crowded homes, with results that maj' be imagined. 



The establishment of a large poultry house to be used by the community has been 

 suggested. The large amount of animal food which will be available when seal killing 

 on a commercial scale is resumed, would greatly simplify the problem of the main- 

 tenance of a good sized flock, and with proper arrangements for the care of the fowls 

 and the equitable distribution of the product it is evident that a large stock of poultry 

 could be kept at slight expense. The project seems well worth consideration. 



WILD ANIMALS. 



Hares and rabbits. — The introduction of hares, jack rabbits, cottontail rabbits and 

 Arctic hares have at various times been recommended as a source of food supply for 

 the foxes. On one occasion several years ago a number of jack rabbits from Kansas 

 were shipped, but they died on the voyage. 



It is not believed that the introduction of either hares or rabbits would ever prove 

 of any benefit to the foxes. The great number of foxes would make it very difficult to 

 establish a colony of rabbits of any species. Furthermore, it is not believed that the 

 winter climate of the Pribilofs, coupled with the meager food supply at that season, 

 would favor the existence of any species excepting the Arctic hare. This animal is 

 able to withstand conditions even more severe than those found on the Pribilofs, but 

 even under the most favorable conditions never becomes really abundant, although 

 occasionally a number of individuals, driven by stress of circumstances, may con- 

 gregate in a particularly favorable place. The Arctic hare requires for its winter food 

 an abundance of willow. Several species of these shrubs occur in a dwarfed condition 

 on the Pribilofs, but the supply is by no means abundant. The cost of procuring a 



