340 



THE PUR SEALS OF THE PRIBILOP ISLANDS. 



In our investigations of the past two seasons we found these little animals objects 

 of much interest. They live in the crevices and interspaces of the castle-like masses 

 of angular bowlders that crown the various headlands of the islands. These head- 

 lands are also the home of the myriads of sea birds which frequent the islands. 



In our visits to certain rookeries of St. Paul the x>eculiar rasping cry of these 

 little animals as they caught sight of us soon became a familar sound. After a few 

 visits to the Eeef on St. Paul, a pair of these foxes regularly followed us about over 

 the parade ground, dogging our footsteps and at times snapping at our heels. The 

 animals are protected from molestation and annoyance in the summer; as a result of 

 this immunity they grow overbold and impudent. 



The natives are allowed to take the foxes only in traps during a short period in 

 midwinter when the fur is in the best condition. From our limited opportunities for 

 studying the animals it would seem that they breed in pairs, bearing several young at 

 a birth, and that the time of bringing forth the young is in June or July. On the 

 29th of June two of the little foxes, which appeared to be about a week old, were seen 

 playing about the mouth of a fox burrow at Northeast Point. They were so tame that 

 they could be handled like kittens. 



Of the past history of these animals we have but little data beyond the account 

 of Ivan Petroflf, just quoted. As to the importance of the herd of blue foxes on the 

 Pribilof Islands, we may gain some knowledge from the statistics of the furs pur- 

 chased by the Eussian-American Company during the period from 1842 to 1860; also 

 given in Petroff's report. Prom this we may take the following summary : 



Arctic foxes purchased htj the Eussian-American Company from the Pribilof Islands, 1S4S-1S60. 



For the period between the transfer of the fur-seal islands in 1867 to the United 

 States and the year 1880, Petroff gives a total of 27,731 foxes as taken from Alaskan 

 sources, doubtless including others in addition to those taken from the Pribilof 

 Islands. He remarks that these returns are incomplete and "necessarily below the 

 real figures." 



In recent years the catch of blue foxes has diminished. In so far as we have been 

 able to get the returns, it is as follows : 



Blue foxes taken on the Pribilof Islands, 1890'-1S96.' 



' These figures were furnished by the North American Commercial Company, 



'' The taking of foxes on St. George in this season was stopped by the Treasury agent. 



