94 EXPEDITION TO POINT MA1M5OW, ALASKA. 



that is left nut over night must be cari-fullv eovercd up with slabs of snow or it will be soon eaten 

 by the foxes. 



A good many of them arc caught by the Eskimos, either with steel traps or ' tigure-of-lbur"' 

 traps of their own Construction. In using a steel trap they do not bail the trap itself, but place 

 tin- bait in a little house made of slabs of snow. The trap is set and carefully buried in the snow 

 at the doorway of the house so that the fox must step 0:1 it in his endeavors to reach the bait. 



They build a similar house for their "deadfall" or " lignre ot -fotn " trap, and arrange, the log 

 above the door of the house so the fox brings it down across his back \vlren he reaches in for tlio 

 meat. 



The trader obtained a large number of White Fox skins, mostly in line condition with very 

 heavy thick fur. Out of the number there were two or three in the "blue." condition, also heavy 

 winter skins. 



The summer pelage seems to be completely assumed by the middle of .Inly. A female shot 

 close to the station, July S. ISsj, had the brown summer coat very short and thin, with bunches 

 of white fur still adhering to it, and a i'ew scattered white, hairs still remaining:. She was very 

 thin and dirty, and about as miserable a looking- creature as could well be imagined. 



In 1883, a female in nearly the, same pelage was taken at Woody Inlet with IHT two blind 

 cubs, about the si/e of new-born kittens. They were the color of a Maltese cat. 



Theywere very rarely seen after the middle of July until well into October, -when th;-\ became 

 quite plenty and by that time had again become completely white. 



Their tracks were occasionally seen out on the sea-ice, where they had wandered, perhaps in 

 the hopes of pickings of seal oftal, after some bear, or perhaps in pursuit of stray lemmings or 

 ptarmigans, that every now and then get out upon the ice. 



4. GULO LUSCUS (Linn.) J. Sab. 

 Wol.YKKINP, (Ka'hu: 



The Wolverine was never seen by any of our parties nor reported by the natives. Wolverine- 

 skins, however, are very plenty among the Eskimos, and highly valued for trimmings. The tail 

 is especially sought for as an ornament to be worn at the back of the belt. 



All these skins are brought from the interior, and are generally obtained by trading, 



5. PUTORIUS ERMINEA (Linn.) Griff. 

 ElJMIXK ! '!'(> iu). 



Skins of Ermines, both in summer and winter pelage, are common among the natives, and 

 are occasionally worn as trimmings or amulets. During the winter their tracks and droppings 

 were occasionally to be seen on the tundra. An adult male in full summer pelage was .shot close- 

 to the station early on the morning of July 1(5, l.ss:!. 



6. URSUS ARCTOS ? 



BEAK . (A'kqlal'}. 



There is a brown bear in the interior, of which we were unable to secure a specimen, and 

 which is probably Richardson's " Barren-Ground Bear". The natives had several more or less 

 mutilated skins, which in color closely resembled the cinnamon bear 



The Kskiinos say that the "land bear" is abundant during the summer in the neighborhood 

 of Meade River. 



7. URSUS MARITIMUS Linn 



POI.AK BEAU (Xfi'ini). 



I'olar hears are by no means so abundant about Point Barrow as might be expected, and 

 they appear to contine themselves almost entirely to the ice -Held at some distance from the shore, 

 only coming in to the laud when diiven by hunger. During the whole of our stay at the station 



