Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-13
FOR STUDY Of BIRDS
NaturaIiStS Will Sail for Alaska
in May.
TO VISIT ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
Rearing of Rare Foxes as an Indus
try Will Be Investigated
by Biologist.
70 VISIT AlEUTIAN ISLANDS

Arrangements have been completed by
the Smithsonian Institution with the
revenue cutter service to take party of
five naturalists to the Aleutian Islands
next month, where they will put in the
entire summer studying the bird life of
those islands. as we'll as Of the coast OF
the Alaskan mainland.
The expedition is intended mainly to
enable \. e. Bent, naturalist OF Taun-
ton, 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, end
Of which two volumes have been publish
ed. Assisting Mr.. Bent will be DIR. San
ford, r. H. Beck, Alexander Wetmore OF
the biological survey, and one other col
lector to be selected by Mr.. Bent.
Will Sail About May /.
The party will leave Port Townsend,
Wash, about May ], on the revenue cut
ter Tahoma, and will go first to Cnalas-
ka, where they will be transferred to an
other revenue cutter, which has been
placed at their disposal through the cour
teSy of the revenue cutter service. The
scientists will cruise among the Aleutian
Islands in this vessel and will visit every
island of any size in the group before
returning next fall Extensive Observa-
tons will be made of the nesting habits
of the birds.
The AIeutian Islands were chosen for
this work because many of the shore
birds common to other parts of the CONT
nent 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 considera-
able difference among certain forms of
land birds found on each island Col
lectionS will be made of birds, insects and
the like, and sharp lookout also will be
kept for porpoises and other cetaceans, as
little is known at present of most OF the
Alaskan kinds
Birds, eggs, insects and other specimens
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 islands. A good
deal of a fugitive nature is printed now
and then in the newspapers about some
man who is making a success OF such
farm, but it is hard to get reliable
information about such enterprises.
Blue IOx Sk1nS are worth ABOUT @oOU
each and the rarer black fox skins
sometimes go over $1,000 The De-
partment OF Agriculture has been in
communication with one man in Can
ada who has made business Of breed
ing black foxes. and has made a small
fortune at it. The work is simple, but
there are few people who have ever
carried it through successfully. Until
recently black fox sires for breeding
purposes were worth $500. but the
hnU in ton,
now whereby they refuse to sell any
breeding stock, SO that future breeding
has to be left to natural selection and
the occasional capture of wild speci-
mems.
The expedition will find just what is
being done I'm the islands in the way
of fox farming. The subject is one that
interests the department and the loca-
ton and climate both seem to favor
the work.