﻿32 
  ALASKA 
  FISHERIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES, 
  1913. 
  

  

  of 
  six 
  young 
  in 
  a 
  litter. 
  The 
  young 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  follow 
  the 
  mother, 
  

   often 
  traveling 
  great 
  distances, 
  even 
  crossing 
  Shelikof 
  Straits. 
  

  

  Considerable 
  divergence 
  of 
  opinion 
  exists 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  period 
  during 
  

   which 
  the 
  pelts 
  are 
  prime. 
  One 
  person 
  says 
  from 
  November 
  1 
  to 
  

   April 
  1; 
  another, 
  November 
  16 
  to 
  April 
  1; 
  another, 
  November 
  1 
  to 
  

   March 
  1; 
  another, 
  December 
  1 
  to 
  March 
  1; 
  while 
  another 
  says 
  only 
  

   in 
  the 
  winter 
  months, 
  December, 
  January, 
  and 
  February. 
  One 
  

   dealer 
  states 
  that 
  when 
  trapping 
  began 
  in 
  October 
  the 
  percentage 
  

   c^ 
  unprime 
  skins 
  was 
  very 
  high. 
  

  

  The 
  land 
  otters 
  were 
  very 
  seriously 
  affected 
  by 
  the 
  volcanic 
  ash 
  

   thrown 
  out 
  by 
  Katmai 
  Volcano 
  in 
  the 
  eruption 
  of 
  June, 
  1912. 
  So 
  

   seriously 
  were 
  they 
  injured 
  that 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  skins 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  \\inter 
  

   of 
  1912-13 
  were 
  worthless. 
  Just 
  how 
  the 
  ash 
  affected 
  the 
  fur 
  is 
  

   not 
  fully 
  understood. 
  The 
  fur 
  looks 
  as 
  if 
  the 
  animal 
  had 
  been 
  sheared 
  

   and 
  the 
  little 
  fur 
  remaining 
  is 
  matted 
  and 
  tangled 
  like 
  sheep's 
  wool. 
  

   The 
  only 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  pelt 
  not 
  seriously 
  affected 
  is 
  a 
  narrow 
  strip 
  

   along 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  back. 
  The 
  parts 
  most 
  affected 
  are 
  the 
  belly 
  

   and 
  the 
  lower 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  sides, 
  which 
  suggests 
  that 
  the 
  injury 
  was 
  

   caused 
  by 
  the 
  cutting 
  of 
  the 
  volcanic 
  ash 
  when 
  the 
  animal 
  was 
  travel- 
  

   ing 
  tlirough 
  or 
  sliding 
  over 
  it. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Ball 
  that 
  the 
  

   injury 
  done 
  to 
  the 
  land 
  otters 
  of 
  that 
  region 
  by 
  the 
  volcanic 
  ash 
  is 
  

   very 
  serious. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  skins 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  following 
  the 
  

   eruption 
  were 
  worthless 
  as 
  fur, 
  while 
  all 
  showed 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  wear 
  

   which 
  was 
  believed 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  ash. 
  

  

  In 
  view 
  of 
  these 
  facts 
  and 
  upon 
  the 
  recommendation 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Ball, 
  

   the 
  Department, 
  on 
  October 
  29, 
  1913, 
  issued 
  an 
  order 
  establishing 
  

   a 
  closed 
  period 
  for 
  land 
  otters 
  in 
  the 
  Afognak 
  Reservation 
  until 
  

   November 
  16, 
  1915. 
  

  

  Fox. 
  — 
  In 
  the 
  Afognak 
  region 
  foxes 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  most 
  abundant 
  

   on 
  Kodiak 
  Island, 
  though 
  they 
  occur 
  in 
  some 
  numbers 
  on 
  Afognak 
  

   and 
  neighboring 
  islands. 
  They 
  were 
  formerly 
  common 
  on 
  Shuyak 
  

   Island, 
  but 
  all 
  were 
  poisoned 
  about 
  5 
  years 
  ago 
  and 
  probably 
  none 
  

   is 
  found 
  there 
  now. 
  The 
  common 
  fox 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  is, 
  of 
  course, 
  the 
  

   red 
  fox, 
  wdth 
  a 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  color 
  phases 
  known 
  as 
  

   silver, 
  cross, 
  and 
  creole 
  foxes. 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  opinion 
  is 
  that 
  foxes 
  are 
  becoming 
  scarce 
  on 
  these 
  

   islands. 
  The 
  silver 
  fox 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  rare 
  and 
  the 
  cross 
  scarce. 
  

  

  The 
  volcanic 
  eruption 
  already 
  referred 
  to 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  affected 
  

   the 
  foxes 
  seriously. 
  Perhaps 
  half 
  the 
  skins 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  

   1912-13 
  showed 
  spots 
  about 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  a 
  man's 
  hand 
  just 
  over 
  the 
  

   rump, 
  where 
  the 
  fur 
  was 
  much 
  worn. 
  Practically 
  all 
  the 
  skins 
  so 
  

   injured 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  of 
  Kodiak 
  Island. 
  The 
  

   injury 
  to 
  the 
  skins 
  was 
  so 
  great 
  as 
  to 
  seriously 
  impair 
  their 
  value. 
  

  

  The 
  foxes 
  on 
  Afognak 
  Island 
  were 
  nearly 
  all 
  exterminated. 
  In 
  

   extended 
  trips 
  over 
  the 
  island 
  made 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Ball 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  

  

  