﻿160 
  ALASKA 
  FISHERIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES, 
  1913. 
  

  

  foxes 
  with 
  enough 
  food 
  to 
  keep 
  them 
  from 
  starving. 
  Previous 
  to 
  

   1904, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  seals 
  killed 
  each 
  fall, 
  whose 
  carcasses 
  were 
  

   allowed 
  to 
  remain 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  provided 
  ample 
  food 
  for 
  the 
  foxes, 
  

   but 
  as 
  the 
  killings 
  decreased 
  this 
  food 
  gradually 
  became 
  less 
  and 
  

   less, 
  until 
  it 
  became 
  necessary 
  to 
  preserve 
  food 
  in 
  silos 
  to 
  carry 
  the 
  

   fox 
  herd 
  through 
  the 
  winter. 
  At 
  that 
  time 
  the 
  lessee 
  was 
  required 
  

   to 
  furnish 
  each 
  year 
  12 
  tons 
  of 
  dried 
  or 
  salted 
  fish, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  

   seal 
  carcasses 
  preserved. 
  Last 
  year 
  the 
  fox 
  herd 
  on 
  St. 
  George 
  alone 
  

   consumed 
  12 
  tons 
  of 
  salted 
  whale 
  meat 
  and 
  10^ 
  tons 
  of 
  salt 
  salmon, 
  

   in 
  addition 
  to 
  what 
  they 
  could 
  get 
  from 
  the 
  refuse 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  car- 
  

   casses 
  left 
  on 
  the 
  kilhng 
  grounds 
  and 
  the 
  birds, 
  fish, 
  and 
  other 
  food 
  

   they 
  could 
  get 
  by 
  hunting 
  and 
  combing 
  the 
  beaches. 
  The 
  salted 
  food 
  

   was 
  put 
  out 
  at 
  the 
  fox 
  trap 
  and 
  none 
  was 
  wasted. 
  In 
  the 
  absence 
  

   of 
  this 
  food 
  the 
  foxes 
  will 
  starve 
  to 
  death. 
  

  

  THE 
  FOX 
  HERD. 
  

   ST. 
  PAUL 
  ISLAND. 
  

  

  Fox 
  trapping 
  was 
  allowed 
  on 
  St. 
  Paul 
  Island 
  for 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  six 
  

   days, 
  from 
  December 
  2 
  to 
  7, 
  1912, 
  as 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  which 
  143 
  blue 
  

   and 
  30 
  white 
  fox 
  skins 
  were 
  secured. 
  These 
  were 
  shipped 
  in 
  tight 
  

   casks 
  on 
  the 
  Homer 
  to 
  San 
  Francisco 
  and 
  there 
  consigned 
  by 
  freight 
  

   to 
  Funsten 
  Bros, 
  & 
  Co., 
  St. 
  Louis, 
  as 
  directed 
  by 
  the 
  Department. 
  

  

  The 
  two 
  localities 
  on 
  St. 
  Paul 
  in 
  which 
  foxes 
  are. 
  most 
  numerous 
  

   are 
  those 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  greatest 
  number 
  of 
  seals 
  have 
  been 
  killed. 
  

   These 
  are 
  North 
  East 
  Point 
  and 
  the 
  village. 
  The 
  fox-trapping 
  

   locality 
  next 
  in 
  importance 
  is 
  Southwest 
  Bay, 
  which 
  contains 
  the 
  

   Zapadni 
  rookeries 
  and 
  killing 
  ground. 
  Foxes 
  are 
  least 
  numerous 
  

   where 
  seals 
  are 
  not 
  present 
  at 
  all 
  and 
  where 
  the 
  foxes 
  exist 
  on 
  bnds, 
  

   beach 
  food, 
  and 
  various 
  vegetable 
  matter. 
  

  

  No 
  reliable 
  method 
  of 
  ascertaining 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  foxes 
  remaining 
  

   on 
  St. 
  Paul 
  at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  trapping 
  can 
  be 
  used. 
  That 
  many 
  

   survived 
  the 
  trapping 
  season, 
  however, 
  is 
  loiown. 
  From 
  those 
  

   actually 
  observed 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  fox 
  tracks 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  snow 
  it 
  could 
  

   almost 
  be 
  beUeved 
  that 
  the 
  trapping 
  made 
  no 
  appreciable 
  impression 
  

   upon 
  the 
  number 
  in 
  the 
  whole 
  herd. 
  The 
  following 
  summer 
  (1913) 
  

   foxes, 
  both 
  young 
  and 
  old, 
  could 
  be 
  seen 
  anywhere 
  in 
  plenty 
  and, 
  if 
  

   anything, 
  more 
  numerous 
  than 
  before. 
  

  

  The 
  St. 
  Paul 
  foxes 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  no 
  lack 
  of 
  food 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  

   winter. 
  With 
  one 
  exception 
  all 
  foxes 
  taken 
  at 
  the 
  village 
  were 
  well 
  

   supplied 
  with 
  fat, 
  and 
  that 
  animal 
  was 
  suffering 
  from 
  severe 
  ulcers 
  

   on 
  the 
  stomach 
  — 
  outside 
  lining. 
  Nearly 
  all 
  had 
  full 
  stomachs 
  when 
  

   captured. 
  The 
  winter, 
  however, 
  was 
  unusually 
  mild 
  and 
  open, 
  with 
  

   little 
  snow, 
  giving 
  the 
  foxes 
  exceptional 
  opportunity 
  to 
  forage, 
  which 
  

   they 
  would 
  not 
  enjoy 
  under 
  usual 
  winter 
  conditions. 
  

  

  