﻿GENERAL 
  ADMINISTEATIVE 
  REPORT. 
  23 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  foxes 
  were 
  killed 
  in 
  1901, 
  and 
  up 
  to 
  and 
  including 
  1912 
  the 
  

   total 
  number 
  killed 
  has 
  been 
  570. 
  During 
  this 
  period 
  of 
  12 
  years, 
  3 
  

   years 
  were 
  allowed 
  to 
  pass 
  without 
  any 
  killing, 
  as 
  the 
  natives 
  reported 
  

   that 
  the 
  animals 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  scarce. 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  killing 
  in 
  the 
  

   winter 
  of 
  1911-12 
  there 
  were 
  more 
  foxes 
  on 
  the 
  island 
  than 
  usual, 
  and 
  

   instructions 
  were 
  left 
  with 
  the 
  natives 
  to 
  take 
  up 
  to 
  100 
  skins 
  at 
  the 
  

   next 
  season's 
  killing, 
  if 
  they 
  thought 
  it 
  safe. 
  Of 
  the 
  570 
  skins 
  taken 
  

   in 
  the 
  12 
  years 
  referred 
  to, 
  546 
  were 
  marketed. 
  

  

  The 
  price 
  of 
  the 
  fur 
  fluctuates 
  from 
  season 
  to 
  season 
  and 
  depends 
  

   upon 
  the 
  demand, 
  which 
  is 
  determined 
  by 
  the 
  prevaihng 
  fashion. 
  

   The 
  average 
  price 
  of 
  fox 
  skins 
  from 
  Samalga 
  for 
  the 
  12 
  years 
  ending 
  

   with 
  1912 
  is 
  nearly 
  $47, 
  gross. 
  The 
  average 
  price 
  per 
  year 
  has 
  ranged 
  

   all 
  the 
  way 
  from 
  $22.48 
  in 
  1901 
  to 
  $72.18 
  in 
  1912. 
  Thus 
  the 
  gross 
  

   return 
  has 
  been 
  approximately 
  $25,000. 
  

  

  As 
  to 
  conditions 
  upon 
  the 
  island 
  and 
  the 
  breeding 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  

   foxes, 
  JVIr. 
  Applegate 
  states 
  it 
  as 
  his 
  opinion 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  first 
  two 
  

   or 
  three 
  years 
  they 
  increase 
  at 
  a 
  rapid 
  rate, 
  but 
  after 
  that 
  the 
  rate 
  is 
  

   very 
  slow. 
  Litters 
  run 
  all 
  the 
  way 
  from 
  4 
  to 
  14, 
  with 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  

   about 
  8 
  at 
  a 
  birth. 
  Casualties 
  are 
  high, 
  it 
  being 
  estimated 
  that 
  on 
  

   the 
  average 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  two 
  foxes 
  from 
  a 
  litter 
  reach 
  maturity. 
  It 
  

   is 
  more 
  likely 
  less 
  than 
  two. 
  Mr. 
  Applegate 
  thinks 
  in 
  this 
  connection 
  

   that 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  matured 
  vixens 
  may 
  prove 
  to 
  be 
  wholly 
  sterile, 
  or 
  

   perhaps 
  bear 
  young 
  only 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  time. 
  This 
  peculiarity, 
  he 
  states 
  

   has 
  been 
  observed 
  for 
  some 
  years 
  past 
  by 
  fox 
  breeders 
  who 
  make 
  a 
  

   specialty 
  of 
  raising 
  silver 
  foxes, 
  and 
  doubtless 
  it 
  holds 
  good 
  with 
  blue 
  

   foxes, 
  and 
  in 
  fact 
  with 
  all 
  foxes, 
  even 
  in 
  a 
  wild 
  state. 
  

  

  Samalga 
  Island 
  has 
  always 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  well 
  adapted 
  to 
  foxes, 
  

   which 
  have 
  the 
  freedom 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  island, 
  plenty 
  of 
  natural 
  food, 
  

   and 
  nothing 
  to 
  disturb 
  them 
  but 
  the 
  birds; 
  yet 
  it 
  has 
  seemed 
  

   unsafe 
  to 
  take 
  more 
  than 
  50 
  or 
  60 
  pelts 
  a 
  season. 
  The 
  princi- 
  

   pal 
  loss 
  is 
  caused 
  by 
  eagles, 
  and 
  to 
  a 
  less 
  degi*ee 
  by 
  ravens 
  and 
  even 
  

   large 
  sea 
  gulls. 
  While 
  the 
  young 
  foxes 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  or 
  a 
  few 
  weeks 
  old 
  

   are 
  playing 
  outside 
  their 
  burrows 
  they 
  fall 
  easy 
  prey 
  to 
  eagles 
  and 
  

   ravens. 
  The 
  natives 
  say 
  that 
  when 
  they 
  find 
  an 
  eagle's 
  nest 
  in 
  the 
  

   vicinity 
  of 
  an 
  island 
  inhabited 
  by 
  foxes, 
  the 
  nest 
  is 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  little 
  fox 
  

   bones. 
  Mr. 
  Applegate 
  has 
  paid 
  a 
  bounty 
  of 
  25 
  cents 
  to 
  natives 
  for 
  

   each 
  eagle 
  Idlled. 
  From 
  1907 
  to 
  1911 
  they 
  killed 
  583 
  eagles. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  occasionally 
  a 
  mother 
  fox 
  will 
  abandon 
  her 
  young 
  

   when 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  old 
  and 
  they 
  die 
  of 
  starvation. 
  On 
  Samalga 
  Island 
  an 
  

   entire 
  Utter 
  of 
  very 
  small 
  foxes 
  has 
  been 
  seen 
  lying 
  in 
  a 
  heap 
  all 
  dead, 
  

   possibly 
  abandoned 
  by 
  the 
  old 
  one, 
  but 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  more 
  reason- 
  

   able 
  that 
  the 
  mother 
  fox 
  had 
  lost 
  her 
  life 
  and 
  the 
  young 
  were 
  thus 
  

   left 
  to 
  perish. 
  It 
  is 
  further 
  averred 
  that 
  most 
  female 
  foxes 
  if 
  they 
  

   get 
  a 
  good 
  chance 
  will 
  kill 
  the 
  young 
  of 
  other 
  females, 
  especially 
  when 
  

   the 
  young 
  are 
  very 
  small. 
  

  

  