32 SEAL LIFE ON THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



attached to the shores much Jater than common. The result was that 

 food lor blue foxes became very scarce and many of them starved to 

 death. Special Agent Ziebach on St. George Island bought food in 

 such quantities as he could procure and fed to the foxes that came to 

 the village in search of food, and in this manner averted the death of 

 many that would have otherwise perished. No foxes were trapped on 

 the islands during the past winter. Orders were given to trap foxes on 

 both islands the coming winter, with the further order to kill all white 

 foxes found. This was done to prevent the intermixture of the two 

 foxes, the pure blue being much more valuable. 



Ten pairs of young blue foxes were captured on St. George Island and 

 delivered to Kudolph Neumann of Uualaska, in compliance with the 

 permission granted by the Department to Messrs. Neumann and Apple- 

 gate. Mr. Applegate having failed to call for or arrange for the pay- 

 ment of his portion of the foxes, the entire number was delivered to 

 Mr. Neumann, who paid for each fox the sum of $5.50, the 50 cents 

 being given to the natives for caring for the foxes from the date of 

 their capture to the date of delivery. The $110 received from Mr. 

 Neumann for the 20 foxes secured by him were placed to the credit of 

 the several natives on their pass books, in amounts corresponding to 

 the number of foxes taken by each. 



MARINE GUARDS. 



An armed boat's crew in charge of a lieutenant was landed on both 

 the islands about September 1, as an additional guard to prevent raids 

 on the rookeries. They were given quarters in the villages in accord- 

 ance with Department instructions. 



The service rendered by the American fleet in the patrol of Bering 

 Sea, under the command of (Japt. C. L. Hooper, was most efficient. I 

 most heartily commend the Eevenue Gutter Service as being capable 

 of performing this work, and recommend that they be given charge 

 of this work in the future. Every courtesy was extended to me so 

 that I was enabled to make frequent trips between the islands in the 

 supervision of the business thereon. 



SPECIMEN SEALS. 



In compliance with your letter of May 16, Mr. Frederick W. True, 

 curator of mammals for the United States National Museum, was per- 

 mitted to visit the seal islands and remain there throughout the sum- 

 mer, accompanied by an assistant. Every facility was given Mr. True 

 to enable him to investigate the fur seal, and to study seal life on and 

 about the islands. He was permitted to take fifteen specimen seals for 

 official Government purposes. 



Dr. Sharp, of Philadelphia, was permitted to take two specimen seals 

 for a like purpose. 



Hon. James Sheakley, governor of Alaska, on his tour of western 

 Alaska, visited the seal islands in July, in order to personally acquaint 

 himself with the true condition of the seal herd. 



C. H. Townsend, of the United States Fish Gommission, visited the 

 islands during the summer for the purpose of observing, photographing, 

 and making charts of the rookeries. 



Capt. F. J. Drake, of the United States Fish Gommission steamer 

 Albatross, spent two weeks on the islands taking observations and 

 making a plane table survey of the rookeries. 



