﻿FUR-SEAL 
  SERVICE. 
  165 
  

  

  For 
  this 
  reason 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  possible 
  to 
  ascertain 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  the 
  rutting 
  

   season 
  without 
  a 
  man's 
  staying 
  continuously 
  with 
  the 
  herd, 
  which 
  

   was 
  impossible, 
  as 
  no 
  houses 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity. 
  The 
  season 
  for 
  

   dropping 
  fawns, 
  however, 
  begins 
  between 
  April 
  1 
  and 
  15. 
  The 
  habit 
  

   of 
  the 
  female 
  when 
  approaching 
  delivery 
  is 
  to 
  absent 
  herself 
  from 
  

   the 
  herd 
  and 
  seclude 
  herself 
  in 
  some 
  chosen 
  spot 
  where 
  her 
  young 
  is 
  

   born. 
  To 
  keep 
  the 
  females 
  under 
  observation 
  during 
  this 
  period, 
  

   and 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  new-born 
  fawns 
  from 
  straying 
  into 
  holes 
  from 
  

   which 
  they 
  could 
  not 
  extricate 
  themselves, 
  the 
  whole 
  herd, 
  was 
  on 
  

   !March 
  22, 
  driven 
  into 
  a 
  corral 
  about 
  a 
  mile 
  from 
  the 
  village, 
  where 
  it 
  

   could 
  be 
  visited 
  daily. 
  As 
  the 
  moss 
  in 
  this 
  corral 
  is 
  sparse, 
  it 
  became 
  

   necessary 
  for 
  the 
  herders 
  each 
  day 
  to 
  drive 
  the 
  animals 
  outside, 
  allow 
  

   them 
  to 
  graze 
  for 
  several 
  hours, 
  and 
  then 
  return 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  corral. 
  

   When 
  the 
  first 
  fawn 
  was 
  born 
  the 
  herders 
  kept 
  the 
  animals 
  inside 
  

   the 
  corral 
  and 
  gathered 
  moss 
  outside 
  which 
  they 
  carried 
  to 
  the 
  animals. 
  

  

  On 
  April 
  17 
  the 
  deer 
  broke 
  through 
  the 
  corral 
  fence 
  and 
  escaped. 
  

   When 
  finally 
  driven 
  back 
  four 
  females 
  were 
  missing 
  and 
  remained 
  at 
  

   large 
  until 
  several 
  months 
  later, 
  when 
  each 
  was 
  found 
  with 
  a 
  living 
  

   fawn. 
  Whether 
  it 
  is 
  desirable 
  to 
  confine 
  the 
  animals 
  in 
  this 
  restricted 
  

   inclosure 
  during 
  the 
  fawn-dropping 
  period, 
  or 
  whether 
  to 
  allow 
  the 
  

   does 
  to 
  follow 
  their 
  desire 
  to 
  isolate 
  themselves 
  at 
  this 
  time, 
  is 
  con- 
  

   jectural. 
  The 
  does 
  on 
  St. 
  George 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  confined 
  in 
  inclos- 
  

   ures 
  during 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  parturition, 
  notwithstanding 
  which 
  no 
  

   seeming 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  death 
  rate 
  resulted. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  not 
  yet 
  enough 
  animals 
  in 
  the 
  reindeer 
  herd 
  to 
  allow 
  

   of 
  killing 
  any 
  for 
  food 
  or 
  of 
  training 
  any 
  to 
  draw 
  vehicles. 
  Females 
  

   should 
  never 
  be 
  killed, 
  of 
  course. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  males, 
  selective 
  

   killing 
  should 
  be 
  practiced; 
  i. 
  e., 
  only 
  the 
  smaller 
  and 
  less 
  vigorous 
  

   males 
  should 
  be 
  used 
  for 
  food. 
  The 
  Esquimo 
  herders 
  saw 
  off 
  the 
  

   horns 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  belhgerent 
  bucks, 
  that 
  the 
  latter 
  may 
  not 
  injure 
  

   the 
  younger 
  males. 
  Observations 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  species 
  has 
  much 
  

   less 
  resistance 
  than 
  a 
  wild 
  animal 
  would 
  be 
  supposed 
  to 
  have. 
  Of 
  

   the 
  two 
  adults 
  found 
  last 
  winter 
  with 
  injured 
  legs, 
  both 
  died, 
  although 
  

   the 
  injury 
  of 
  itself 
  was 
  not 
  fatal, 
  and 
  did 
  not 
  prevent 
  the 
  anunal 
  from 
  

   obtaining 
  as 
  much 
  food 
  as 
  it 
  desired. 
  Innumerable 
  instances 
  can 
  

   be 
  cited 
  of 
  cattle, 
  horses, 
  sheep, 
  and 
  foxes 
  Uving 
  for 
  years 
  after 
  

   an 
  injury 
  that 
  partially 
  or 
  wholly 
  destroyed 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  a 
  leg. 
  From 
  

   this 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  deduced 
  that, 
  as 
  draft 
  animals, 
  the 
  reindeer 
  would 
  be 
  

   of 
  much 
  less 
  utility 
  than 
  a 
  horse 
  or 
  mule. 
  If 
  trained, 
  however, 
  

   it 
  probably 
  could 
  travel 
  with 
  a 
  light 
  load 
  over 
  frozen 
  surfaces 
  with 
  

   facility. 
  Its 
  greatest 
  use 
  to 
  the 
  Pribilofs 
  will 
  be 
  that 
  of 
  furnishing 
  

   fresh 
  meat 
  for 
  human 
  consumption, 
  refuse 
  meat 
  for 
  the 
  foxes, 
  and 
  

   skins, 
  which 
  make 
  superior 
  sleeping 
  bags. 
  

  

  No 
  possible 
  interference 
  with 
  seals 
  or 
  foxes 
  can 
  occur 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  reindeer. 
  At 
  best 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  timid 
  creature, 
  except 
  perha]>s 
  in 
  the 
  

   22889^—14 
  24 
  

  

  