﻿164 
  ALASKA 
  FISHERIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES, 
  1913. 
  

  

  was 
  no 
  loss 
  that 
  could 
  be 
  attributed 
  to 
  the 
  physical 
  environiuent. 
  

   The 
  agent 
  and 
  others 
  familiar 
  with 
  St. 
  Paul 
  Island 
  believe 
  that 
  tiie 
  

   reindeer 
  moss 
  and 
  other 
  suitable 
  food 
  are 
  sufficiently 
  abundant 
  on 
  

   that 
  island 
  to 
  support 
  a 
  herd 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  1,000. 
  The 
  moss 
  on 
  St. 
  

   George 
  Island 
  is 
  thin 
  and 
  short 
  and 
  will 
  probably 
  not 
  support 
  a 
  herd 
  

   of 
  more 
  than 
  150 
  to 
  200. 
  

  

  The 
  herds 
  appear 
  to 
  require 
  no 
  special 
  care 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  

   when 
  the 
  young 
  are 
  being 
  dropped. 
  Experience 
  has 
  shown 
  that, 
  

   unless 
  cared 
  for, 
  the 
  young 
  are 
  apt 
  to 
  wander 
  away 
  and 
  into 
  holes 
  

   or 
  crevices 
  in 
  the 
  rocks 
  from 
  which 
  they 
  can 
  not 
  extricate 
  them- 
  

   selves. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  advisable 
  to 
  corral 
  the 
  does 
  and 
  to 
  give 
  

   them 
  constant 
  attention 
  during 
  the 
  period 
  when 
  the 
  young 
  are 
  being 
  

   dropped 
  and 
  until 
  the 
  fawns 
  are 
  well 
  able 
  to 
  take 
  care 
  of 
  themselves. 
  

  

  The 
  St. 
  Paul 
  herd 
  has 
  been 
  under 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  two 
  native 
  

   herders, 
  each 
  receiving 
  as 
  compensation 
  for 
  his 
  services 
  the 
  sum 
  of 
  

   $2.50 
  a 
  month. 
  These 
  herders 
  twice- 
  each 
  week 
  search 
  for 
  the 
  herd, 
  

   which 
  wanders 
  at 
  large, 
  and 
  drive 
  it 
  slowly 
  to 
  a 
  point 
  near 
  the 
  village 
  

   in 
  order 
  to 
  accustom 
  it 
  to 
  man's 
  presence 
  and 
  to 
  being 
  handled. 
  

  

  On 
  January 
  30 
  last 
  a 
  young 
  male 
  was 
  found 
  injured 
  in 
  the 
  hind 
  

   leg, 
  which 
  dragged 
  inert 
  as 
  the 
  animal 
  walked. 
  The 
  deer 
  was 
  driven 
  

   slowly 
  to 
  near 
  the 
  village 
  and 
  an 
  examination 
  made, 
  which 
  showed 
  

   the 
  knee 
  and 
  hip 
  joints 
  to 
  be 
  greatly 
  swollen 
  and 
  stiffened. 
  On 
  the 
  

   suggestion 
  of 
  Dr. 
  McGovern 
  the 
  animal 
  was 
  placed 
  on 
  a 
  sled 
  and 
  

   brought 
  to 
  the 
  shop, 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  intended 
  to 
  place 
  it 
  in 
  a 
  sling 
  and, 
  

   after 
  clipping 
  the 
  affected 
  areas, 
  to 
  apply 
  thereto 
  an 
  ichthyol 
  and 
  

   iodine 
  dressing. 
  Wliile 
  this 
  was 
  being 
  done, 
  however, 
  the 
  animal 
  

   quietly 
  died. 
  An 
  autopsy 
  showed 
  both 
  the 
  joints 
  mentioned 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  torn 
  asunder 
  by 
  some 
  violent 
  strain, 
  conjecturably 
  through 
  

   fighting 
  with 
  an 
  older 
  male. 
  

  

  On 
  March 
  15, 
  1912, 
  a 
  yearling 
  female 
  was 
  seen 
  to 
  be 
  somewhat 
  

   disabled 
  in 
  a 
  fore 
  leg, 
  but 
  keeping 
  well 
  up 
  with 
  the 
  herd. 
  On 
  the 
  22d, 
  

   however, 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  this 
  animal 
  was 
  found 
  at 
  North 
  Shore 
  nearly 
  

   eaten 
  by 
  foxes, 
  not 
  enough 
  being 
  left 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  death. 
  

  

  On 
  April 
  28 
  a 
  doe 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  have 
  died 
  in 
  giving 
  birth 
  to 
  a 
  still- 
  

   born 
  fawn. 
  

  

  On 
  May 
  5 
  two 
  fawns 
  were 
  born 
  dead. 
  On 
  the 
  18th 
  a 
  two 
  days' 
  

   old 
  fawn 
  was 
  found 
  dead 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  hole 
  in 
  the 
  corral 
  and 
  almost 
  

   entirely 
  eaten 
  by 
  foxes. 
  On 
  the 
  same 
  night 
  a 
  female 
  yearling 
  died 
  

   in 
  giving 
  birth 
  to 
  her 
  fawn, 
  and 
  by 
  morning 
  both 
  bodies 
  were 
  almost 
  

   entirely 
  eaten 
  by 
  foxes. 
  On 
  the 
  28th 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  an 
  old 
  male, 
  of 
  

   the 
  original 
  stock, 
  was 
  found 
  at 
  North 
  Shore. 
  

  

  The 
  herders 
  reported 
  the 
  deaths, 
  therefore, 
  of 
  1 
  old 
  female, 
  1 
  old 
  

   male, 
  2 
  yearling 
  females, 
  1 
  yearling 
  male, 
  and 
  5 
  fawns. 
  

  

  The 
  herd 
  habitually 
  resorted 
  to 
  an 
  area 
  near 
  North 
  Shore 
  almost 
  

   10 
  miles 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  village 
  and 
  nearly 
  inaccessible 
  in 
  winter. 
  

  

  