212 ECONOMIC MAMMALOGY 



Wolverenes have been known to kill deer and caribou and to attack 

 even moose. 34 In Labrador they subsist largely upon mice, and during 

 periods of mouse abundance they are found to be "full of mice." 35 



Subfamily Lutrinac THE OTTERS. 



The land otters (Lutra) are larger and their furs more valuable than 

 most of the Mustelidae. In 1908 the pelts were worth from $10 to $20, 

 in 1912 from $30 to $40. In 1923-1924 the average price in Canada was 

 $30.70, but during the boom of 1920 the best skins brought $io5. 36 

 They feed chiefly upon fish, mostly the more sluggish species, but also 

 take crayfish, frogs and clams. 37 One stomach contained the head of a 

 mallard. 38 



Subfamily Enhydrinae SEA OTTERS. 



The sea otter of the North Pacific (Enhydra lutris lutris) was once 

 very abundant, but is now on the verge of extinction. Seton gives many 

 details of the destruction of these animals, with a bibliography, and 

 says that restrictions were placed upon killing them, on July 7, 1911, 

 by treaty between the United States, Great Britain, Japan and Russia. 39 

 At the time of the discovery of Pribilof Islands these animals were there 

 in great numbers. During the first year (1787) 5000 were taken on 

 St. Paul Island by two sailors, the next year only 1000, and six years 

 later they were practically gone, though there is one record for this 

 island as recently as I9I4. 40 Shellikou's first visit to Cook Inlet netted 

 3000 skins, next season 2000, third season 800, fourth season 600, and 

 in 1812 only 100. Russians in 1794 took 2000 at the Gulf of Yakutat, 

 and in 1799 less than 300. In 1804 Baranov had 15,000 sea otter skins 

 from Alaska in one cargo, worth $i,5oo,ooo. 41 



During the palmy days of sea otter hunting the skins were sold by 

 hundreds of thousands, according to Laut, one cargo having sold for 



^Grinnell (G.B.), As to wolverenes, Journ. Mammalogy, i, 182-184, 1920. Keele, 

 Forest and Stream, LXXI, 971. Hunter, Canadian Indian wilds, p. 150, 1907. Anthony, 

 Field book North American mammals, pp. 113-114, 1928. 



35 Cabot, Labrador, as cited in Journ. Mammalogy, in, 56-57, 1922. 



36 Jones, Fur farming in Canada, pp. 80-85, T 9 T 3- Seton, Lives of game animals, 

 n, Part 2, pp. 672-709, 1929. 



37 Bailey, N. Amer. Fauna, No. 49, p. 179, 1926. Seton, Lives of game animals, n, 

 Part 2, pp. 672-709, 1929. 



38 Merriam, North Amer. Fauna, No. 5, p. 82, 1891. 



39 Seton, Lives of game animals, n, Part 2, pp. 641-670, 1929. 



40 Preble, Mammals of the Pribilof Islands, N. Amer. Fauna, No. 46, pp. 102-128, 

 1923. 



41 Elliott, the sea otter fishery. The Fisheries and Fisheries Industries of the 

 U.S., Sec. v, Vol. 2, pp. 483-491, 1887. 



