﻿GENERAL 
  ADMINISTEATIVE 
  REPORT. 
  33 
  

  

  1913 
  the 
  track 
  of 
  only 
  one 
  fox 
  was 
  observed. 
  Only 
  one 
  fox 
  was 
  

   captured 
  in 
  the 
  previous 
  winter. 
  In 
  view 
  of 
  these 
  facts 
  the 
  Depart- 
  

   ment, 
  on 
  October 
  29, 
  issued 
  an 
  order 
  establishing 
  a 
  close 
  period 
  

   for 
  foxes 
  in 
  the 
  Afognak 
  Reservation 
  until 
  November 
  16, 
  1918. 
  The 
  

   order 
  is 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  REGULATIONS 
  FOR 
  THE 
  PROTECTION 
  OP 
  FUR-BEARING 
  ANIMALS 
  IN 
  THE 
  AFOGNAK 
  

  

  RESERVATION, 
  ALASKA. 
  

  

  [Department 
  Circular 
  No. 
  252, 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries, 
  Alaska 
  Fisheries 
  Service.) 
  

  

  To 
  whom 
  it 
  may 
  concern: 
  

  

  On 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  scarcity 
  of 
  foxes 
  and 
  land 
  otters 
  in 
  the 
  Afognak 
  Reservation, 
  

   caused 
  largely 
  by 
  the 
  recent 
  volcanic 
  acti\ities 
  in 
  that 
  region, 
  it 
  is 
  hereby 
  ordered 
  

   that 
  the 
  pursuit, 
  capture, 
  or 
  killing 
  of 
  foxes 
  in 
  the 
  Afognak 
  Reservation 
  shall 
  be 
  

   unlawful 
  until 
  November 
  16, 
  1918, 
  and 
  the 
  pursuit, 
  capture, 
  or 
  killing 
  of 
  land 
  otter 
  

   in 
  the 
  Afognak 
  Reservation 
  shall 
  be 
  unlawful 
  until 
  November 
  16, 
  1915. 
  

  

  William 
  C. 
  Redfield, 
  

  

  Secretary. 
  

  

  The 
  mating 
  season 
  for 
  the 
  foxes 
  in 
  the 
  Afognak 
  region 
  begins 
  in 
  

   March 
  and 
  the 
  young 
  are 
  born 
  in 
  May 
  or 
  late 
  April. 
  The 
  dens 
  are 
  

   usually 
  under 
  roots 
  of 
  trees 
  or 
  in 
  holes 
  or 
  crevices 
  in 
  the 
  rocks, 
  

   wherever 
  suitable 
  openings 
  can 
  be 
  found. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  young 
  

   may 
  vary 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  14, 
  the 
  average 
  being 
  6 
  or 
  7. 
  One 
  fox 
  was 
  killed 
  

   at 
  Uganik 
  that 
  contained 
  11 
  unborn 
  young. 
  One 
  was 
  killed 
  on 
  Long 
  

   Island 
  that 
  carried 
  14 
  young. 
  The 
  natural 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  foxes 
  in 
  this 
  

   region 
  consists 
  of 
  fish, 
  birds, 
  small 
  mammals, 
  moUusks, 
  sand 
  fleas, 
  

   and 
  other 
  crustaceans, 
  and 
  such 
  other 
  animal 
  material 
  as 
  can 
  be 
  

   picked 
  up 
  along 
  the 
  shore. 
  They 
  doubtless 
  are 
  quite 
  destructive 
  to 
  

   ptarmigan 
  and 
  other 
  ground 
  nesting 
  birds 
  and 
  to 
  shrews, 
  mice, 
  and 
  

   other 
  small 
  mammals. 
  They 
  will 
  eat 
  almost 
  any 
  kind 
  of 
  meat, 
  and 
  

   no 
  inconsiderable 
  portion 
  of 
  their 
  food 
  is 
  furnished 
  by 
  the 
  carcasses 
  

   of 
  various 
  marine 
  animals 
  which 
  wash 
  up 
  on 
  shore. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  

   an 
  experiment 
  was 
  conducted 
  by 
  the 
  Semidi 
  Propagating 
  Co. 
  for 
  the 
  

   purpose 
  of 
  determining 
  the 
  best 
  artificial 
  food. 
  They 
  tried 
  various 
  

   kinds, 
  weighing 
  the 
  food 
  and 
  the 
  foxes 
  daily, 
  and 
  reached 
  the 
  con- 
  

   clusion 
  that 
  dried 
  fish 
  is 
  the 
  best 
  artificial 
  food. 
  It 
  is 
  generally 
  

   believed 
  that 
  the 
  female 
  carries 
  food 
  to 
  the 
  young, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  male 
  

   will 
  kill 
  and 
  eat 
  the 
  young 
  when 
  food 
  is 
  scarce. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  enemies 
  of 
  the 
  foxes, 
  eagles 
  are 
  perhaps 
  the 
  worst. 
  

   Next 
  to 
  them 
  come 
  ravens 
  and 
  sea 
  gulls. 
  When 
  the 
  young 
  foxes 
  are 
  

   from 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  to 
  a 
  few 
  weeks 
  old, 
  and 
  begin 
  to 
  play 
  about 
  their 
  

   burrows, 
  the 
  eagles 
  and 
  ravens 
  swoop 
  down 
  upon 
  them 
  and 
  carry 
  

   them 
  off 
  to 
  eat 
  or 
  feed 
  to 
  their 
  young. 
  Even 
  the 
  large 
  sea 
  gulls 
  mil 
  

   sometimes 
  pick 
  up 
  young 
  foxes 
  and 
  carry 
  them 
  off. 
  Mr. 
  S. 
  Apple- 
  

   gate, 
  who 
  has 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  operated 
  a 
  fox 
  farm 
  on 
  Samalga 
  Island, 
  

   is 
  of 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  the 
  natural 
  mortahty 
  among 
  young 
  foxes 
  is 
  

   65 
  to 
  75 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  