FUR SEALS AND OTHER LIFE, PRIBILOF ISLANDS, 1914. . II 5 



It is evident that the attempt to eliminate the undesirable white element on St. 

 George Island has been successful and that this success is due to the method of capture. 

 It is also evident that merely allowing the natives to shoot the white ones during a part 

 of the year has met with no success. 



There is good reason to believe that continuance of the methods now practiced on 

 St. George will keep the white foxes down to a negligible proportion and perhaps elimi- 

 nate them entirely. The establishment of similar methods of trapping on St. Paul 

 should eventually achieve the same result. But success will be attained much sooner 

 if the undesirable animals are pursued in other ways. The natives should be encour- 

 aged by a reward to shoot the white foxes during the entire hunting season. They are 

 now forbidden to use firearms during the summer, and such a prohibition is desirable 

 for many reasons, but they are and should be allowed to shoot during the fall and 

 winter. Most of the skins of foxes taken during the winter will be salable. The reduc- 

 tion of white foxes by any other method than shooting outside of the regular trapping 

 season is obviously not feasible. The white foxes can be as easily distinguished from 

 the blue when in the summer coat as in the white winter pelage, and they should be 

 vigorously pursued and destroyed at all seasons. It might be best to leave white foxes 

 which were found caring for pups until the latter are large enough to take care of them- 

 selves. During this time the animal could be kept under observation and might be 

 destroyed at the close of the summer. But against this is the objection that presum- 

 ably a part of the litter raised would be white animals also, the destruction of which, 

 together with that of the parent, would be thus left to the chances of the future. This 

 point is one which might well be left to the judgment of those in charge, but in common 

 with many others needs the careful consideration of some one who shall be free to give 

 his attention to such problems. 



Animals which are suffering from disease should be killed whenever possible at all 

 seasons. This is especially important at the present time, when the foxes on St. George 

 are in poor condition. The process of raising the herd to a high state of perfection, 

 even under the favoring influence of better food, will be greatly retarded if the pursuit 

 of animals suffering from mange or other diseases can be prosecuted only during the 

 few weeks of the trapping season. The natives should be encouraged to cooperate in 

 this work. 



Care of skins. — More care needs to be taken to cleanse the fox skins that they may 

 reach the market in as good condition as possible. Those trapped in steel traps become 

 more or less bedraggled during their efforts to escape, while those taken in cage traps 

 become soiled from contact with the greasy meat and by scrambling over each other. 

 Care should be taken to avoid such soiling as far as possible, and better facilities should 

 be installed for cleaning and drying such as become soiled by blood, grease, or dirt. 

 The skins can best be cleaned when freshly taken from the animal. Washing the 

 soiled skins with soap and water will probably be found the most advantageous method 

 and will probably be sufficient. To facilitate drying the skins, some arrangement for 

 tumbling them could easily be devised, to be used with some absorbent. Stretching 

 the skins in a uniform manner and taking care that they be well shaped and well dried 

 are also important points. 



Sale for breeding. — On a few occasions in past years blue foxes have been sold at a 

 nominal price to persons engaged in breeding them, usually to those holding leases of 



