river is much larger than that of the Upper Yukon. There is no time of the year when more or less people are not to be found in the villages, and we find among them a larger proportion of females than on the Upper Yukon. Some time ago the lack of females was most noticeable among the Indians of the upper river, attributable to hard usage and the work they were compelled to do, as well as to the lack of care of female children. Of late, however, female children have been better taken care of, and probably in course of time there will be more marriageable women among them. Most of the married women to be seen there at present come from the Koyukuk or the Lower Yukon River. The Nuklukayet and Nowikaket people claim to have their origin from the tribe on the Koyukuk River in the north. The Tanana River and Upper Yukon Indians speak an entirely different language, though there is a dialect by which they can communicate with the various tribes.

The fur trade has undergone considerable change of late years, the catch of furs being considerable less than formerly, partly owing to the decrease of fur-bearing animals, and also to their being more white men in the country, indepen

dent of the fur traders, causing the circulation of more money among the natives, with which they buy instead of trading furs. The average catch of land furs for the whole year ranges from 16,000 to 20,000 pelts, usually with a large proportion of mink skins, the lowest-priced fur on the market.

There are six trading posts at points on the river in Alaska. The traders, to reach the back country, usually fit out trusty natives with small stock of goods to travel among the distant tribes. Since the discontinuance of opposition the white traders do not travel in the winter. The prices paid are regulated by the standard price of red fox or martin, called one skin, about $1.25. A prime beaver would be two skins, black bear four skins, lynx one skin, land otter two or three skins and so on. Five yards of drilling or one pound of tea or one pound of powder or half a pound of powder with one box of caps and one pound of shot are given for one skin, fifty pounds of flour for four skins, five pounds of sugar for one skin. These are sample prices obtained by the natives, with little variation, until the mining district is reached, where the prices are higher, to conform with the prices charged to miners.

The merchandise is carried on the river by

means of stern-wheel steamers, the two principle ones belonging to the Alaska Commercial Company, one of 200 tons, the other of thirty tons capacity, carrying freight and passengers. On the larger boat there is a white man for captain and another for engineer, but both captain and engineer are unlicensed and without papers; the rest of the crew are Indians. There are three other small steamers, two belonging to the Russian and Catholic missionaries respectively and one to the traders at Fort Selkirk. All supplies are received at St. Michael on Norton Sound, ninety miles north of the mouth of the Yukon, the furs and gold obtained being turned over to the Alaska Commercial Company's agent there and shipped to San Francisco. Once a year, in June, the missionaries and traders assemble at St. Michael's and for a few days that place is doing a rushing business. It has become a regular fair for the natives, who gather in numbers from various points on the coast and river, getting a few days' work from the company and having the satisfaction of seeing the new stock of merchandise.

The influx of miners to the country has produced marked changes among the natives, and