﻿FUR-SEAL 
  SERVICE. 
  161 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1912 
  a 
  pit 
  at 
  the 
  village 
  was 
  filled 
  with 
  seal 
  

   viscera 
  and 
  the 
  bodies 
  of 
  such 
  few 
  seals 
  as 
  were 
  for 
  any 
  reason 
  objec- 
  

   tionable 
  for 
  natives' 
  food. 
  In 
  February 
  following 
  this 
  pit 
  was 
  opened 
  

   and 
  some 
  of 
  its 
  contents 
  strewn 
  about. 
  Thereafter 
  the 
  foxes 
  fre- 
  

   quented 
  this 
  hole, 
  eating 
  of 
  the 
  contents. 
  No 
  salt 
  or 
  other 
  pre- 
  

   servative 
  was 
  used 
  on 
  the 
  contents 
  of 
  this 
  pit. 
  

  

  A 
  reindeer 
  died 
  at 
  the 
  village 
  on 
  February 
  2, 
  and 
  the 
  body 
  was 
  

   consumed 
  by 
  foxes 
  in 
  several 
  days. 
  The 
  two 
  deer 
  dying 
  at 
  North 
  

   Shore 
  were 
  also 
  eaten 
  almost 
  immediately. 
  Those 
  deer 
  dying 
  in 
  the 
  

   corral 
  at 
  the 
  village 
  were 
  eaten 
  by 
  foxes 
  almost 
  before 
  the 
  bodies 
  

   could 
  be 
  found 
  by 
  the 
  herders. 
  This 
  consumption 
  of 
  fresh 
  meat 
  in 
  

   such 
  short 
  time 
  by 
  the 
  St. 
  Paul 
  foxes 
  is 
  unusual, 
  and 
  indicates 
  not 
  so 
  

   much 
  a 
  scarcity 
  of 
  food 
  as 
  an 
  unusually 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  foxes. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  1912 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  in 
  which 
  there 
  was 
  complete 
  

   absence 
  on 
  the 
  rookeries 
  of 
  the 
  bodies 
  of 
  seal 
  pups 
  dead 
  from 
  starva- 
  

   tion 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  mothers 
  being 
  killed 
  at 
  sea, 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  

   interest 
  to 
  observe 
  how 
  the 
  elimination 
  of 
  this 
  accustomed 
  food 
  

   supply 
  would 
  affect 
  the 
  foxes. 
  It 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  foxes 
  were 
  

   suffering 
  from 
  lack 
  of 
  food 
  at 
  any 
  time, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  the 
  

   unusual 
  openness 
  of 
  the 
  winter 
  compensated 
  in 
  great 
  part 
  for 
  the 
  

   absence 
  of 
  dead 
  pups. 
  Had 
  the 
  winter 
  been 
  severe 
  and 
  the 
  beaches 
  

   piled 
  high 
  with 
  the 
  usual 
  ice 
  barricade 
  (which 
  was 
  wholly 
  absent 
  last 
  

   winter) 
  the 
  foxes 
  undoubtedly 
  would 
  have 
  suffered 
  from 
  lack 
  of 
  food. 
  

  

  ST. 
  GEORGE 
  ISLAND. 
  

  

  On 
  St. 
  George 
  Island 
  fox 
  trapping 
  began 
  on 
  the 
  night 
  of 
  November 
  

   26 
  and 
  ended 
  on 
  January 
  31. 
  The 
  village 
  trap 
  was 
  used 
  21 
  nights 
  

   and 
  string 
  traps 
  were 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  village 
  three 
  days. 
  At 
  Zapadni 
  

   trapping 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  two 
  days 
  and 
  only 
  one 
  fox 
  was 
  caught. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  night 
  of 
  trapping 
  at 
  the 
  village 
  247 
  foxes 
  passed 
  through 
  

   the 
  fox-house 
  trap; 
  the 
  second 
  night 
  76, 
  the 
  third, 
  85, 
  and 
  the 
  fourth, 
  

   64. 
  Thereafter 
  the 
  number 
  varied 
  from 
  night 
  to 
  night, 
  but 
  never 
  

   equaled 
  the 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  four 
  nights. 
  The 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  

   foxes 
  killed 
  was 
  268, 
  of 
  which 
  only 
  1 
  was 
  white. 
  Five 
  of 
  these 
  skins 
  

   were 
  mangy, 
  and 
  15 
  other 
  mangy 
  skins 
  were 
  taken 
  from 
  foxes 
  found 
  

   dead, 
  making 
  20 
  mangy 
  skins 
  in 
  all, 
  which 
  were 
  shipped 
  to 
  the 
  Bureau 
  

   for 
  examination. 
  The 
  skins 
  in 
  good 
  condition 
  numbered 
  263, 
  includ- 
  

   ing 
  1 
  wliite. 
  

  

  Trapping 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  carried 
  on 
  successfully 
  every 
  night. 
  Those 
  

   branded 
  and 
  released 
  will 
  return 
  to 
  feed, 
  but 
  soon 
  become 
  "trap-shy" 
  

   and 
  will 
  not 
  reenter 
  the 
  trap, 
  although 
  all 
  sorts 
  of 
  devices 
  are 
  resorted 
  

   to 
  to 
  induce 
  them 
  to 
  do 
  so; 
  there 
  is 
  always 
  a 
  number 
  that 
  will 
  return 
  

   and 
  feed, 
  but 
  will 
  not 
  enter 
  the 
  trap. 
  

  

  Selective 
  hreeding 
  and 
  the 
  food 
  question. 
  — 
  The 
  present 
  foxing 
  methods 
  

   on 
  St. 
  George 
  Island 
  were 
  put 
  in 
  practice 
  about 
  1897. 
  The 
  method 
  

  

  