The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1911-05-18

TO STUDY BIRDS
Party Of Five Going to the
AIGutian Islands.
START TO Be MADE IN MAY.

Breeding of Rare Foxes as an Industry
Will Be Investigated by a Biologist.
Eggs, insects and Other Specimens to
Be Collected - Why Alaska Was
Chosen.
Arrangements have been completed
by the Smithsonian institution at
Washington with the revenue cutter
service to take a party Of five natural
lists to the Aleutian islands, where they
will put in the entire summer studying
the bird life of those islands as well
as Of the coast of the Alaskan main
land
The expedition is intended mainly to
| enable A. G. Bent, a naturalist of
Taunton, Mass, who will head the
party, to complete the Life Histories
of North American Birds" work
which the Smithsonian institution has
had under preparation for a number
of years and of which two volumes
have been published. Assisting Mr..
| Bent will be DIR. Sanford r. Fl. Beck,
Alexander Wetmore of the biological
survey and one other collector to be
selected by Mr.. Bent.
Will Sail Early In May.
The party will leave Port Townsend,
Wash, early in May on the revenue
| cutter Tahoma and viii go first to Una
laska, where they viii be transferred
to another revenue cutter, which has
| been placed at their disposal through
| the courtesy of the revenue cutter serv-
| Ice The scientists will cruise along
/ the Aieutian islands in this vessel and
| will visit every island Of any size in
! the group before returning next fall.
Extensive observations will be made of
the nesting habits of the birds.
The Aleutian islands were chosen
| for this work because many of the
shore birds common to other parts of
the continent are found there in the
mating season and because the data
on birds nesting in the various parts
of the arctic region are incomplete.
Moreover, there is considerable diff
| ference among certain forms of land
birds found on each island. Collec-
tons viii be made of birds. insects and
the like, and a. sharp lookout also will
be kept for porpeises and other ceta-
ceans, as little is known ct present of
| the Alaskan kinds.
Birds. eggs. insects and other speci-
mems collected by the party will be
turned over to the National museum,
which has a general interest in the
work.
Breeding of Rare Foxes.
One of the things that will be looked
into by the representative of the bio
logical survey is the rearing of blue
foxes and other rare foxes as an in
dustry in the northern isl Ids. A good
deal of a fugitive nature is printed
now and then in the newspapers about
i ss6ifftfe fhsatff EFFhe IS making success Of
such a farm, but it is hard to get re-
i liable information about such enter
/ prises Blue fox skins are worth about
$500 each, and the rarer black fox
skins sometimes go over $1,000. The
department of agriculture has been in
/ communication with one man IN can
ada who has made business of breed
ing black foxes and has made small
fortune at it. The work is simple but
there are few people who have ever
carried it through successfully. I'm
til recently black fox sires for breed
ing purposes were worth $500. but
the breeders have formed a combine
ton now whereby they refuse to sell
any breeding stock, so that future
breeding has to be left to natural selec-
ton and the occasional capture Of wild
| specimens.
The expedition viii find just what is
being done inSthe islands in the way of
fox farming.