California Resources Agency Library
1416 9th Street, Room 117
Sacramento, California 95814
SEP 51935J
California Fish
Fish & Gaiae CoHiifiissiwn
'CONSERVATION' 01'' WILL) LIFE THROUGH EDUCATION-
Volume 5
SACRAMENTO, JANUARY, 1919
Number 1
CONTENTS.
Page
SHRIMP FISHERIES OF CALIFORNIA N. B. Scofield 1
THE FISHES OF THE CROAKER FAMILY ( Seisenidae ) OF CALI-
FORNIA E. G. Storks 13
NOTE ON THE SAND DAB E. C. Storks 21
THE STICKLEBACK : A FISH EMINENTLY FITTED BY NATURE AS
A MOSQUITO DESTROYER 0. L. Hubbs 21
EARLY STAGES OF THE SPINY LOBSTER W. L. Schmitt 24
THE COYOTE AS A DEER KILLER /•:. V. Jotter 26
EDITORIALS 30
FACTS OF CURRENT INTEREST 36
HATCHERY NOTES 1 37
COMMERCIAL FISHERY NOTES 39
CONSERVATION IN OTHER STATES 42
LIFE HISTORY NOTES 42
RE PORTS—
Fishery Products, July to September, 1918 44
Violations of Fish aud Game Laws 4i\
Seizures 46
Financial Report - : 47
SHRIMP FISHERIES OF CALIFORNIA.
By N. B. SCOFIELD.
As the question of removing the restrictions on the Chinese shrimp
or bag nets periodically arises at each session of the legislature, it is
thought best to give a brief history of the shrimp fishery in the state
and to describe the fishery as it has existed in the past in order that
those who care to can learn of the great destruction to young fish and
young shrimps by the Chinese method of fishing.
The only account of the earliest shrimp fishing operations in the
state is supplied by Mr. A. Paladini, the venerable fish dealer of San
Francisco. He came to San Francisco in 1869 and engaged in shrimp
fishing. There were eight boats on San Francisco Bay engaged in this
42768
•j CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAM]
business, each boal manned bj white men. They easily caughl enough
shrimps to Bupply the demand, besides many flounders, sole, tomtod,
etc., for the fresh fish market. Pish and shrimps were very plentiful
in the bay a1 the time. The shrimps caughl were the same species as
now, bul were much Larger than those caughl in Later years during the
intensive fishing by the Chinese. This Later reduction of the Larger and
older shrimps as aoted by Mr. Paladini is good evidence that the sin-imps
were being subjected to overfishing. The early fishing of the eighl
boats of Italian fishermen was carried OD with small-meshed seines, sixty
feet Long and eighl feel deep, with a bag at the center. They used the
nets iii the deeper water of the hay for there the catch was liver of
young fish and of the small unmarketable shrimps. The manner of
fishing was to lay out the net. then anchor the hoat down the tide and
pull the net along the bottom toward the hoat by means of lines, always
pulling with the tide. The net was pulled directly into the boat. The}
would make from three to five hauls on each tide ami they caughl from
fifty to seventy-five pounds of shrimps at a haul. This method of fish-
ing was far less destructive tit young fish than that employed later by
the Chinese. They could fish in deeper water, where young fish and
young shrimps were fewer, and unlike the Chinese nets which are set
during the whole tide and kill practically all the young fish caught,
they were in the water only a short time — Less than one-half hour and
the small per cent of young fish caughl were still alive and could be
returned to the water. The shrimps thus caughl were sold fresh at
the Long Wharf. Little thought was then taken as to whether a method
of fishing was destructive or not and there were few laws protecting
fish, for it was thoughl that the supply of fish in the bay and rivers
was inexhaustible. The Chinese had for some years been in the fish-
ing business and with their destructive methods of fishing hail already
begun the extermination of the Sacramento perch and with their
fiendish sturgeon lines had inaugurated a method of fishing that has
resulted in the commercial extinction of that valuable fish which in the
early days was here in apparently inexhaustible numbers.
In 1871 the Chinese began fishing for shrimps and introduced the
destructive Chinese shrimp net. They made enormous catches with
these fine-meshed set nets and found it profitable to supply the markets
with shrimps at one and one half cents per pound. The original eighl
Italian shrimp boats were driven out of business and since that time
shrimp fishing has been almost entirely carried on by Chinese. Prom
the very start the Chinese dried the hulk of their catch for the Oriental
export trade. The shrimp fishery quickly grew to Large proportions
and fishine- was carried on al many places in San Francisco Bay and in
Tomales Bay in .Marin County.
The firsl printed account of the shrimp fisherx is contained in Vol.
II of " History and Methods of the Fisheries " by Goode, printed in 1885
by the United states Bureau of Fisheries. A more extensive investiga
lion of the fishery was made by the author for the California Fish and
Game Commission in 1897. A subsequent invest Ration was made by
the author in 1!>H>. There has always been serious objection to the
Chinese method of catching shrimps, and much of the Legislature's time
lias been taken up by listening to discussions between those who would
CALIFORNIA KISII AND GAME. d
conserve the fisheries resources of San Francisco Bay and rivers, on the
one hand, and the interested defenders of the Chinese, on the other.
Closed seasons were finally resorted to and the drying of shrimps was
prohibited, without greatly reducing the destruction of young fish. At
the 1910-1911 session of the legislature the use of Chinese shrimp nets
was prohibited entirely. The shrimps had been so reduced in numbers
that it was found unprofitable to catch them by the method formerly
employed by the Italians. It was also found to be unprofitable to
employ the shrimp trawl which was in successful use on Puget Sound.
In 1915 the legislature removed the restriction against the Chinese net
in South San Francisco Bay on the ground that in that part of the bay
the destruction to young fish was much less than in the upper bay and
for the further reason that in that part of the bay the kinds of fish
destroyed did not include the young of herring, smelt, shad and striped
bass as was the case in the upper bay. At the 1916-1917 session of the
Chinese shrimp fishing junk on San Francisco Bay. Photograph hy H. B. Nidever,
legislature a very strong effort was made to reestablish the fishery in
the upper bay by those who would be benefited in the way of rents,
selling of supplies, etc.. and by those who would have the picturesque
industry for sentimental reasons. As this effort is sure to be resumed
at the 1918-1919 session it is believed an intimate description of the
industry as it existed up to the year 1910 will be of interest, especially
as tlie Chinese now operating in South San Francisco Bay are using
identically the same methods, with the single exception that they do not
catch so many young fish in that part of* the bay and the young fish
caught are not of the more valuable species.
Gamps: The fishing has been carried on by what has been termed
"camps." Each of these camps is a separate unit, which has its own
boat, wharf, boiling vat and drying ground, separate living quarters
and storehouses. Although one Chinese company may have owned
or controlled several camps, even side by side at the water's edge, they
I C \l ll'OKM \ FISH \N|. C, \MK.
did not co-operate in an\ way. The camps were very similar in charac
ter, consisting of ;i group of small, rude shacks of rough, unpainted
boards, placed oear ill Ige of the water, with a rough wooden wharf
tunning out into the shallow water <»n hand-driven piling which
answered as a landing place for the camp's junk. Very few of the
camps could be approached a1 Low tide, for which reason they usually
fished the flood tide in order that they might more easily bring their
catch to the Landing. The shacks which constituted, the living quarters
and storehouses were, in the majority of cases, crowded on a oarrow
beach between t he water and the hills. The dry grounds of each camp
covered about an acre of the slope of the hills for the wanl of a better
Fig. 2. Scenes on board Chinese shrimp junk on San Francisco Bay. Photographs by
H. B. Nidcver.
place, and were usually floored with boards. In two or three of the
camps the drying ground was partly on a platform built out over the
water. In 1897 there were 26 camps operating on San Francisco Bay
and in 1910 this number had been reduced to 19. The camps on
Tomales Bay were abandoned some years prior to 1897. Of the 19
camps found in 1910 three were in the cove just above South San
Francisco, five were at Hunter's Point, four in Contra Costa Counly
south of Point San Pablo in Marin County. The three camps near
South San Francisco were controlled by one company, the Fook On
Lung Company of San Francisco. They furnished no fresh shrimps
for the market but dried their entire catch. Their fishing ground was
in Alameda County about three miles east of San Bruno Point. Each
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 0
of their three junks used sixty Chinese shrimp nets such as are described
under "Methods of Operating Nets." Two of the five Hunter's Point
camps, located on the south side of the point, were owned by the Quong
Lee Chong Company of San Francisco. Each of the two boats fished
forty nets and they dried their entire catch. Their fishing ground was
about a mile off shore, a little west of south from the point, which
brought them within San Francisco County. Of the three camps on the
north side of the point, the two camps nearest the point were controlled
by the Fook On Lung Company, also known as the California Shrimp
.Company. The third camp on the north side of the point belonged
to the Union Shrimp Company, a Chinese company of San Francisco.
The three last-named camps sent part of their catch to the fresh shrimp
market and dried the rest. They fished in Alameda County a mile south
of the Alameda mole. The four Red Rock camps were located in a
cove on the Contra Costa shore about two miles to the south of Point
San Pablo. These camps belonged to the Union Shrimp Company of
San Francisco and their four boats fished just to the north of Red Rock
in water from four to six fathoms deep. This depth is greater than
that fished by any of the other boats and it was not possible for them.
on account of the depth and tide, to use more than thirty nets to eaeli
boat. Part of their catch went to the fresh market but the main part
was dried. Of the seven camps near Point San Pedro, Marin County,
one was situated in the first cove to the south of the point near the rock
quarry. It was an independent company drying most of its catch but
selling a few to the Union Shrimp Company, for the fresh market.
Their boat fished about one-half mile southwest of the point. The next
camp to the north of the point belonged to the Union Shrimp Company.
Its boat fished about one-half mile off shore and sometimes across the
channel in Contra Costa County. This camp sent part of its catch to
the fresh market but dried most of it. One-half mile further to the
north was a Quong Lee Chong Company camp and next to it in the
same cove a Quong Sing Lung Company camp, while just to the north
in the next cove was a second camp of the Quong Sing Lung Company
and next to this two other Quong Lee Chong camps. These last five
outfits named, dried their entire catch and their five boats operated sixty
nets each. They fished far out on what is known as the "Petaluma
Flats," the furthest boat fishing one-half mile due south of the outer
Petaluma Creek Beacon, the other near but to the southwest. All five
fished within the county of Marin.
The following description of the boats, nets and fishing methods
applies to the industry today just as it does to the industry as it
existed twenty years ago:
Boats. The boats used by these camps are of Chinese pattern and
make. They vary in size, but the majority are about fifty feet long
and twelve feet beam, with rounded bottoms without a keel, and with
square sterns and rather blunt bows. They have one mast which
carries a Chinese cleated sail. About fourteen feet of the stern is
decked in and constitutes the living quarters of the crew. This com-
partment is entered through a small sliding hatch and there the five
men of the crew cook their meals, eat and sleep. Just forward of this
is the open shrimp locker, about twelve feet square, for holding the
catch, and next forward is a looker of similar size for holding the nets.
(• CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
The remaining space forward is used for lines and gear. (>n the deck
between the crew's quarters and the shrimp locker is :i crude wooden
windlass placed horizontally and with four wooden spokes projecting
by which it is turned by the hands and feel of the operator. From the
drum of this windlass a line pusses forward through a notch in the
elongated how posl of the boat. This windlass and line is used to lifl
the series of nets from their fishing position at the bottom of the bay.
The boats are of sufficient size to carry sixly wet nets and ten to twelve
tons of catch.
Nets. Eaeh separate net is constructed in the shape of a funnel.
They are usually thirty-two feet long, with the larger opening or month
about eighteen feel in diameter, from which the net tapers to the narrow
opening a loot and one-half in diameter at the end of the sack. This
narrow or cod end of the net is closed |>\ a st ring which can be untied to
remove the catch when the nets are pulled up. The nets are made in
China from a very strong and durable twisted grass-like fibre. The
net has a mesh of three and one-half inches near the month bu1 the size
rapidly diminishes toward the small end until the sack has meshes of
one-half inch or lesss This small-meshed end of the net, which has to
sustain the weight of the catch when the nel is pulled from the water,
is usually reinforced by a net of coarse twine placed around the outside.
In making the webbing of these nets square knots are usc{] instead of
the usual knot used by fishermen the world over. The nets are dried
and tanned ahont once a month and with care they will last a year.
Their cost is ahont $25 Mexican in China. After paying freighl and
other charges and adding the hanging line around the larger opening
they cost here ahont the same amount in gold.
Method of (>/>< mlintf Nets. Each junk operates a set of nets, thirty
to sixty in number, which are set side by side at the bottom of the bay
with their larger openings or mouths open to the current. The nets
are held in place by a series of brails or speaders — 2x.'{ inch sticks of
pine five feet long— each of which is held lo'a short stake driven in the
bottom of the bay by a line from either end. of sufficient lenglh to permit
of the brails with the nets attached being lifted to the surface during the
slack water between t ides, without detaching them from 1 he stake. The
stakes to which the brails are attached are driven t went y-l'onr feel
apart across the current in the muddy bottom of the hay in a very
ingenious manner. For driving these stakes a very long tapering pole
is used with a foiir-inch iron pipe fitted on the larger end so that a
hollow end of the pipe projects a couple of fee) beyond the end of the
pole. Selecting a stake with lines and brail attached, ils head is inserted
in the hollow end of the pipe where it fits loosely bid is kept from falling
out by holding on to the brail lines while the pole is held in the vertical
position over the spot where it is to he driven. The pole with the stake
in place is then lowered from the boat until the stake is pressed into
the mnd. The stake is then driven home by repeatedly lifting the pole
a short distance and then lowering it forcibly. The stakes are driven
twenty-four feet apart across the current so thai each brail when it is
in position with nets attached will stand vertically on the bottom in
each space between the mouths of the nets. Attached in this way. the
nel months instead of being circular are now rectangular in shape, the
opening being twenty-four feet across and about four and one-half feet
CALIFORNIA KISII AND GAME. /
deep. To remove any uneven strain on the nets and 1<> prevent their
being carried away by the swift tide, a heavy anchor or stake is placed
about fifty feet out from each end of the row of stakes and in line with
them, from which runs a heavy line which is tied with a clove hitch to
the center of eacli of the brails. By anchoring this heavy line in line
with the stakes and sufficiently far out. the arrangement does not inter-
fere with lifting the brails and nets to the surface of the water when
the catch is to be removed just before the slack water at the end of the
tide. Besides the heavy anchor line running from brail to brail,
there is another and lighter one, the buoy line, which facilitates in
lifting the nets. This line, when the nets are set in fishing position,
extends from a floating buoy at one end of the string of nets to the
first or end brail, to which it is tied by a bight about a foot from its
top. From thence it runs to each brail in succession until the last
brail at the end of the string of nets is reached, from whence it extends
up to another buoy on the surface of the water. This buoy line is in
place only when the nets are set. The nets are fastened to the brails
<
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•
• ■•Vjp
pjp
1*"-—
5^5l^P^^v~'*
1 - —
■Lmm"- 1
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mmr
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Fig. 3. Sorting and drying young fish obtained from shrimp nets, Point San Pedro, 1897.
•Shrimp fishing endangers the fisheries by destroying young fish. Photographs by
N. B. Scofield.
and the buoy line is attached just after the turn of the tide before the
current has become swift. The force of the current swings the series
of nets down onto the bottom where they are held by the brail lines
to the row of stakes, reinforced by the heavy anchor line. Here they
are left during the entire tide, the time varying from four to eight
hours, with their mouths open against the tide while the current carries
the shrimps and young fish into them. With this manner of fastening
the nets they can be used on either a flood or ebb tide.
When the nets are to be lifted at the end of the tide after the force of
the current has slackened sufficiently, an end of the buoy line is taken
at one of the buoys, passed through the notch in the bow post of the
boat and thence carried back to the windlass, where it is reeled in by
one man, thus bringing the first brail to the surface and lifting the net
with it. The other members of the crew detach the net and the buoy
line from the brail while the man at the windlass reels up the next
brail. Thus the nets are detached in succession, the catch being emptied
into the shrimp locker and the nets placed in the net locker. The
8 < Al.iroKXJA PISH AND G \All.
Chinese are verj experl in handling the nets and work rapidly, each
man with a particular duty to perform. The time in which the nets
have to be lifted is limited usually to about half an hour. They can
not begin sooner for the nets can not be lifted when the currenl is
strong. If they arc not gotten out before the tide turns the nets begin
to swing the other way and they become tangled ami the catch is lost.
When tides are so strong that there is danger of carrying the nets away
they reduce the currenl pressure by tying the upper edge of the nets
farther down on the brails. If the tides are exl remely swift t hey reduce
the number of nets.
Shrimp Drying. After the nets are all lifted the junk sails back to
the dock at its camp, where the catch is carried in baskets. Chinese
Fig. 4. Shrimp boiling vat, showing skimmers and rakes hang-
ing on crude chimney. Point San Pedro, 1910. Photograph by
N. B. Scofield.
style, to the boiling vat. This vat is about four by eight feel and
eighteen inches deep, with wooden sides, the bottom being of sheet iron
bent up around the sides. It is built in with bricks and mud and to
heat the water both wood and coal is used. Fresh water to which rock
salt has been added is used in the vats. The shrimps, together with the
fish caugh.1 with them, are poured in. ten or twelve baskets at a time,
and boiled from ten to fifteen minutes. They are then dipped out with
a strainer and put into baskets to be carried to the drying ground.
Ilei-e the shrimps and fish, the latter usually small and delicate with
t!ie flesh boiled from the bones. ;i re spread out together to dry in the sun.
When the weather is good the shrimps will dry in about four days,
when they are gathered together and rolled with ideated, wooden rollers
CALIFORNIA KISll AND GAME. \)
to break the shells from the meats. The whole mass is then carried to
a shed where it is run through a small fanning mill to separate the Loose
shells, fish bones and pulverized fish flesh from the heavier shrimp
meats. By screening and hand picking the shrimp meats are divided
into two grades, the unbroken meats in one and the broken meats in the
other. They are then sacked. 280 pounds to the sack. The shells fish
bones and fish flesh, and all fine particles and dust are saved and pu1
in sacks. 810 pounds to the sack, and sold for use as a fertilizer. The
loss in drying is about 65 per cent, and for each pound of shrimp meals
there are two pounds of fertilizer or "shells."
Drying Fish. The amount of young fish taken in I he Chinese nets is
always large, varying from 10 to 75 per cent of the entire catch. Form-
erly large quantities of. these fish were dried. The larger fish were
picked out and hung on strings to dry while the very small fish, princi-
pally the young smelt (Osmerus thaleichthys) were dried on trays
which had been covered with discarded net webbing. The small fish
were separated from the shrimps by dumping a basket of the catch in
a small vat of cold water where the live shrimps sank to the bottom, thus
allowing the small dead fish to be easily skimmed from the top. After
being prosecuted for catching young fish they ceased to dry the small
fish and boiled them with the shrimps to get rid of the evidence as
quickly as possible. They were nearly as valuable as a fertilizer as
they Avere as a food product. There has always been this incentive to
catch the young fish and experience has shown that it is impossible to
operate the Chinese net without catching great quantities of immature
Jish, thus causing great damage to the fisheries of the bay and rivers.
Fresh Shrimps. In the camps that sent fresh shrimps to the markets
they had a special shed at the wharf where part of the catch was taken
and the larger shrimps screened out by hand and all fish, seaweed and
dirt carefully picked out. The shrimps for the market were boiled
before the rest of the catch, in the same way as were those to be dried
except that less salt was used and they were not boiled (piite so long.
After boiling, the shrimps were spread on matting on the sorting room
floor where they could cool and the surplus moisture evaporate. They
were then placed in baskets and conveyed by power launch to San
Francisco.
Three Species of Shrimps. Three species of shrimps are taken in San
Francisco Bay. Fully 90 per cent of them are of one species, Crago
franciscorum. The remaining 10 per cent is made up of the two species.
Crago nigricauda and Crago nigrimaculata.
The shrimps drift back and forth along the bottom of the bay with the
tides but have the power in some measure to select their environment,
for in the winter time when the fresh water is entering the bay in
larger quantities they move farther down the bay. In the summer when
the blue sea water encroaches on the flats they move farther up toward
the river mouths. They appear to go on the shallower Hats when they
are carrying their eggs. The smaller individuals are found mostly in
shallow water and in the deeper and swifter water more large ones are
found. They have a wide range, however, for they are found in the
deepest water as well as the shallowest and can be found in water per-
fectly fresh as well as in pure sea water. Very little is known about
their life history. Females may be found carrying eggs attached to
2 -12760
1(1 CALIFORNIA FISH \.\|> Q \.\IK.
her swimmerets al ;ill spinous of the y>-.n-. From evidence thai lias
been gathered it is certain that the eggs are carried .it leasl two months
nn ilic outside of the body before they batch and the life of the shrimp
t'r the egg through one spawning time is not less than two years.
They feed on minute animal ami plant lite at the bottom. They may
;it times f>'<'<l near the surface for they can swim rather rapidly through
the water, moving with the head first.
Character and Quantity of thi Catch. The catch of one junk for one
tide varied from ten hundred pounds to ten tons. An average day's
catch for the boats using1 forty nets was six thousand pounds and for
the boats using sixty nets, eight thousand pounds. The nets always
contain young fish, the quantity varying from LO per cent to 75 per cent
of the entire catch. The boats using sixty nets each on the shallow
fats on the west side of San Pablo Bay caught the greatest proportion
of young fish. The reason for this is that most of the fish which enter
San Francisco Bay enter for the purpose of spawning. Among these
fish the valuable ones are the herring, smelt, striped bass, shad and
salmon. Besides these the young of other valuable commercial species.
such as the crab and the sole, enter the bay for the purpose of feeding
and for protection. A hay with rivers entering it is always a nursery
for young fish. Where there is an intermingling of fresh and sail water
as in the upper San Francisco Bay there is a prodigal growth of small
animal life, including shrimps and other species of small crustaceans.
Upon this small life the young fishes feed. The young fish are there
because the shrimps are there. A method of shrimp fishing such as
that employed by the Chinese, which catches the young fish as readily
as the shrimps and holds them until they are suffocated, is a serious
menace to the whole fishing industry of the bay and its tributary rivers.
Even if they caught only shrimps, there is a limit to the number which
should Ik1 caught for they are the l'ood of our more valuable fishes, hut
when tlie method of fishing takes the young fish themselves in vasi
quantities, as did the Chinese nets in upper San Francisco Bay, it
should not be tolerated if we value the other fisheries, or if we value the
shrimp itself, for there is every evidence that even the shrimps were
being overfished. To appreciate the seriousness of the situation as it
existed in .1910, just imagine the nineteen Chinese junks with their
combined nets numbering one thousand, each one having a mouth open
ing of 24x44 feet, straining the small fish and shrimps from the rushing
water, tide after tide. The total annual catch by the Chinese junks al
the time they were stopped from fishing in 1911 was considerably in
excess of ten million pounds of fresh shrimps and fish combined. Of
this amount no more than eight hundred thousand pounds id' the
shrimps were used fresh. The rest was all dried and marketed as
dried sin-imp meat and fertilizer.
After the Chinese method of fishing was stopped it was found that the
Italian method as employed in the early days was not profitable, for
the shrimps were too scarce and there were no more flounders or toincod.
Neither was the shrimp beam trawl profitable for tin1 shrimps were not
plentiful enough for that method and the nets were torn on the Chinese
shrimp stakes driven all over the hay. As no other method of catching
shrimps was employed and as the market was bare of shrimps, the
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
11
presence of which had been for years a feature of California, the ban
was lifted from the Chinese nets in southern San Francisco Bay in
1915. The nets do less damage in that pari of the bay as there are
IVwcr young fish there of valuable varieties for the reason that there
is little fresh water flowing in that portion of the hay. The young of
the herring are not found there, as they spawn in the upper bay, nor
are the young of the smelt, shad, striped bass or salmon found there, for.
they are hatched only in the larger rivers and as they descend to the bay
they distribute themselves in the brackish water nursery of the upper
or San Pablo Bay. Shrimps were not very plentiful in south San
Francisco Bay on account of the former heavy fishing and on account of
the gradually increasing salinity of the water. Drying of shrimps had
also been prohibited and it was found not very profitable to fish for the
fresh market only. During the first year after they resumed fishing
the markets took less than 350.000 pounds of shrimps. They could
have had more but there was not the former demand. The amount of
Fig.
Drying shrimps at Point >an Pedro in 19)0. Photographs by N. B. Scofield.
fresh shrimps marketed has increased each year until now the amount
is equal to that of any former year when shrimp fishing was at its
height. The shrimps have increased in numbers in all portions of the
bays, as also have the number of small fish, especially the young of the
striped bass. It has now become profitable to use the shrimp beam
trawl which, towed with the tide, catches the shrimp with a very small
per cent of young fish. As illustrative of the damage done by the
Chinese nets in former years the following is quoted from my note
book of 1897 :
"The average catch per day for each boat at the San Rafael
(Point San Pedro) fishery, during the last two weeks of duly, was
seventy baskets, each basket weighing about ninety pounds, making
in all six thousand three hundred pounds. The average number
of boats out each day was seven, making in all a daily eateh of
forty-four thousand one hundred pounds. For thirteen days (the
time they were under continual observation) this number is swelled
12 CALIFORNIA PISH \M» GAM]
to six hundred sixty one thousand, five hundred pounds. One-half
• of this catch consisted of small fish, the principal species being
smelt, California anchovy and sculpin.
The small smell, two and one-half to three and one-half inches
long, were very abundant, making up over one-fourth of the entire
catch. The estimated amount of these young smelt taken in the hist
fifteen days of July is 165,375 pounds, or about 16,537,500 small
fish. When the nets are broughl to the surface of the water, these
small smelt are dead, so that to throw them back would do no good.'"
Later, in the year 1!>1<). we made the following notes:
"Oct. 25, 1910: Visited two San Pedro Point boats as they
lifted their nets. One had 30 per cent of young fish, mostly smelt
and sole. They also had a good many undersized female edible
crabs, which were alive, but they had not attempted to throw them
back. The other boat had 20 per cent of young fish.
Oct. 28, 1910: Six boats out of San Pedro Point. Ming's boat
had eighty baskets on this tide, of which 30 per cent was fish,
mostly young smelt, young sole, and tomcod. One boat had forty
baskets, two boats fifty baskets each, and the remaining two had
seventy-five each. The amount of young fish was about 20 per
cent. Ming says he uses forty nets and has averaged seventy bas-
kets a day for September and October. The five camps above him
use sixty nets each and their catch is much larger.
Oct. 29, 1910: Again visited San Pedro Point boats. Five
boats out. The catch the same as yesterday. Three boat crews
have been arrested in the last few days for catching young fish,
but when visited yesterday and today they made no attempt what-
ever to throw back even the few fish that were alive. Wing had
used a screen to get out the fish, but his catch was still 30 per cent
fish. Their nets were all set wide open, as the tides are not
so strong now."
The above notes are selected to give a conservative idea of what
the average catch consists in upper San Francisco Bay. The greatest
damage is done on the shallow San Pablo Bay flats. During the
winter months large numbers of small striped bass are killed in the
nets. The boats which fished below San Pablo Bay in the deeper
water near Red Rock and the Stone Quarry caught smaller quantities
of young fish than those above, but they caught more of the young
striped bass than any others. The late increase in the number of
striped bass is undoubtedly in large part due to the abolition of the
Chinese nets in the upper bay, and if we value that fine food and game
fish the destructive shrimp nets should be kept out.
The Chinese operating in South San Francisco Bay catch fewer
young fish and the varieties caught are not of the valuable species
The lower bay can easily supply the fresh markets without serious
injury to any of the other fisheries. But even there, the nets should
be prohibited as soon as a less destructive method of shrimp fishing
can be developed.
CALIFORN I V FISH AND GAME. L3
THE FISHES OF THE CROAKER FAMILY (SCIAENIDAE) OF
CALIFORNIA.
By EDWIN CHAPIN STARKS, Stanford University.
The fishes of this family have a peculiar silvery skin thai is unlike
the bright, burnished silver of some fishes, the herrings for instance.
lnii suggests rather frosted silver. The head is closely covered with
scales, more or less irregular in size and shape, and the pore-bearing
scales of the lateral line extend onto the caudal fin. The bones of the
skull are variously excavated with tunnels and open channels (cav-
ernous), and the chin is usually provided with large pores or barbels.
Two dorsal fins are present; the first composed of spines and more or
less triangular in shape. The anal fin has one or two spines, sometimes
very small and slender or sometimes the second one is very much
enlarged.
The croakers are carnivorous fishes rather distantly related to the
basses. Many of them make a peculiar noise from which the common
names of croaker, grunter, and drum have been derived. The noise is
supposed to be made by forcing the air (or more properly, gas) from
one part of the swim bladder to another. The species are numerous on
sandy shores, and are most abundant in warm and tropic seas. At
Panama, for instance, there are between 40 and 4"> representatives of
this family. Of the eight that occur on our coast only two are found
in abundance as far north as San Francisco. Most of the others occa-
sionally stray that far. but are common only on the southern coast.
All of them are very good food fishes, and some are classed as game
fishes.
The common or popular names of these fishes are even more mixed up
and poorly applied than usual. Gynoscion nobilis, the "sea bass," is
not a bass, and Seriphus, sometimes called the herring, does not even
remotely resemble the herring. The young "sea bass' is known as "sea
trout." No possible stretch of the imagination could make it suggesl
a trout, and having wrongly called its parent a bass, to call it a trout
is a xwy good commentary on how loosely common names are used.
Genyonemus, the fish thai is usually known as the kingfish, is some-
times called "lomcod"' on the southern California coast, it resembles
a, tomcod as little as Seriphus, the queenfish, resembles a herring.
When Genyonemus, the kingfish, is called "tomcod" the name kingfish
is transferred to Seriphus, the queenfish. or white croaker. Gynoscion
parvipinnis, a close relative of the "sea bass." is sometimes called
"bluefish," though it has nothing whatever in common with the famous
bluefish of the Atlantic. The names croaker, roncador, and corvina
are not at all consistently applied, but are shuffled back and forth
between various of these fishes.
Hence in the use of vernacular names among these or any other fishes
the reader is again cautioned that there is no constancy nor rule for
their application, and he can only be sure of definitely indicating a
given fish by using its scientific name. Though such names will
probably never be used by people al large, and certainly not by unlet-
tered fishermen, the scientific name is nevertheless the one true name
for a species, and a name I hat will be recognized by scientific men in
all countries 1he world over
14 CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
KEY TO THE FISHES OF THE CROAKER FAMILY IN CALIFORNIA.
1. Lower jaw projecting beyond tip of snout, which is sharp.
2. Base of second dorsal fin aboul equal in length to base ol anal fin.
Qneenfish nr WhiU Croaker. Seriphus politus. Page L5.
- 2. Base of second dorsal fin very much longer than thai of anal fin.
:;. Teeth at middle of upper jaw little if any enlarged. Pectoral fin
more than half the length of head, lis tip reaching aboul as Ear
back as tips of centrals. White Sea Bass. Cynoscion nobilis.
Page 15.
."!-.*>. One or two long teeth pointing backward at the middle of upper
jaw. Pectoral fin less than half the length of head. Its tip uol
reaching as far hack as tips of ventrals. California Bluefish.
Cynoscion parvipinnis. Page 16.
1-1. Tip of snout blunt and projecting beyond tip of lower jaw.
1. A single short barbel or appendage at tip of lower jaw.
5. A large thick spine at fronl of anal fin. The firsl spine of the
firsl dorsal not longer than the spines just behind it. The tip of
i he first dorsal rounded. Yellowfin Croaker. I mbrina ronca
dor. Page 17.
."> "p. No enlarged spine at front of anal fin. The first dorsal spine
longer than flic others, making the tip of (he first dorsal very sharp.
California Whiting. Henticirrhus tindulattts. Page 17.
4-4. No single barbel al tip of lower jaw.
I>. A la rue thick spine at front of anal fin.
7. A large black spot on front of pectoral fin. Pectoral tin as
long as head, and reaching past tips of ventrals. Caudal fin
concave behind. S/><>ttin Croaker. Roneador stsarnsi.
Page 18.
7-7. Xo spot at front of pectoral, hut a dark spot usually present
on hind edge of gill cover. Pectoral fin ranch shorter than
head and not reaching to tips of ventrals. Caudal fin not
concave behind. Black, or Chinese Croaker. Sciaena sat-
iii mi. Page 1'.*.
G v No enlarged spine at front of anal fin. Kingfish. Genyonemus
Uncatns. Page 20.
GLOSSARY.
Aim! fin: Tlic single fin on the lower side of the body towards the
tail.
Barbel: A small fleshy projection of appendix. In these fishes it is
on the lower jaw.
Caudal I'm : The tail fin.
Dorsal fin: The fill on the hack. In these fishes if is divided into
two fins: the first composed of spines, and hence called spinous dorsal;
the second composed of sofl fays.
Maxillary: The flattened hone bordering the mouth above.
r< ctoral Jin ■. The pair of fins, one on each side, situated close behind
1 he gil] opening.
Preopercvlum : A hone of the gill cover that borders the cheek
behind. I) is considerably in fronl of (he hind edge of the gill cover,
and has a free edge.
CALIFORNIA FI8II AND GAME.
15
Snout : The part of the head that lies in front of the eyes except the
lower jaw.
Ventral fins: The paired fins on the lower part of the breast; close
under the pectorals in these fishes.
The Queenfish, or White Croaker (Seriphus politus).
The length of the base of the second dorsal fin is about equal in length
to the base of the anal fin. The tip of the snout is rather sharp and the
tip of the lower jaw projects beyond it when the mouth is closed. The
mouth is long and narrow, and the maxillary does not quite reach to
vertically below the hind border of the eye. The dorsal fins are well
separated, and the .spines of the first dorsal are slender. The color is
bluish above with the sides and belly bright silvery, the tins yellow, and
the base of the pectoral dusky.
Fig. 6. The queenfish (Seriphus politus).
On the southern California coast this fish is ridiculously called her-
ring, a name that should decidedly be discouraged, for it has nothing
in common with the herring, is not related to it, and does not even look
like it. It also in the same region shares with Genyonemus lineatus, the
name of kingfish. The latter is almost universally so known and hence
has the best right to the name.
This fish reaches a length of about a foot, and is an excellent pan-fish.
It is salted and smoked to some extent in southern California and
marketed as herring. It is common on sandy shores of the southern
and Lower California coasts, and has been taken as far northward as
San Francisco.
The White "Sea Bass" (Cynoscion nobilis).
The snout is sharp and the tip of the lower jaw projects beyond it
when the mouth is closed, while the length of the base of the second
dorsal is three or more times the length of the anal base. The length
of the pectoral fin is more than half the length of the head, and the tip
of the pectoral reaches about to opposite the tips of the ventrals.
There are no greatly enlarged teeth pointing backwards at the front
of the upper jaw. The mouth is large and the maxillary nearly or quite
reaches to vertically below the hind border of the eve. The caudal fin
16
CALIFORNIA KIS1J AND UAME.
is concave behind. Very fine dark points are everywhere dusted over
the silvery color, making it more or less dusky bluish. The inner sur-
faces of the pectoral and ventral fins are dusky.
Fig.
The while- sea bass (Cynoscion nobilis).
Though lids fish is only distantly related to the bass, it is in ( 'alifornia
almost universally known as the sea bass or white sea bass. On the
Atlantic coast fishes of this group are known as weakfishes. This
species is one of our most valuable food fishes, reaching a weight
of 90 or more pounds, and having firm white flesh. It is found in con-
siderable abundance along the California coast and southward to
Lower California. It has been reported as far north as Puget Sound.
The young has dusky bands extending down from the hack onto the
sides. Fishermen call the small ones sea trout.
The California "Bluefish" (Cynoscion parvipinnis).
As in the white sea bass the snout is sharp; the tip of the lower jaw
projects beyond it when the mouth is (dosed ; and the base of the second
dorsal fin is much longer than that of the anal fin. It may be known
from the white sea bass by (he pectoral fin being less than half the length
Pig. 8. The California bluefish (.Cynoscion parvipinnis).
of the head, and its tip qoI nearly reaching as far back as the tips of
the ventrals. It is also distinguished by having one or two long sharp
teeth pointing backwards from the middle of the upper jaw. The dor-
sal tins are close together. 'Idle color is steel blue above and silvery on
1he lower parts and sides.
This fish closely resembles the white sea bass — in fact it is not recog-
nized as different bv many lishennen. It does not reach as large a size.,
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
17
probably not exceeding a couple of feel in length, and it is said to be
much inferior to it. Its flesh is soft and it does not bear transportation
well. It is found from southern California southward along the coast
of Lower California.
The name bluefish as applied to this species probably is on account of
its color, and not because it is thought to be the same as the famous
bluefish of the Atlantic. The latter is a very different fish, not at all
related to this species.
The Yellowfin Croaker (Umbrina roncador).
This fish may be known from its relatives by a short fleshy barbel.
or appendage, that projects from the chin, and, in addition, by a large
thick spine at the front of the anal fin. The enlarged spine is the
second anal spine, there being a very short one in front of it. Its snout
is blunt and projects over and above the tip of the lower jaw. The
mouth is nearly horizontal, and the maxillary reaches to under the
middle of the eye. The edge' of the bone that bounds the cheek behind
Fig. 9. The yellow-fin croaker (Umbrina roncador).
(preoperculum) is set with fine spines. The spinous dorsal is triangu-
lar in shape but rounded at its upper angle at the points of the first
spines. The pectorals are rather short and do not reach as far back as
the ventrals do. The caudal is concave behind; and the upper lobe is
longer than the lower. Brassy and golden reflections overlie the silvery
color. The back is bluish, and over the back and sides are many wavy
dark lines that extend upward and backward following the rows of
scales. The fins are mostly yellow.
This fish reaches a length of 15 or 10 inches, and it is rather common
on the southern California coast. Its range extends southward into the
Gulf of California while an occasional one strays northward as far as
San Francisco. It is a very good food fish, and is caught in considerable
abundance by the anglers on the piers and beaches of southern Califor-
nia. It is a very handsome fish when it is first drawn from the water,
but its iridescent colors soon fade.
The California Whiting or Corvina (Menticirrhus undulatus).
This is a well marked fish that may be known by a fleshy barbel, or
appendage, that projects from the chin, the first dorsal spine longer than
3 42789
L8
CALIPORN] \ PISH AND (i VME.
the others, making the tin sharply pointed above, and the caudal fin with
its lower angle rounded and its upper sharp. The barbel at the chin is
longer than in the yellow-fin croaker. It may be known from thai
species at once by its lacking an enlarged spine at the front of the anal.
The upper jaw projects considerably over the lower, the mouth is hori-
zontal, and the maxillary barely, or scarcely, reaches to below the Eronl
edge of the pupil. The edge of the preoperculum is divided into tine
points which are membranous and not bony spines as in the yellowfbi
croaker. The pectoral is rather long and reaches to about the tips of
Fig. 10. The California whiting (Mcnticcrrhus undulati
the ventrals. The color is grayish with brighl reflections. On the back
and side are many dark wavy lines that run upwards and backwards.
The back sometimes lias faint dark bars crosswise to the body.
This fish is rather common on sandy shores of southern California,
and is known southward into the Gulf of California, while individuals
are sometimes taken as far northward as San Francisco. It is a yen
good food fish and reaches a length of 18 or 20 inches.
The Spot, or Spotfin Croaker (Roncador stearnsi).
This fish may be known at once by the large black spot at the base
of the pectoral fin. It is not only on both sides of the pectoral, but is
also somewhat on the body behind the pectoral base. As in most of the
Fig. 11. The spot (.Roncador stearnsi).
CALIFORNIA KISll AND GAME.
19
croakers, a Muni snoul extends over a horizontal mouth. The mouth
is moderate in size, and the maxillary reaches to below the middle of
the eye. The preopcreuluni is sel with fine sharp spines. The iirsl
dorsal has stout spines and the second spine of the anal is enlarged, the
first spine being-, as usual, small. The pectoral is as long as the head,
and reaches considerably past the tips of the ventrals. The color is
grayish silvery, lighter below. Wavy dark lines follow the rows of
scales extending upwards and backwards. These are less conspicuous
than in the yellowfin roncador. Two dusky streaks usually run back
from the throat to the ventrals and thence to each side of the anal.
This fish is abundant on the southern California coast, and, like most
of the others, has occasionally been taken as far north as San Fran-
cisco. It is of some importance as a food fish, and reaches a weight
of 5 or 6 pounds.
The Black Croaker, or Chinese Croaker (Sciaena saturna).
The following combination of characters will identify this fish from
its relatives: The snout blunt and projecting over the tip of the lower
jaw; no barbel at the chin; the second anal spine large and thick; oo
Fig. 12. The black croaker (Sciana saturna).
black spot at base of pectoral ; the pectoral shorter than the head and
not reaching to the tips of the ventrals. The month is small, the lower
jaw closes within the upper, and the maxillary reaches to below the
middle of the eye. The scales on the head are small, rough and uneven.
The preoperculum has a membranous edge that is divided into very fine
points which are scarcely noticeable without the aid of a magnifier.
The dorsal spines are rather stout, but not nearly so stout as the second
anal spine. The caudal is slightly convex, or with its middle rays the
longest. The color is dusky with reddish coppery reflections. A pale
band usually extends downward from between the dorsals to opposite
the tips of the ventrals. This often fades with age. The lower parts
are silvery but dusted over and obscured by dark specks. The side of
the head is more brilliantly coppery color than elsewhere. The ventral
fins are dusky or black. A black spot is present at the edge of the gill
cover just above its angle.
20
CALIFORNIA MM I AND G \ Ml..
1'liis iirsli lias not been reported aortli of Santa Barbara, tts range
extends southward alonge the eoasl of Lower California. M reaches a
Length of about 15 inches, and is a fairly good food fish.
The Kingfish (Genyonemus lineatus).
The characters of the firsl sentence separate this fish from its rela-
tives. The blunt snoiil projecting over the tip of the lower jaw; no
barbel at the chin; no enlarged spine a1 the fronl of the anal. The
mouth is rather oblique. The lower jaw doses within the upper, and
the maxillary reaches to under the middle of the eye or ;i trifle farther.
The edge of the preoperculum is membranous and without fine bony
points. On each side of the lower jaw just behind the chin are several
very small barbels, so small that they scarcely show withoul the aid of
a magnifier. The spines of the dorsal are slender. The pectoral ends
opposite to the very slender points of the ventrals, or reaches a little
past. The caudal fin is slightly concave behind. Brassy reflections
Fig. 13. The kingfish (Genyonemus lineatus).
overlie the bright silvery color. Very faint wavy lines follow the rows
of scales upwards and backwards. The fins are usually yellowish, and
there is a small dark spot just behind the base of the upper pectoral
'•ays. < l <
This fish and the white sea bass are the only ones of this family that
are found in any abundance as far north as San Francisco. It runs
southward along the Lower California coast. It is commoner in sum-
mer than in winter, and more abnndanl on the southern eoasl than the
northern. It scarcely exceeds a foot in length, but its abundance makes
it a food fish of considerable importance. When fresh it is a very good
food fish, but its flesh is rather soft and it does not keep very well. It
is sometimes called tomcod in southern California. This name should
not be used, for it in no way, shape, nor manner resembles the tomcod.
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME. 21
NOTE ON THE SAND DAB.
By EDWIN C. STARKS.
Through an oversight in the paper on flat-fishes that appeared in the
last number of California Fish and Game the old name of soft flounder
was used as a common name of the fish that has in recent years been
known as the sand dab (Citharichthys sordidus). This name, sand dab,
lias almost entirely supplanted the older name on our coast and for thai
reason should be used. It is, however, one of those unfortunate names
borrowed from another fish from another part of the world. The sand
dab of the Atlantic coast (Hippoglossoides platessoides) has the best
right to the mime, for it was first so called. It bears little resemblance
to our sand dab. So in your copy of California Fish and Game please
write sand dab in place of soft flounder.
THE STICKLEBACK: A FISH EMINENTLY FITTED BY
NATURE AS A MOSQUITO DESTROYER.
By CARL L. HUBBS.
Since it has been proved that malaria, yellow fever, and other dread
diseases are carried by mosquitoes, there has developed a wide interest
in these little insects, which hitherto had been regarded more as a
nuisance than as a menace. Many studies have been undertaken in
order to determine the best methods by which mosquitoes may be
exterminated or at least greatly reduced in numbers.
'I'lie use of window screens, the draining of .swamps, and the oiling
of waters, as well as the spread of natural enemies, are methods of
control that have received attention with very notable success. For
instance, the building of the Panama Canal has been made possible
by the destruction of mosquitoes and the consequent control of yellow
fever.
A word as to the main methods of mosquito control. The use of
screens does not eliminate the evil. The draining of swamps has been
very successfully practiced in New Jersey, and is applicable to other
regions where large, swampy tracts occur. The use of oil. which
spreads as a film over the wafer, forms a sufficient control, but requires
continued attention and expense, and can scarcely be applied to most
ornamental ponds or reservoirs or to pools from which animals drink.
There is thus need for other methods, and of these the spread of the
natural enemies of the mosquitoes is by far the most import ant, These
natural enemies are numerous, and the most valuable of them all for
the purpose are fishes, which destroy the young stages of the mosquitoes
as well as the adults when they alight on the surface of the water.
Among the fishes extensively used in mosquito control, the little
killifishes or topminnows may be mentioned, but there are others which
can be strongly recommended. This short report is written to call
further attention to the value of the stickleback (Gasterosteus) as a
mosquito destroyer in California, particularly in the coastal regions.
22 CALIFORNIA PISH \M> GAME.
FACTORS RENDERING THE STICKLEBACK AN EFFICIENT MOSQUITO
DESTROYER.
L. Tin stickleback uses mosquitoes as food. This poinl is to be
proved firsl of all. The evidence is convincing. The stickleback has
been seen snapping up adult mosquitoes tin-own into the water. Mos-
quitoes are unable to breed in waters inhabited by sticklebacks. This
conclusion, previously arrived al in regard to the stickleback and the
salt-marsh mosquito of San Francisco Bay, has been rigidly tested out
in many of the si reams from San Francisco south to the Mexican
border. Only a few examples from the observations can be made here.
In San Prancisquito Creek, near I\ilo Alto; pools were repeatedly
found near one another and apparently similar except in this respect:
in the one pool sticklebacks were plentiful, bul qo mosquito wrigglers
could be detected, while in the other pool sticklebacks were absent,
while mosquitoes were breeding in abundance.
The swamps, pools and streams of the coasl region of San Luis
Obispo and Santa Barbara counties appear as ideal breeding waters
for mosquitoes, yet the people there enjoy unusual freedom from these
pests and dangers. A study of the region makes it almost certain that
these people have the stickleback to thank for the service thus rendered.
But, even in these regions mosquitoes breed in abundance in the moun
tain canyons into which the sticklebacks can no1 penetrate because of
the sleep descent of the bouldery stream beds. The mosquitoes are
forced back, however, into the mountains where there arc fewer people
for them to torment
In Mission Valley in San Diego sticklebacks are. for some unknown
reason, entirely absent, but mosquitoes and gnats are very troublesome
during the summer months. From the valley the mosquitoes arc blown
up the canyons to the city on the mesa above. During the summer
the surface waters of the San Diego River, which flows through Mis-
sion Valley, are reduced to a series of pools. In these pools three
introduced fishes, the golden bream (Notemigomus crysoleucas) , the
bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus), and the green sunfish (Lepomis cya-
nellus) are generally abundant. It seems that the stickleback is more
efficient in the control of mosquitoes than are these thr ther fishes
together.
During an entire summer's study of this problem. I never aoted ;i
considerable number of either mosquito wrigglers or stieklehacks in
the same pool together. Wherever the stickleback can penetrate, and
they go as far as they can, the mosquitoes are effectively destroyed.
2. Abundanci of other food will not deter II" stickleback from feed-
ing on lh< iin>s(j)iih, wrigglers. This conclusion is evident from field
observations, and is confirmed by the size and structure of the fish: its
mouth, small even for such tiny fishes, will not permit it to feed on
large insect larva- such as those of dragon flies, which, by the way.
upon emerging as the adult insect, feed upon the mosquitoes in the air.
3. The stickleback l'< < <ls at all levels of tin water, from bottom to
surface. Because of this fact, mosquito wrigglers of different habits are
all picked up. Statements published by Seal, and by Lutz and ('ham
bers for the stickleback of the East Coast, make it appear a bottom
feeder. At least, such a conclusion does not apply to the stickleback of
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME. 23
California. I have thrown mosquitoes into a pool of the Los Angeles
River, and scarcely would one of them drop below the surface before
one of these little fishes Avould dart from some hidden corner and
devour it.
4. The habits of the stickleback render it destructive to mosquitoes.
This little fish hangs at any level of the water, tail bent to one side or
the other, passively waiting for a stimulus to move. The wriggler is
spied, and the stickleback snaps it up with pike-like speed and voracity.
5. The. stickleback itself is largely immune to the attacks of larger
fishes. This is a fact of much importance, giving the little spiny and
armored stickleback a distinct advantage in many waters over other
mosquito-eating fishes, as the topminnows. Sticklebacks live abundantly
with rainbow trout, as in the Ventura River ; and with black bass, as in
the San Luis Creek. In ponds and reservoirs the waters could thus be
stocked with both game fishes and sticklebacks, whereas the topminnows
would, under such circumstances, soon be devoured.
6. The stickleback is a widely distributed fish. This little fish (Gas-
terosteus actdeatus) , of several varieties, is found along the shores of
all northern regions in the brackish waters of the bays and estuaries,
and in the coastal streams. The stickleback in the streams of Califor-
nia extend their ranges from the estuaries as far up into the mountain
canyons as they can penetrate. At high water they spread out and
are trapped in many little pools from which mosquitoes arc thus
eliminated.
7. The stickleback lives and breeds in small pools. These pools include
not only those along stream sides, but also the little shallow ponds and
reservoirs about houses, which if not stocked with fishes, become breed-
ing grounds for mosquitoes. For this purpose the stickleback is emi-
nently fitted by its size; structure and habits. After planting once it
requires no further care. Observations in California have led to these
conclusions.
8. The rise in temperature during the summer months seems not to
kill the sticklebacks. "Where other fishes might be killed off in summer
in shallow ponds and reservoirs, the sticklebacks seem to live on. These
little fishes have even been found in the hot springs of Tia Juana. near
the Mexican boundary.
9. The abundance of sticklebacks in the streams of California pro-
vides an ample supply of these fishes for the stocking of artificial and
■natural pools, ponds and reservoirs. A fine meshed minnow seine, or
one made of from four to six yards of cheap cloth, can be used to
obtain these fishes in the waters in which they live.
10. The stickleback is a hardy little fish and will stand transportation
from its native streams to artificial ponds, in open buckets or in cans,
such as those used to transport fish fry for planting in streams distant
from the hatcheries.
PRACTICAL USE OF THE STICKLEBACK IN THE CONTROL OF
MOSQUITOES.
No artificial cistern, pool, pond or reservoir should be left unstocked
with fishes, and for this purpose the stickleback is probably the most
practical fish in California, for the reasons which have already been
outlined. By iis use the breeding of mosquitces about houses would
2 I CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
be prevented, and a troublesome nuisance and a real source of danger
would be largely eliminated, for the mosquitoes which attack us have
mosl l.v been bred close by.
There would remain, however, many isolated pools in the salt marshes,
along the sides of the lower courses of the streams, and in their upper
canyons. These pools are usually without fishes. and in some of them
dangerous mosquitoes breed in abundance. The stocking of these
pools with sticklebacks would doubtless, in many cases at least, prove
both possible and advisable. This might be done independently by
those people interested iii their own welfare, or perhaps better by some
public official. It is quite probable that in the swampylands and in
the rice fields along the Sacramento River, the little topminnows would
prove more efficient enemies of the malaria mosquitoes than the stickle-
backs. The California Fish and Game Commission is working with
thai idea in view.
The control of mosquitoes is quite possible, in part by the use of the
stickleback, as advocated in this article, and in part by other met hods,
such as the draining of swamps, etc. It is to be hoped that the proper
authorities in California will increase their energy in this held, for
the effective control of mosquitoes within its borders would make
California an even safer and more pleasant place in which to live than
it is now.
EARLY STAGES OF THE SPINY LOBSTER TAKEN BY THE
BOAT "ALBACORE."*
By WALDO L. SCHMITT. United States National Museum.
The investigations of the Fish and Game Commission boat, the
Albacore," have recently yielded some valuable returns, during her
scientific invest igal ions of the commercial fishes and fisheries of soul hem
California, in the shape of hitherto unknown larval stages of the Cali-
fornia spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus) .
Under the auspices of the United States Bureau of Fisheries and
through the courtesy of the Scripps Institution the writer recently
spent some months in California primarily for the purpose of making
a study of the Scripps Institution's extensive series of plankton samples
in the hopes of shedding some lighl on the life history of the spiny
Lobster. Though in considerable number, only the earlier larval stages
Were represented in their collections, t
*Mr. Waldo L. Schmitl of the United States National Museum, lias made a
special study ol marine Crustacea, and the opportunity to provide him with material
tor the study of the early stages of the spiny lobster was a very welcome one to the
Fish and Game Commission. His visit to this coast came at a time when 1 1 1 . -
ntific work ol the "Albacore" was but fairly tinder way, and the fact that 11
was able to provide him with material which seems t<> he of verv considerable valu<
'i. i i..- of happy portenl for the future. The superintendence of the hauls ana of
tie' handling of the nets was very competently done by .Mr. Elmer Higgins, attached
1,1 the "Albacore" as a scientific assistant during her work on larval fish.
It will he v.,11 to call attention to the significance of the wide distribution of the
larval lobsters. These flat, transparent organisms arc found floating freely in tic
water, and air distributed by the currents. Although we do not know, of course,
what proportion ol tic larvse are carried along the coast by the currents, nor what
numbers of them finally succeed in obtaining a suitable footing on the completion
pi their development, yel it should be fairly dear that there is an interdependence
between widely separated regions inhabited by the spiny lobster. — Will F. Thompson.
tSubsequenl to the taking of the large phyllosomes referred to below, one of like
size was found in the Scripps Institution collections. It is interesting to note in this
connection that in one of thoir large aquarium tanks they succeeded in hatching
out the first phyllosome stage this past summer from the eggs carried bv a single
berried female.
CALIFORNIA PISH AND CAME.
25
But on August 2i), 1918, while the writer was aboard the "Albacore,"
four phyllosomes of large size, the largest ever taken off California, were
secured with the vessel's small otter-trawl. These specimens average
about, an inch in length, of body proper, and were obtained about 16
miles west of the Coronados Islands in 75 fathoms of water. One of
these specimens is shown in the accompanying figure (fig. 14).
Including the above-mentioned specimens, the "Albacore" had taken,
up to the time of the writer's return from California, some fourteen
lots of large and intermediate sized phyllosomes, and another rare stage
Fig. 14. Large iiliyllosomc. an heretofore undiscovered larval
form of the spiny lobster.
known as the puerulus. Some of these lots contained numerous indi-
viduals. The puerulus is the stage intermediate between the pyhllo-
some, the form in which the "lobster" is hatched from the egg, and the
definitive form of the adult. These collections were well distributed
through the southern California waters ranging as far as 150 miles off
shore and to a maximum depth of 75 fathoms. This is a rather sur-
prising range for such a well known littoral form.
So far as a preliminary examination of the material taken by the
"Albacore" together with that obtained from the Scripps Institution
goes, it appears that the early life history of the California spiny lobster
is in a fair way of solution. A full report of the results of the summer's
work is in preparation.
26
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
THE COYOTE AS A DEER KILLER.
By E. V. JOTTER.
Although we have long known the coyote ;is a predatory animal il has
only been recently that we have obtained evidence of its destructiveness
to big game. Heretofore known as a destroyer of quail, grouse and
domestic slock such as pigs, sheep and poultry, the coyote musl now be
classified along with the mountain lion as a deer slayer.
In that many persons have been slow to believe that the coyote is a
factor in oui- deer supply we have attempted to gather some evidence
lending to prove thai this animal is responsible for a considerable loss
each year in Trinity County. This evidence is presented herewith.
Fig. 15. Mah coyoti taken in nap January 31, 1918, 14 miles south of Douglas.
Trinity County, California, by C. O. Fisher. The stomach contained deer hair
and meat. Photograph by C. O. Fishei
Bert Biggins, who runs a trap line within the Trinity Game Refuge,
reports finding along this one line during one month, the remains of
fifteen deer killed by coyotes. Ranger Bucklew in April, 1916, saw a
Cull grown doe. apparently in good condition, pulled down by one
coyote.
Mi'. W'm. Friend writes as follows concerning his experience with
coyotes in the < iame Refuge :
•In regard i<> the deer I found killed by coyotes in the Game Refuge, will say
1 i uinmeuced trapping between Little Creek and Bear Creek on February 1, 1916,
and between that date and March 2, 1916, I found the remains of seventeen deer
killed by coyotes.
They were all sizes from large bucks to fawns, but mostly small deer. The snow
was about two feel deep and the deer had collected near the river and in gulches.
After the snow settled the coyotes could run on top, but the deer broke through, so
it was an easy matter for the coyote to catch them. In one gulch I came down I
found eight deer thai had been killed at different times— one of them had boon killed
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 27
recently and none of them were over ten days. In many other sheltered places r
found remains. In one instance about Feb. 1, T. H. Campbell and I were riding
along the road near Philip Habor's place and saw where coyotes had just killed a
spike buck and were enjoying a feast when we frightened them away. I also have
a large pair of antlers I brought home from one of their victims. It is not only
when the snow is on, but in the spring when the deer are weak, and poor, that thej
destroy a great many. I was ((lining home from my traps after the snow had gone
and not half a mile from the Van Matre place I saw two coyotes that had a large
buck run down and would have killed him if I had not happened along at that time.
The deer was not able to get up the bank then."
Ranger Gray's report on the coyote is given in full:
"I would like to emphasize the necessity for a state-wide campaign against the
coyote and other predatory animals, in which all the people of the state are to a
certain extent interested and would help to bear the expenses of such work. It goes
without question that a great public benefit would be derived in ridding the country
of coyotes, either by increased bounties or by other means that would encourage more
trapping. It seems that an increased bounty would be the most' effective means of
encouraging trapping, and in obtaining the desired result. I have conversed with
a great many stockmen and local people during the season with a view to getting
actual cases where the coyote has been observed killing game or stock. The result
is, few people have been found that have actually seen the coyote killing either wild
game or domestic stock ; however, they know beyond any question of a doubt that he
is responsible for certain large losses in both cases. There is one good reason among
others why he is not more often detected in the actual work of killing, for his wan-
dering and search for food is generally done in the hours of the night. In his wild
nature he very carefully shuns man, usually selecting the most secluded places in
which to cany out his destructive work. Karl Moore. T. Flouruoy and other men
who have been handling sheep for many years in these mountains advise me that
they never saw a coyote actually kill a sheep. However, they state that they have
seen them driving and worrying the sheep and upon following the trail they invari-
ably found dead sheep scattered along the route. The greatest losses among this
class of stock from the source mentioned is to small bunches separated on the range
from the main bands, and left on the range during the night unprotected. W. II.
Atkeson of Hoaglin advises me that he saw a coyote kill two small pigs near his
ranch house. Many others disappeared in only a few days in the same locality.
Fred Becker, who resides on Pilot Creek, states that he saw four or five coyotes
chasing a small deer. He did not know whether the deer was killed. Ben. B. Iliff
of this place tells me that during the past winter a blood trail was noted crossing
the road near his ranch house. The tracks of a deer were impressed in the snow
together with small tracks that resembled those of small dogs. The trail was
followed and Mr. Iliff asserts that in a short distance he found the carcass of a large
deer and upon his approach two coyotes scampered away. C. W. Vann of this place
cites an instance where he saw a coyote catch and kill a quail. Mr. Vann states
that while hunting he approached a clump of low brush (poison oak) and flushed a
bunch of quail. The quail in leaving the brush were quite close to the ground and
he very clearly saw a coyote jump and take one of the birds as it passed very near
him. I have found only a few other cases similar to these already mentioned."
Mr. W. T. Shock of Hayfork writes this letter:
"In reading over the weekly Trinity Journal I noticed the letter from \Y. <>.
Friend in regard to coyotes and as the Forest requests any good evidence against
coyotes I submit the following: As I have trapped and hunted the coyote all my
life. I will write a little of my experience. I find that the coyote is very destructive
to many kinds of game of this county, not only deer, but all kinds of birds, such
as grouse and quail, the nests of which it robs. A coyote can catch plenty of deer
when there is no snow, but it destroys more when the snow is deep. Many deer that
are found along the rivers are killed in this way.' When the heavy snow comes, the
deer gather along the rivers and low ground, as the snow is less there. When
coyotes get hungry they take after a deer, and if they catch it before it gets to the
river they kill it, but if the deer makes into the water, the coyote goes after another
one. The coyote will not go into the water, but the deer that run into the water are
28 CALIFORNIA PISH \M> GAME.
so hoi and weak thai thej Freeze to death before venturing oul again. I have seen
coyotes after deer, and running the coyotes away, I have tried to make the deer get
oui of Hi" water and could uol until I 1 n -1 1 .♦ •< I them oul almosl dead, and some have
died while 1 was taking them oul of the water. I trapped on the Bayfork Creek
above the Game Refuge and near Mr. Dockery's place on Carr Creek last winter
and a number of deer were gathered at Mr. Dockery's lower barn eating hay with his
cattle. Between the firsl daj of January and the twenty-seventh of February I
found the remains of twentj deer, either killed by coyotes or pun into the creek and
killed, and I caught eleven coyotes."
Mr. Edward shock, who lives within the Hayfork township
and within a Pew miles of the town of Hayfork, upon his
own ranch property, called a1 our office and made pome state-
ments concerning the damage done by the coyote. Tor which
lie personally vouches. He stales thai hist summer, he tines
nui remember the exact date, while be was working in his garden
he heard a noise on the side hill adjoining the garden plot, and
upon glancing up, saw a fawn coming down the hill and it van into his
wire fence three or four times before it managed to get through.
('losely pursuing the fawn were two coyotes. Shortly after they got in
Slghl they saw Mr. Shock, stopped, then turned and went back into the
hushes. The fawn came into the field and quite close to Mr. Shock,
then saw him. became frightened, turned and went back through the
fence and up the hill in about the same direction the coyotes had taken.
The coyotes no dotihf later caughl the fawn, since they would merely
hide away in the bushes for a little while when interrupted in a pursuil
of this kind, then take the track and follow on.
Another instance of .Mr. Shock's observation was during this fall
while setting a coyote trap, lie set his rifle down a few feet from him
and iu finding a place to drive the stakes to hold the trap he had moved
a few feet away from the rifle. While busily engaged he heard a noise
ami looking around saw a young deer without horns, presumably a doe.
come running along closely followed by two coyotes, one of which caughl
i he deer while yet in sight of him. Mr. Shock quickly went for his rifle,
but when he got it the coyotes had taken alarm ami had left the deer.
Its tongue was hanging out and it seemed to be just about run down,
but it of course went on out of sight. Mr. Shock is firm in his belief,
based on his experience, that in such instances the coyotes were merely
interrupted and would take the trail again and no doubt catch the
deer.
I le i rapped nine coyotes within two weeks around his place ami states
I hat in o pen i ni;' up some of them to see whaf the contents of the stomachs
were he found that they were largely composed of venison, there being
evidence in meat, hones and hair. He also slates that the coyotes he has
caughl were all x<ty fat. Mr. Shock says that the reason for his trap
ping activity was on account of the coyotes catching tin' chickens. He
has found it impossible to raise pies unless they are well penned. Mr.
Shock is a far better trapper than the average settler and has some
methods of trapping that seem to gel better results than the ordinary
trapper. He says, however, that flic coyote is a vrvy difficult animal to
trap and that he has found that he yets him more through his curiosity
than any actual desire for food. Mr. Shock's experiences concerning
the coyote are not at all unusual and could be duplicated by a great
many of the settlers throughoul the Trinity Foresl
c u.iKoKM \ h'isii wi) 6am&. 29
These arc specific, authenticated facts, which could be repeated by
every man who lias his eyes open, It really is not surprising that the
attitude of mind expressed by the following exists. 'Why shouldn't I
have a deer," the sett lei- says, "which will be eaten anyway by the
eo3rotes; especially when I have killed one or more coyotes myself."
Or, as the trapper would say, ""Why can't I get a deer, or three or four,
during a year? Even if I kill only one panther or trap only six coyotes.
I have done more to protect and to increase the deer than any other
person or organization has done. ' '
Two important factors in the reduction of a game species are preda-
tory animals and the hunter. We attempt to compensate for loss by
the second factor by closing the season for a period of years to allow
recuperation. Why could not similar results be obtained by reducing
the toll taken by predatory animals? Although it is. true that a cer-
tain balance is established between a species of game and its enemies
when left to nature alone, it has been frequently demonstrated that man
can alter such a balance very much to the advantage of the species thai
has been preyed upon.
Residents of Trinity County are agreed that by far the most pressing
need in efficient game protection lies in the control of predatory animals.
The liberal bounty on the mountain lion has eliminated this animal as
a serious menace, but the coyote still remains abundant enough to be
an important factor in conservation. An increase in deer, quail and
grouse can best be effected by a vigorous campaign against the coyote
and other predatory animals preying upon them.
30
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME
A publication devoted to the conserva-
tion of wild life and published quarterly
by the California State Fish and Game
Commission.
Sent free to citizens of the State of Cali-
fornia. Offered in exchange for ornitho-
logical, mammalogical and similar period-
icsls
The articles published in California Fish
and Game are not copyrighted and may be
reproduced In other periodicals, provided
due credit is given the California Fish and
Game Commission. Editors of newspapers
and periodicals are invited to make use of
pertinent material.
All material for publication should be
sent to H. C. Bryant, Museum of Verte-
brate Zoology, Berkeley, Cal.
February 3. 1919.
"Game laws are not passed with the idea
of furnishing sport for a limited number
of people, but to protect useful birds and
animals for the benefit of the people as a
whole."
THE 1916-1918 BIENNIAL.
Although due to war economy the L916-
is biennial report of the Board <»C Fish
and Game Commissioners is not so large
or so attractively colored as the last re-
port, it, nevertheless, contains some inter-
esting facts regarding the activities,
receipts, and disbursements of the com-
mission during the past biennial period.
Outstanding features of the work of
the past two years have been the erec-
tion of a splendid new fish hatchery in
Inyo County, the building of a new patrol
boat to be used in enforcing the laws in
southern California waters and in the
carrying on of fishery investigations, the
nlargement of the activities of the com-
mercial fishery department, including the
administration of the kelp industry, an
extensive educational and publicity <-am-
paign and the splendid results obtained
in enforcing fish and game laws.
New laws enacted by the 1917 legisla-
ture have proved valuable. The Supreme
Court decisions sustaining the state law-
prohibiting parcel post shipments of
game has effectively stopped a much-used
method of evading fish and game laws.
The spiked-buck law continues to contrib-
ute much toward the conservation of deer,
and at the same time has reduced the
number of hunting accidents. Seventeen
new game refuges created in 1917, com-
prising a total of 839,180 acres, have
been well received bj the public and are
serving as safe breeding places for game.
The output of the Bsh hatcheries has
I a verj gratifying, reaching a total of
25,697,420 in L917 and 36,425,898 in 1916.
A L6 per cent increase in the number of
trout fry reared has been attained.
Scientific investigations of the fisheries
have been undertaken and already ra.lu
able light on the habits and life history
of the albacore have been obtained. The
educational and publicity work of the
commission is being well received by the
public.
The principal recommendation for new
legislation has reference to discretionary
powers. Such legislation enabling the
commission to close seasons, reduce bag
limits, prohibit certain kinds of fishing
apparatus, and in general take such im-
mediate steps as will in their opinion
afford prompt and effective relief and
sav< from destruction bj human hand
thai part of the wild life which has sur-
vived the adversity of nature, is pointed
out as the greatesl need.
Only a small edition of the biennial
has been printed and it will be available
only to those sufficiently interested to
write to the commission for it.
FISH AND GAME COMMISSION NEEDS
PLENARY POWERS.
The most important piece of iish and
game legislation which the legislature will
be called upon to enact this spring will
pertain to the granting of plenary powers
to tie Fish and Game Commission. The
need for this legislation has already been
pointed out in these pages. The commis-
sion is not seeking more power, but simply
a chance to make regulations which will
allow better administration of the state's
wild life resources. It should be clearly
understood that regulations can not he
enforced at will by the commission, hut
only after a bearing has been held and
the regulations signed by the governor.
The proper administration of the Migra-
tory Bird Treaty Act is dependent upon
regulations issued by the department of
Agriculture under authority granted it
b\ Congress. To make the administra-
tion of state laws efficient, similar powers
should be granted the commission man
aging the fish and game resources.
CALIFORN] \ PISH AND <; \ ME.
:!1
CALIFORNIA LAWS WILL BE MODI-
FIED TO AGREE WITH FEDERAL
GAME LAWS.
California was one of the first states
to make the game laws conform with those
enacted by the federal government and
the slate has persistently upheld the Fed-
eral Migratory Bird Law. It is to be
ex-pecied, therefore, thai at the next legis-
lature the few laws which do not conform
with the new Migratory Bird Treaty Act
will be modified. The state law still
allows hunting one hour before sunrise
and one hour after sunset. To agree
with the federal law this section of the
lied or the meal tested to prove that it
is venison so that this pica as a rule is
of little avail.
The same sort of defense has been
offered by a violator recently arrested in
Tulare County for having in possession
the skin of a mountain sheep. This de-
fendant at first maintained that the sheep
was not a true wild sheep and later
claimed that he killed the animal in self-
defense. It will be an easy matter to
prove at the trial that the skin held in
possession was that of a wild mountain
sheep and the violator will undoubtedly
be heavily fined.
%a&m
-Us?*'
H£*:i>»i \ :
Fig.
16. Transporting fish to Salmon Creek in Monterey County. Although packed
miles on horses, tin fish arrived in excellent condition.
code will have to he modified so as to
prohibil all hunting except between sun-
rise and sunset of each calendar day.
The limit law on geese will have to be
changed and the dove season made to be-
gin on September 1. In the few cases
where the California laws are more
stringenl than those of the federal govern-
ment no change will be made.
VIOLATORS MAKE QUEER DEFENSE.
After some chronic violator of the game
laws has been apprehended and a quantity
of dried venison confiscated the usual plea
is that the confiscated meat is bear meat
or goat meat. The bones can be identi-
MONTEREY STREAMS STOCKED.
Through the efforts of Senator E. S.
Etigdon, Salmon Creek in southern Mon-
terey County has been successfully
stocked with trout. Although this stream
is by nature a splendid trout stream, a
la rue waterfall one mile from the mouth
of the creek has made the upper reaches
of the stream barren of fish life. It was
with difficulty (hat 18,000 rainbow and
steelhead trout recently planted in the
stream were transported from the rail-
road. A fifty-mile haul with auto trucks
from San Luis Obispo to Sanco Pojo
('reek and then a ten-mile transport by
horseback was jessary. The trip was
C VLIPOKNJ \ FISH AND G VME.
accomplished, however, withoul any ap-
preciable loss in the fish. One varietj of
troul was placed in one branch of the
creek and another in the other branch,
about ifn miles in all being stocked.
From all reports the tish are doing well.
DUCK DISEASE AGAIN APPEARS.
During October, dink disease appeared
in the Marysville Butte section of the
Sacra nto Valley. Hitherto, the disease
lias been restricted to the vicinity of
alkaline lakes in the southern part of the
San Joaquin Valley. Many hunters
hunting near Colusa and Maxwell on the
opening day of the season threw away
their ducks after they had discovered
many sick and dying birds about some
of the ponds. The lad that an epidemic
of anthrax had been prevalent in the
same vicinity led many persons to believe
thai the ducks had contracted the same
disease. This, however, seems very un-
likely in that all birds under artificial
conditions are largely immune to the dis-
ease, and it is not to be expected that
birds of any kind would contract the dis-
ease under natural conditions. Sick birds
secured showed every symptom of •duck
sickness," a disease which is now well
known through the investigations of the
United States Biological Survey. Mr.
Alexander Wetmore, assistant biologist,
describes the symptoms as follows (The
Duck Sickness in Utah. U. S. Dept.
Agric. Bull.. (572) : 1. Paralysis of nerve
centers controlling the muscular system
(birds' affected are able to support them-
selves in the air for short distances only
or have the wings entirely helpless) ; 2,
respiration is difficult and spasmodic; 3,
pulse abnormal when bird is excited and
in severe cases is weak and irregular;
4, nictitating membrane of eye reacts
slowly (a test of the activity of this
membrane is an important symptom) ; 5,
eyes usually swollen and a discharge is
noticeable; 6, alimentary trad practically
empty, intestines shrunken, linn and
mUCh reddened; 7. e.\ere|;i luose . I ] i < I
watery, more or less greenish and voided
at frequent intervals; 8, birds appear
drowsy and lethargic though alerl al the
approach of danger.
By November 1 the epidemic had sub-
sided and no more sick ducks were to be
seen. The
victims io
5,000.
number of
the disease
birds which fell
is estimated al
FEDERAL PERMITS.
The Migratory Bird Treaty Acl pro-
vides for the issuance of scientific collec-
tors' permits to all those interested in
collecting either specimens or eggs, and
also to breeders who desire to breed
migratory or insectivorous birds, Permits
to colled specimens are issued to properly
accredited persons only and are required
in addition to those issued under state
laws. Applications for federal permits
can be obtained when applying for a new
state permit.
FISH COOKERY DEMONSTRATIONS.
For the purpose of stimulating the
utilization of fish products, the United
Stales Bureau of Fisheries has 1 n con-
ducting a series of demonstrations in fish
cookery. Demonstrations have been held
in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and
Alameda, about 40 in all, with an average
attendance of more than 100 women at
each class. Mrs. Kvelene Spencer and
Mr. II. L. Kelly have been in charge.
These demonstrations are made of prac-
tical value by securing the little-used and
low-priced fishes, preparing and cooking
them in front of the class, explaining
every detail, and then serving each one
present with a portion to taste. Even
minute details of the proper way to skin
a fish, remove the backbone, and slice it
are shown. With the class watching, it
is prepared for the oven, cooked and
served.
Mrs. Spencer recommends the discard-
ing of the frying pan, in favor of the
hot oven method of cooking. Advantages
are found in the elimination of unpleasant
odors, the use of less than half (lie amount
of fal usually required, and greater ease
for both the cook and the one who has
the serving of the fish. This is the
method she uses in doing the work her-
self, and all who eat the cooked fish agree
thai it far excels in flavor the same kind
of fish fried in the old-fashioned \\:\y.
The making of salads, both from
freshly steamed fish, or from left-over fish
is explained as is also the making of
souffles, creamed dishes and imitation
CALIFORNIA I'ISII AM) GAME.
:*:{
chops. Soups, which for flavor are the
equal of any which ran be made from
meats or oysters, arc made from the heads
and trimmings ordinarily considered as
being- only fit for the garbage can.
Thirty-four varieties of fish, not in-
eluding salmon and halibut, have been
used in the demonstrations. Thus, it has
been shown that a housewife can cook
fish any day in the month, if she wishes,
and not have the same kind twice. Of
these, the most popular were small sole,
skate, sablefish. mackerel, kingfish, yellow-
tail, shark, shad, rockcod and salmon milts.
The price of these fish ranges from 5 to 15
cents per pound, and many hundreds of
women were surprised to find a number of
them they preferred to even salmon or
halibut, which cost from 25 to 40 cents
per pound.
Needless to say. these demonstrations
have proved very popular with house-
wives, and have added materially in in-
creasing the demand for flounder, shark,
skate, squid, sablefish and other low-priced
fishery products of the California markets.
INCREASED CONSUMPTION OF FISH
NECESSARY.
Increasing the consumption of fish is
far more urgent today than during war
times. There is now no submarine men-
ace; there are more ships and there are
200,01)0,000 people who must be fed if
they are to be saved from starvation.
Every ton of nonperishable goods possible
must be sent to Europe. The use of
fresh lish releases easily-shipped meat
products for exportation.
There is absolutely no limit to the
amount of fish which is now waiting in
the ocean, and more are growing to sup-
ply our needs. The people of California
have responded to every call made on them
thus far, and we urge that they con-
tinue to show their patriotism and hu-
manitarianism, by a still greater use of
fresh fish.
NOTES ON THE NEW GAME REFUGES.
The following notes relative to the
recently-formed game refuges have been
culled from forest officers' reports for
1017. Apparently, the new refuges are
filling the place for which they were set
aside
All refuges in California are created
under the districting act and so must be
designated as a "fish and game district.''
Each refuge is lettered with the number
of the main game districts of the state
in which the refuge is situated prefixed
to it.
Fish and Game District 1-A, located in
the Klamath National Forest, is admira-
bly situated for the purpose for which
it was withdrawn, being a natural breed-
ing ground. It covers an area of about
oue township and varies in elevation from
about L700 feet at the Klamath River
to about 7,000 feet at the highest point,
thus giving both winter and summer feed-
ing ground. The general exposure of the
entire area is southwestern, which makes
it the very best from a climatic stand-
point. There is also one of the largest
salt licks known near the center of this
refuge.
When the refuge was first created there
was much opposition to it", but lately the
sentiment has been more favorable.
Fish and Game Districts 1-B and 1-C
in Modoc County are ideal breeding places
for game and there is absolutely no doubt
as to the wisdom of the move in having
these areas set aside. The people, as a
whole, are strongly in favor of them.
Fish and Game Districts 1-1 and 1-J.
in the Tahoe and El Dorado National
Forests, have not been in existence long
enough to note any change in game con-
ditions. While the people most affected
accept the establishment of the districts
as a matter of law, some criticism is
voiced relative to the location. Why was
it not located "somewhere else" is the
usual comment. This attitude will grad-
ually disappear after a time if the dis-
tricts receive proper administration.
The people all seem to think that the
Chimney Meadow Refuge (Fish and
Game District L-L) will be of great value
t" the deer ns it is flu; wintering grounds
for all the deer in the Canuell Meadow
District. T'hos. Smith and John Johnson
claim that they counted 7~> deer in one
band last spring in Long Valley, which
is a part of this new refuge. There are
a great number of hunters from Los
Angeles and the Mojave Desert that hunt
in this proposed refuge, and it will require
a regular paid game warden in that vicin-
ity to properly administer the refuge.
Fish and Game District 2-A covers a
fine piece of deer country, having both
summer and winter range. The estab-
lishment of the refuge was very well
received by the public, and it is believed
that very little hunting has been done
within its boundaries. Considerable com-
plaint was made by hunters and others,
because the boundaries of the refuge were
not posted. This should surely be done
before the opening of the next hunting
season.
Tie people are in favor of Fish and
Game Districts 4-A and 4-B. comprising
:;i
CALIFORNIA l'IMI AND GAME.
(500,000 acres within the Angeles National!
Forest. Deer are becoming more and
more plentiful. If anyone is benefited bj
reason of an open season, it is the resorl
owners, and yet with the possible excep-
tion of one owner, a man who has been
in court several times for alleged game
violations, I have yel to find a resorl
owner who is not in favor of the continu-
ance of the game refuges.
When Fish and Game Districl l-C was
first formed the sentimenl against it was
very strong. 'This has changed and one
finds very few hunters who do not favor it.
The deer are increasing and one sees them
in regions where there have been no doer
for several years. With the increase
of the deer a noticeable increase in
mountain lion signs arc also seen. Sev-
eral lions have been killed, and many of
the better class of sportsmen arc talking
of plan- to rid the range of this pest.
Our greatesl trouble, however, is not the
lion, but the unscrupulous hunter who
sneaks over the boundary of the refuge.
A NEW GAME FARMING PROJECT.
A beautifully illustrated prospectus en-
titled Wisconsin Zoological Park, for the
Propagation, Improvement, and Utiliza-
tion of Wild Life has recently been issued
by a newly-formed corporation with head-
quarters in Chicago. The intent of the
organization is set forth as follows:
Food, it is said, will win this war.
And it therefore becomes the duty of
everyone to give careful consideration to
all plans to increase our food supply.
I he American farmers, responding to
their country's call, arc planting every
available fool Of their land, which means
that we have about reached our maximum
in food production unless we can devise
some way of utilizing the undeveloped re-
gions. Naturally, our thoughts turn to the
nearby cut-over timber lands as a possible
solution of this problem. We all under-
stand the diffi< iilties that have presented
an almost insurmountable harrier to the
development of these sections and the
necessity, on ace, mm of the scarcity of
labor, of finding some use for this land
without having to clear away stumps,
rocks and timber.
The Wisconsin Zoological Park was
created chiefly for the purpose of dealing
with this problem, li proposes that these
lands In' used jest as they are. in the
breeding and raising of wild life objects
as a source "f supply.
This is a comparatively new idea, and
to he understood and appreciated must be
carefully studied. The purpose of this
booklet is to explain seme of the most
important feature-, of this enterprise.
This company proposes to demonstrate
in a practical manner how cut-OVer land
can he quickly ami profitably utilized in
accordance with the ideas above set forth,
and at the same time carry on extensive
experiments towards the development, im-
provement and preservation of wild ani-
mals.
1 1 is hoped t in' company will i> 'come
self-sustaining, but if it does not, those
responsible for it have not been actuated
by selfish motives. They appreciate that
pioneers iii any great enterprise must
take chances of loss, but arc confidenl of
their abilitj to eventually work out a
plan which can be followed with profit
by others.
To the uninitiated the plan is a very
plausible one, ami it will doubtless appeal
to many. In view, however, of the SUCC( 58
thus far attained in game farming, the
outcome of the project as a commercial
enterprise seems doubtful. If it will lead
to the settinu aside of large areas as
breeding grounds for native animals, it
will be very much worth while.
LOUISIANA ORIGINATES NEW DUCK.
The Department of Conservation of
the state of Louisiana is attempting to
seCUl'e a new duck for their marshes by
breeding. The experiments an- being
carried out on the assumption that if a
cross between the summer mallard or
black duck and the winter visitant green-
head mallard could be established a race
of nonmigratory ducks could be produced
for the Louisiana marshes. The new-
type of mallard is in the third generation
and a type has been selected which ap-
pears to have characteristics of both the
mallard and the black duck. Whether the
new duck will become a p-ermanently resi-
dent bird capable of being introduced
remains to be seen.
ALASKA FISHERY PRODUCTS.
The Fisheries Service Bulletin states
that although final figures showing the
value of the fishery products of Alaska
in 1917 are not yet obtainable, the statis-
tics are practically complete so that a
reasonably accurate statement of produc-
tion .an now be made. Compilations
indicate that the total value of such pro-
ducts was $51,405,260 in I'.UT. Of this
amount 93 per cent, or $47,778,081, rep-
resents the value of the salmon products
which consisl of 5,947,280 cases of
canned salmon, valued at $46,304,090, and
16,347.367 pounds of mild-cured, pickled.
dry-salted, fresh and frozen salmon.
valued al $1,473,991. The halibut fish-
CALIFORNIA FISH AM) GAME.
35
eries rank second with an output of pro-
ducts valued at $1,120,226. In the order
of production, the herring fisheries come
next, with a yield of products valued at
$767,729. The value of the cod products
was $744.'.tTG. Whaling operations re-
turned products worth $053,852. The
production of miscellaneous fishery pro-
ducts including clams and other shellfish
aggregated $340,390 in value.
This unprecedented yield of fishery pro-
ducts in Alaska at a time when the world
is in need of food is called an achievement
for which the country may justly feel
gratified.
The fur products of Alaska are also
of considerable importance and value, as
evidenced by the fact that in the year
from November 10, 1916, to November
15. 1917, shipments from that territory
reached an aggregate value of $1,031,638,
exclusive of fur-seal skins and fox skins
■shipped by the government from the
Pribilof Islands. In the calendar year
1917 the government shipped from the
Pribilof Islands fur-seal skins valued at
$274,291 and fox skins valued at $35,680.
— Science, June 7, 1918.
NOVA SCOTIA USES WAR METHODS
TO CAPTURE VIOLATORS.
The fact that most of the illegal fishing
in Nova Scotia has been carried on by
gangs of men in the darkest hours of the
night when it is impossible to discover the
offenders without some means of artificial
illumination has prompted authorities to
furnish wardens with "Trench Light"
pistols. These lights which have been
very effective by the allied armies and
navies are contained in metallic cartridges
and are fired from a breach loading four-
bore pistol which throws the magnesium
stars to a distance of 400 or 500 feet. The
lights burn for five or ten seconds and
light up the whole neighborhood so that
everything can be distinctly seen even on
tin' darkest night. In addition to its
efficacy in illuminating, it acts as a
weapon of self-defense which poachers will
learn to fear as much as the revolvei-.
The "trench light" has been decided upon
only after experiments with acetvline
searchlights, electric searchlights, and
magnesium Roman candles.
CALIFORNIA TRAPPERS AND THEIR
CATCH.
For the open season 1917-18, nearly 4000
trappers' licenses were issued. As the
t tappers' license law provides for the kill-
ing of fur-bearers destroying poultry and
domestic animals, no record can be ob-
tained of those so killed and the reports
of trappers of the take for the year do
not give the total number of animals
taken. However, the reports do give a
basis for a computation as to the value
of the annual take of furs. According to
the reports of those holding trappers'
licenses the take for last year was as
follows :
Species
Number Average
taken price
Skunk ; 10,480 |
Mink j 8M
Pine marten 127
Fisher 28
Weasel 59
Badger 82
Raccoon 2,309
Ring-tailed eat 1,381
River otter 28
Fox — 2.268
Bear 55
Coyote 1,941
Mountain lion 7
Wild eat 1,488
House cat m
Opossum 18
Muskrat , 80
Woodrat 20
Mole 3
$1 74
2 95
5 90
1 87
40
2 16
3 00
1 70
The wolverine is apparently a very rare
furbearer and not a single skin of this
animal was reported. It is also interest-
ing to note that such well-known fur-
bearers as the marten and fisher are so
reduced in numbers in this state that
only a small number were taken in 1917-
18. The average price indicated was ob-
tained by averaging the amount received
for at least 100 different pelts of a species.
:!li C VLIFORNIA PISE AND G VME.
FACTS OF CURRENT INTEREST
A recent report from the United States Supreme Court does not
concern the present regulations regarding- migratory birds, but relates
to the regulations in effect previous to the signing of the treaty with
Canada. The present regulations are based on a treaty and will be
in effect for fifteen years, unless abrogated by consent of both con-
tracting parties. Because the present regulations are based on a
treaty they can not be reviewed by any court.
On information furnished by deputies of the Fish and Game Com-
mission three violators of the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act have
been arrested and each is being held under a $250.00 bond.
j* ■< •,•*
Steelhead trout fishing in the Russian River will be excellent this
year. The bar is open and there is plenty of water.
?<?* t^w ?(?•
February 1 will mark the close of one of the best quail seasons in
many years.
fc?* ^* *."
The elimination of market hunting by federal enactment has
reduced to a minimum violations of the laws protecting waterfowl.
^9* ^* ^*
The game refuges created by the last legislature have now been
posted and hunters will have no excuse for hunting within them.
^v* t^* '-f^*
Plans are being made to secure some moving pictures of the commer-
cial fisheries of southern California to be used in educational work.
,* jt j*
The State Game Farm at Hayward was discontinued on November
16, 1918.
t^* ^* ^?*
Deputies of the Fish and Game Commission in the areas where there
is waterfowl shooting have been appointed federal wardens. Twenty-
one deputies now hold federal commissions.
t(?* t^* ^?*
Federal permits allowing a rice grower to herd ducks from his fields
put a stop to agitation relative to depredations by ducks. No appre-
ciable damage to rice when in the shock was reported.
jt jt jt
The epidemic of duck disease in the vicinity of the Marysville Buttes
was of short duration and less serious than similar epidemics which
have occurred at Tulare Lake in past years.
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
37
HATCHERY NOTES.
W. H. Shebley, Editor
FISH DISTRIBUTION, 1918.
While the fish distribution operations
for all of the hatcheries were completed
by the forepart of October, complete re-
ports have not, as yet, been filed. How-
ever, ii. is possible to give an approxima-
tion of I lie total distribution from the
different stations for the season of 1918.
MT. WHITNEY HATCHERY.
The past season has been most favor-
able for operations at the Mount
Whitney Hatchery, and the trout distrib-
uted were some of the finest fish ever
reared at any of our hatcheries. Home
of the eastern brook and Loch Leven trout
distributed this year were from four to
Fig. 17. Wild geese at
fish pond, Mount Shasta Hatchery, September 30, 1918. Photograph
by J. L. Stinnett.
MT. SHASTA HATCHERY.
The approximate total number of fish
distributed for the season was as follows :
13,500,000 quinnat salmon.
2,600,000 rainbow trout.
1,100.000 eastern brook trout.
1,600,000 Loch Leven trout.
2,000,000 steelhead trout.
230,000 black-spotted trout.
Two fish distribution cars were operated
during most of the distributing season.
The fish were all strong and healthy, and
nearly all applicants reported that con-
signments were received and planted in
the streams in good condition. Mount
Shasta Hatchery is now being put in
readiness for the coming
operations and for the salmon work.
five inches in length, which is a very re-
markable growth for one summer. Fol-
lowing is an approximation of the number
of fish distributed :
1,000,000 rainbow trout.
83,000 eastern brook trout.
70,000 Loch Leven trout.
240,000 steelhead trout.
240,000 black-spotted trout.
400,000 golden trout.
The golden trout eggs were obtained
from the Cottonwood Lakes Station,
which was established for the purpose.
Owing to the remoteness of this station
from railroad lines and the rough, almost
inaccessible country through which the
eggs had to be carried by pack animal to
the Mount Whitney Hatchery, the extent
:;s
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
of our operations was necessarily limited,
bul we feel thai the results obtained have
justified all (lie hard work and expense.
Although several efforts have been made
in pasl years to colled the eggs or" the
golden trout, this is the first attempt that
lias been successful. The success of the
operations this season is due to the skill
and resourcefulness of Mr. George Mc-
Cloud, Jr., who was iu personal charge
of the golden troui egg collecting opera-
lions at Cottonwood Lakes and of the
Mount Whitney Hatchery, at which sta-
tion the eggs were hatched and the fry
reared. The golden trout are very diffi-
cult to nar. hut the results obtained in
this delicate work far exceeded our expec-
tations.
Plants of golden trout were made in the
Santa Ana River, San Bernardino County,
and in .Mammoth Creek and Convict Lake,
Mono County. A shipment of golden
trout was planted in Lake Tahoe, and a
consignment sent to Mount Shasta Hatch-
ery to be liberated in the McCloud River
at a later date. Practically all of the
waters of southern California and the
lower San Joaquin Valley counties were
stocked with fish from the Mount Whit-
ney Hatchery this season.
Fish Distribution Car No. 01 was de-
tached from distribution operations at
Mount Shasta Hatchery the forepart of
September and sent to southern California
to undertake the shipping of fish from the
Mount Whitney Hatchery. The work
was completed in a little over a month.
After the completion of the season's fish-
cultural operations the crew was assigned;
to make the improvements on the Mount
Whitney Hatchery grounds, and this work
is now progressing nicely.
MT. TALLAC HATCHERY.
The .Mount Tallac Hatchery was oper-
ated as in past seasons, black-spotted
troui eggs being taken from the fish
ascending 'Taylor Creek to spawn. In
addition to the 1,200,000 eggs of this
species hatched at the station for distribu-
tion in the tributary streams of Lake
Tahoe in the vicinity of Mount Tallac,
shipments of eggs were made to Tahoe
Hatchery, Mount Shasta Hatchery and
the Feather River Experimental Station;
150,000 rainbow and 380,000 steelhead
trout Frj were also distributed in the
tributary streams of Lake Tahoe from
Mount Tallac Hatchery this season. The
steelhead troill should thrive well ill the
waters of Lake Tal and the addition
of this valuable species of trout to the
other varieties in the lake will be greatly
appreciated by the anglers of the state
who enjoy the fishing in this region.
TAHOE HATCHERY.
From Tahoe Hatchery were distributed
15,000 rainbow and 120,000 black-spotted
trout try in the streams and lakes in the
Tahoe Basin and in the vicinity of
Trucke,..
FORT SEWARD HATCHERY.
The streams of Humboldt and Trinity
counties were stocked with rainbow and
steelhead trout fry to the number of
200,000 and 1,000,000 respectively from
Fort Seward Hatchery this season. Mad
River, tributaries of Humboldt Bay, and
Eel River and tributaries, received most
of the fish.
Quinnal salmon eggs received from
egg collecting operations on Eel River
near Bryan's Rest last fall were hatched
at Fort Seward Hatchery, together with
shipments of eggs of the same species
from Mount Shasta Hatchery, and the
resulting fry to the number of 1,000,000
were planted in Mad River, tributaries
of Humboldt Bay and Eel River. As egg
collecting operations near Bryan's Rest
were not satisfactory, a new experimental
station was established this fall on Bull
Creek, a tributary of Eel River, near
Dyerville. Owing to the fact that there
was not enough rainfall to raise the river
sufficiently to enable the spawning fish
to ascend the stream, no Quinnat salmon
eggs were taken early in the season, but
later rains during the month of November
improved conditions.
DOMINGO SPRINGS STATION.
The season's operations at Domingo
Springs Hatchery were very successful.
In addition to the rainbow trout eggs
sent to other hat clieri.s, :: 17,000 were
hatched and the fry planted iu lakes and
streams in Lassen and Placer counties.
A shipment of 100,000 steelhead eggs was
sent to Domingo Springs, and the result-
ing fry planted in lakes in that vicinity.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
39
UKIAH HATCHERY.
The streams of Mendocino and Sonoma
counties received their usual portions of
steelhead troul fry from Ukiah Hatch-
cry this season, 420,000 fish being planted
in the' two counties.
ALMANOR HATCHERY.
Egg collecting operations at Alnianor
Hatchery resulted in a take of less than
200,000 rainbow eggs. The resulting fry
were distributed in Lake Almanor and
near-by streams.
FEATHER RIVER HATCHERY.
Operations at the experimental station
established near Blairsden on the Western
Pacific Railroad were not successful, as
the water supply from Grey Eagle Creek
did not prove to be satisfactory for fish-
cultural operations. Rainbow and black-
spotted eggs were shipped to the station
to be hatched and reared, but they died
in great numbers both before and after
hatching. The station has been disman-
tled, and the equipment will be used at
one of the other stations.
BEAR LAKE HATCHERY.
Fish distribution operations were fin-
ished on September 5, and the station
closed after completing the most success-
ful season since the hatchery was estab-
lished. At the egg collecting station on
North Creek, 3,500,000 rainbow eggs were
taken. After being "eyed," they were
shipped to Mount Shasta, Mount Whit-
ney, Tahoe, and Bear Lake Hatchery at
Green Spot Springs; 300,000 were also
hatched at the North Creek Station, and
planted in Big Bear Lake. A total of
1,075,000 rainbow trout fry were distrib-
uted in streams of San Bernardino
County, and in Big Bear Lake, from Bear
Lake and North Creek stations. At the
present time assistants are engaged in
making repairs and improvements at the
two stations. Negotiations are now under
way Eor the purchase of a fine power boat
for use in egg collecting operations, trans
ferring materials and supplies, etc., which
will greatly facilitate the work next
spring'.
BROOKDALE HATCHERY.
Steelhead trout fry to the number of
700,000 were distributed in the streams
of Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties
from Brookdale Hatchery this season, in
addition to shipments of steelhead eggs
made to .Mount Shasta and Mount Whit-
ney hatcheries for distribution in other
sections of the state.
WAWONA HATCHERY.
The completion of the new hatchery
at Wawona enabled us to handle the fish
to much better advantage this year.
Streams in the vicinity of Wawona re-
ceived 75,000 rainbow and 195,000 steel-
head trout fry-
CLEAR CREEK HATCHERY.
A small hatchery has just been com-
pleted on Clear Creek, Lassen County,
near Westwood. Eggs will be shipped to
this station from Almanor and Domingo
Springs hatcheries next season, and the
fry hatched for distribution in the streams
in the vicinity of Westwood.
KLAMATH RIVER STATION.
The new Klamath River Hatchery,
which is being constructed by the Cali-
fornia-Oregon Power Company, and which
will be turned over to the California Fish
and Game Commission when completed,
in lieu of the construction of a fish ladder
over the Copco Dam, is well under way.
As it was not possible to complete this
hatchery in time to trap this year's run
of Quinnat salmon, a temporary station
was established at Klamathon. Owing to
the failure of the main run of salmon to
reach the point at which the racks are
located, on account of the long dry fall,
the take is therefore much below normal.
COMMERCIAL FISHERY NOTES.
N. B. Ki'oKiKi.n, Editor.
TIDE CONDITIONS INJURE
FISHERIES.
The unusual conditions of water tem-
perature and currents along the Cali-
fornia coast during the past summer
were largely responsible for a greatly
reduced catch of albacore in southern
California and evidently caused the
appearani £ new and strange fishes as
elsewhere noted in this magazine. They
also affected the catch of sardines and
salmon and seriously handicapped the
Mi
c VUFORN I A riSII \\|i (I \.MK.
growth iif kelp. For Dearly five mouths
sardines were not Found in sufficient num-
bers in southern California to keep tin'
canneries busy.
Kelp. Tin' k<>lp ou the surface of the
wairr ceased i" grow and the serious
shortage of this seaweed which occurred
made ii very difficult for the kelp potash
companies to secure enough )<> supply
their plants. It is feared that even the
uew shoots, which come up and take flic
place iif the long stipes on tin- surface
of tie- water after they have been cut,
have been killed. Tin; best growing time
of the kelp lias usually been in the winter
months. Just how the stunted summer
growth will affect the growth during this
winter is as yet unknown.
It is dow quite certain that the close
of the war will have the effect of putting
many of the California kelp potash com-
panies out of business. Before the war
(he price of potash Mas about $65 per
tun. Inn for the past year it lias been
between $250 and .$.">.""><) per ton. If the
price of potash decreases one-half, the
majority of the companies will have to
cease operations. Already the demand for
potash to be used in the manufacture of
munitions of war has ceased to exist. The
immense plant of tin' Hercules Powder
< Company near San 1 (iego has discontinued
harvesting kelp and has issued notice to
its one thousand employees that shortly
i heir services will not be required. This
company has done a great deal of investi-
gatioo work in developing important by-
products through the manufacture of
which they expected to be able to con-
tinue operations even after the close of
the war, hut it has finally been decided
that in view of the market prices that
will have to be met shortly and the entire
lack at present of a market for certain
of the by-products, it will he best to
reduce the operations of the plant to a
very small scale and onlj two or three
by-products will he produced there with
a small force.
Salmon. The salmon catch at Mon-
terey during the summer was only about
half the usual amount. The fish almost
entirely disappeared before the end of
May. The catch for June, which is
usually large, was a failure. But the fish
which escaped the hooks of the fishermen
in Monterey Bay later made their appear-
ance in San Francisco Bay and the Sac-
ramento River on their way to cast their
spawn in the river's headwaters. Their
appearance in the river was much later
than usual and at the time when the fish-
ermen and sal u packers were impor-
tuning the Fish and Game Commission
and the Federal F I Administration to
extend the season the salmon pm in their
appearance in great numbers. For a
period of two weeks the salmon kepi
coming in such numbers thai sufficient
help could not be obtained to take care
Of the catch. The final result lias been
that the combined catch of Monterej
Bay and the Sacramento River was the
largest for several years. The amounl
of salmon taken up to the end of Septem
ber in Monterey Bay, outside of the
Golden Gate, San Francisco Bay and the
Sacramento River was 11,040,07;") pounds.
The catch of salmon by trolling at Fort
Bragg was good; the total amount of
the catch reaching a million and a quar-
ter pounds. The run at Eel River
was considered a failure, the amount
taken being less than half the usual
cal<h. The run ou the Klamath River
also shows a falling off.
THE SALMON INDUSTRY MENACED.
To dam the waters of the Sacramento
at the narrow Iron Canyon above
Red Bluff and thus make an immense
impounding reservoir for Hood control and
irrigation purposes, has for years been
a dream of those who would develop the
resources of the upper Sacramento Vallej
and of those who have been interested in
controlling the floods on the lower river.
There have been frequent efforts to make
this dream come true, but it is only re-
cently that there have been hopes of its
realization.
It is now proposed by assessing the
land in the area to be benefited and bj
the aid of the state and the United States
government to raise $20,000,000 for the
construction of the dam and irrigation
canals. The site of the dam is seven
miles above Red Bluff. The proposed dam
will 1m> so high that salmon ascending
the river to cast their spawn will not
he able to pass even by means of the
best "fish ladders" which have been de
vised. An impassable dam at the Iron
Canyon will cut the salmon off from all
the upper tributaries in which they natu-
rally spawn, with the exception of Mill
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
41
Creek. J t' remedial measures can not be de-
vised three-fourths of the present salmon
run will be lost.
Remedies which suggest themselves are
to attempt to establish runs in other
streams, especially in tributaries of the
San Joaquin and to establish a hatchery
at the dam. Many difficulties present
themselves in any plan to catch salmon
at the dam, chief of which is unsuitable
water temperature. Salmon of the spring
run will not be mature enough to warrant
holding at the dam for spawning purposes
and if eggs are collected at the dam from
the summer and fall run, the water avail-
able for the hatching will be too warm.
Even if the eggs could be held in a hatch-
ery at the dam until they are "eyed"
at which stage they could be shipped to
other hatcheries more favorably located on
the river above, there would still be the
problem of getting the resulting fry down
over the dam in their seaward migration.
If such a dam is built, and it appears
now it will be built, the salmon industry
is sure to suffer an irreparable loss.
SPERM WHALE TAKEN OFF
MONTEREY.
On November 21, Monterey fishermen
found a dead sperm whale off Point Pinos
near Monterey. They towed the carcass to
Monterey where it was sold to one' of the
local fish concerns for $300. The length
of the whale was 65 feet and it produced
ten barrels of case oil. This species of
whale is very scarce on this coast, and
according to old residents of Monterey this
is the first sperm whale that has been
taken iu that region for at least forty
years.
LOCATING SARDINES BY AERO-
PLANE.
The serious shortage of sardines in
southern California during the past sum-
mer has suggested the idea of locating
the schools of sardines by means of
aeroplanes. The great difficulty in catch-
ing sardines is in locating the schools
of fish. On account of light on the
surface of the water it is difficult to
locate a school of sardines unless the
boat runs into them. Fishing is usually
carried on at night, at which time the
phosphorescent glow caused by the swim-
ming fish is more easily seen, but even at
night this phosphorescent light can he
seen only a short distance. It is a well-
known tact that schools of fish can be
more easily seen from an elevation where
the observer is away from the glare of the
reflected light at the surface of the water.
From an aeroplane schools of fish are
easily seen which are invisible to a per-
son from the deck of a boat. At such
times as fishermen are unable to locate
schools of sardines, or of albacore for
that matter, it would be practicable to
employ an aeroplane for the purpose,
which adds one more argument for those
who would commercialize the aeroplane.
NEW WHALING STATION ON MON-
TEREY BAY.
The California Sea Products Company
has almost completed a large, modern,
fully equipped whaling station at Moss
Landing on Monterey Bay, which will
employ forty men when in operation. In
addition to the whaling plant this com-
pany expects in time to operate a sardine
cannery and during off seasons to use
their boats to supply fish to the fresh
fish trade.
There has been some objection to the
establishment of a whaling station on
Monterey Bay for fear that it would in-
jure the sardine industry, under the be-
lief that it is the whales that drive the
sardines into the bay. This is an old
belief which comes to us from the Euro-
pean coast where at one time it was
believed whales drove the herring into the
sheltered waters of the bays and fjords.
Herring do not enter sheltered waters
along the coast to escape whales, but for
the purpose of spawning in the shallow
waters where their eggs are attached t<>
rocks and seaweed. There is no evidence
that whales drive sardines into bays.
NEW FISH NET.
A new fish net has been devised for
catching sardines and other small fish
known as the purse-lompara net. This
net is in use at Monterey and is in all
respects a lompara net except that a
purse line has been added to the bunt of
the net which enables the operators to
pull the lead line iu more quickly after
the net is partly in, thus impounding the
fish in the bunt of the net. With this
net it is easier to catch sardines in the
day time without their sounding and
getting under the net when it is operated
in deep water. By using this semipurse
arrangement a shallower net than other-
wise can be used, which makes its opera-
lien quicker and more economical.
42
< M.IFOKMA FISH AND GAME.
CONSERVATION IN OTHER STATES.
CONSERVATION LESSONS FROM
MASSACHUSETTS.
The Massachusetts Fish and Came
Commissioners are calling attention to
iln> need of the conservation of lisli by
means of "liltle lessons." One of them
follows :
"The advance of civilization always
decreases the natural lish and same sup-
ply. Preach and practice conservation.
"Don't take fish that are full of spawn :
leave them to deposit their eggs and the
small to grow into mature fish.
"Don't take more than you need.
"Don't try for the largest number: fry
for the largest fish.
"Don't try to set the last: one; leave
some for others.
'•Report violations to (he Fish and
Game Commissioners.
"Remember, this is your spoil. No one
is as interested in it as the hunters and
fishermen, and it is up to you to make
or ruin it." — American Field, May 2,
L918.
CATS BECOME GAME IN NEW YORK.
In New York a bill has been passed.
permitting any person over twenty-one
years of age who holds a hunting or
trapping license to destroy humanely a
cat at large found hunting or killing any
protected bird, or with such a bird in its
possession. The bill makes it the duty
of the game protectors to kill all offend-
inu cats.
MINNESOTA GAME REFUGES.
In the State of .Minnesota slate parks
and slate forest reserve lands have auto-
matically become refuges for same. The
legislature of 1015 provided for a prac-
tical way of establishing game refuses
on privately owned land. Already seven-
teen refuges have been established in
this way. embracing 531,005 acres. The
combined area of all of the Minnesota
same retimes is 1.K77.813 acres. This
method of protecting and restoring game
has met with instant and hearty approval
by the people of the slate and in everj
instance in which a refuse has been estab-
lished, there has been a unanimity of
sentiment among the people interested
in it. — I'.ieii. Rpt, .Minn. Fish and Game
Comm., L916.
MINNESOTA DISTRIBUTES FISH.
Under the authority of the Public
Safety Commission, the slate of Minne-
sota has been catching and distributing
fish. From October 15, 1917, to Janu-
ary 1, 1918, thiv product ion of slaie-
caught fish amounted to 77.ST»1 pounds.
(Jreat care is being exercised not to take
fish that are desirable for angling from
localities where people can and will use
lakes for that purpose. In such localities
fishing is confined to rough fish only. As
a contribution to the food supply the state
fishing has demonstrated iis importance
and lias proved to be popular and suc-
cessful. Distribution has been made
through same wardens, representatives
of the Safety Commission, meal dealers
and other individuals.
NEW JERSEY RESTOCKED WITH
RABBITS.
The same farm of the New Jersey
State Fish and Game Commission has
two thousand rabbits which will be dis-
tributed throughout the state. Rabbits
will be placed in districts where they have
been bunted out.
LIFE HISTORY NOTES.
TREE-DUCKS SUCCESSFULLY BRED
IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY.
A pair of fulvous tree-ducks (Dendro-
cygna bicblor) were secured from the
State Game Farm in the fall of 1016 and
placed on my pond at Cupertino. In
June, 1917, I had a suspicion that they
were laying, as I found several eggs
which I could not classify in different
parts of the enclosure. I have learned
from experience thai one can nol disturb
ducks during the laying and breeding
season, and in the past I know that I
have broken up several "settings" because
of my curiosity. In June of this year
I noted from casual observance that only
CALIFORNIA KISH AND GAME.
4:<
oiie <>t' my fulvous ducks was on the
pond, and fearing that the other had been
lost or had died. I started an investigation
and after some days found the nest very
close to the water's edge on a ledge of
rock in a rustic rockery constructed in the
pond for ornamental purposes. This ledge
was concealed by overhanging vines and
it was very difficult for me to see it. Not
wishing to disturb the birds. I did not
make a close investigation, but as near
as I could tell, there were five or more
eggs in the nest. (This last is somewhat
of a guess on my part.) As the birds
seemed to be sitting, I left the nest
severely alone, and some time around the
20th of June (I can not give the exact
date) I Mas rewarded in seeing the
mother duck bring out four young ones
into the pond. These little birds did not
appear to me to be much larger than
young quail and I used nay very best
efforts in an attempt to segregate them,
but without avail. My present pond is
not constructed properly for breeding pur-
poses, having been erected in the first
instance purely for ornamental purposes,
and the birds have not access to and from
the water at all points, with the result
(hat these little ducks became chilled and
drowned, or were molested by the other
ducks, all dying within four or five days.
— J. V. DeLaveaga.
RARE FISH FROM MONTEREY BAY.
The true halibut (Hippoglossus hippo-
glos8Us) was occasionally taken this last
summer (1918) in Monterey Bay. It has
not. been reported before south of San
Francisco.
A specimen of a fish sometimes called
the "blacksmith" (Chromis punctipinnis)
was brought to Hopkins' Marine Station
at Pacific Grove by Japanese fishermen
this summer. This fish has hitherto been
unknown north of the Santa Barbara
Channel. — E. O. Stajjks.
MARLIN-SPIKE FISH USED AS FOOD.
The marlin-sp-ike fish (Tetrapterus nut-
suknrii) now being caught by ■ anglers
near Santa Catalina Island is finding a
good market in Los Angeles at a retail
price of 25 cents per pound. It is said
to be undistinguishable in taste from the
swordhsh. The writer recently enjoyed
eating some of it, and found it one of the
most delicious fishes he had ever tasted.
Fresh tuna was served ai the same time
for comparison. It was much coarser
fleshed and much less delicately flavored
than the marlin-spike fish. — F. ( '. Stakks.
BREEDING OF THE FULVOUS TREE-
DUCK IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY.
Early in the month of November, 1917,
a fulvous tree-duck (Dendrocygna bi-
color) was brought to me for identifica-
tion by Miss Ethel Emerson. It had been
caught when but a downy bird in the
salt marsh near Mountain View, Santa
Clara County, and was now nearly grown.
Several others taken at the same time
had died, one by one in captivity, but
the survivor, when placed in a large cage
with a pair of bantams, soon became very
active and contented. Later its plaintive
whistle might be frequently heard during
the night, and at times it seemed to show
irritation at close confinement. It re-
mained wild and was easily frightened at
the approach of people or other animals,
as dogs and cats. When opportunity of-
fered it made its escape after having
spent somewhat over a year in captivity.
The most interesting point in all this
is that it appears to furnish the first
account of the breeding of the species
in the marshes of San Francisco Bay,
and I believe that the bird has not been
recorded before in Santa Clara County.
J. O. SXYDEK.
BANDED PINTAIL TAKEN IN
ALAMEDA COUNTY.
On November 13, 1018, I shot at Alva-
rado, California, a pintail duck (Dafila
acuta) bearing a metal band stamped
"U. S. Biological Survey. No. 4009."
Upon returning this band to Washington
the following information was obtained:
The duck was captured while sick with
alkali poisoning at Utah Lake, cured and
banded October 10. 1!>1(». after which it
was exhibited with others at the Utah
State Fair, and released. Its capture is
good evidence of the permanence of the
cure, and is of interest because of the fact
that over two years intervened between
capture and the date of banding. — Eari.e
Downing.
II
CALIFORNIA l'isil AND GAME.
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CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
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16 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
VIOLATIONS OF FISH AND GAME LAWS.
September 1, 1918. to December 1, 1918.
Otrcnse
<:<nnc.
Hunting without license..
Deer— close season— killing or possession
Female deer, spike bucks, Eawns— killing or possession
Running deer with dogs, close season..
Failure to retain portion of deer head bearing horns
illegal deer hides— possession
bear close season— killing
Quail- close season— killing or possession
Doves — close season — killing or possession
Duck- close season — killing or possession, excess bag Limit.
Shooting ducks from power boat in motion
Cottontail and brush rabbits— close season— killing or pos-
session
Kail— close season— killing or possession
Wild pigeon— close season— killing or possession
Xongame birds— killing or possession
Shore birds — close season— killing or possession
Night shooting
Total game violations _ j 126 $2,662 00
Fish.
Angling without license
Fishing for profit without license
Fishing with nets in restricted district
Striped hass — underweight
Salmon Saturday and Sunday Ashing close season taking
or possession, excess limit
Clams— undersize excess limit
Abalones — under size -snipping out of state
Spiny lobsters— close season— taking or possession..
Number
Pines
of arrests
imposed
38
$645 » m >
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Total fish violations.
5
$125 mi
i
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42
Sl, 711.". IHI
Grand total fish and game violations -- 168 $4,367 00
SEIZURES— FISH, GAME AND ILLEGALLY USED FISHING APPARATUS.
September 1, 1918. to December 1, 1918.
< ! a inc.
Deer meal 194 pounds
Hides 6
Ducks 127.
Quail J!»
Doves 1
Shore birds I
Nongame birds in
Rabbits 8
Miscellaneous game 10
Fish.
Striped bass 841 pounds
Salmon __' 15,665 pounds
Trout 64 pounds
Crabs 157
Pismo clams 103
Abalones . 121
Illegal nets :l
Searches.
.Illegal lish and game .- — -. -1
California pish and game.
47
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California Fish and Game
PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY THE CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME COMMISSION.
Volume 5 SACRAMENTO, APRIL, 1919 Number 2
CONTENTS.
Page
THE CONSERVATION OF OUR FISHERIES W. F. Thompson 49
THE BASSES AND BASS-LIKE FISHES E. C. Starks 59
BEAR HUNTING WITH BOWS AND ARROWS Saxton Pope 69
NOTES ON THE ARTIFICIAL PROPAGATION OF TLIE SPINY
LOBSTER , P. 8. Barnhart TO
IS THE HERRING GULL INSECTIVOROUS? A. C. Burrill 71
IN MEMORIAM 75
EDITORIALS 76
FACTS OF CURRENT INTEREST 91
HATCHERY NOTES . 92
COMMERCIAL FISHERY NOTES .__ 93
Notes from the Long Beach Laboratory 94
CONSERVATION IN OTHER STATES—- 97
LIFE HISTORY NOTES 98
WILD LIFE IN RELATION TO AGRICULTURE 99
REPORTS—
Fishery Products. October to December, 191S 100
Financial Report 102
Violations of Fish and Game Laws : 103
Seizures 103
Number of Deer Killed in Season 1917 104
THE CONSERVATION OF OUR FISHERIES.
By WILL F. THOMPSON.
Fisheries are subject to depletion because of too intense exploitation,
as has been proved in Europe and in our own country. It is the duty
of the government, as the one element in the situation which is concerned
with the perpetuation of the fisheries, to be able to recognize depletion,
to know how to prevent it, and how besl to promote the fisheries. It
implies knowledge, perhaps not of what we arc fond of terming pure
science, but rather of applied, although the things to be applied are
frankly still in large part to be discovered. .Men engaged in educational
work are almost invariably engrossed in the more abstract branches of
science, and the commercial firms are thus far not interested in carrying
on research save for the purpose of furthering the methods of utiliza-
tion of the products. It is therefore left very largely to governmental
authorities, on whom the responsibility of regulation rests, to pursue
the subject.*
*See Fish Bulletin No. 2 for a more extensive discussion of this subject.
44G20
50
CALIFORNl \ FISH WD G \ .M K.
lint what are the problems involved, and what must be done to recog-
nize depletion? A fishery is. one may say. the reaping of a harvest
which lias been sowed by Nature, and is subjeel to greal natural fluctu-
ations and has unknown power of resistance in the face of continual
reaping. The primitive man who went into the rice .swamps and gath-
ered his rice, without thoughl of how it was sowed, or how long it took
to grow, was no worse than we are in our primitive attitude regarding
our fisheries. The failure of his crop threatened his Livelihood, yet he
knew oothing regarding the causes of the failure, nor the fluctuations
which mighl occur. What were these changes, were they due to his
continual reaping, were they preventable, or might they be foretold?
•lust so we are asking today, what are these great fluctuations in our
fisheries which may mean the prosperity or ruin of our industry, and
how may they be prevented or foretold.' If we can not cultivate, how
may we preserve? They are elemental questions, indeed, to be asking
on the threshold of an era of exploitation.
/o 0/
/.*T.
Fig. 18. Diagram of halibut bank in the North Pacific, illustrating the areas within which
halibut an considered abundant enough to justify fishing. Depths shown bj contour
lines, fishing area by stippled
Men in general do not know what they are dealing with when they
pursue a fishery for a certain species. Thus the conception thai a
species is as inexhaustible as the ocean is large is an erroneous one.
The fish-in the sea are distributed as unevenly throughout its parts as
wild animals are on the land, with this qualification, that only the bor-
ders are inhabited by them to any extent. Thus a halibut fishery exists
only en particular small areas called banks, or parts of banks, along
the edge of the continental self in from thirty to a hundred and fifty
fathoms where the conditions are suitable. In fact, just as mountain
sheep are limited in their range, so are the halibut.
CALIFORNIA PISH AND CAME. 51
Then whal strain will a species stand .' Some think that the capacity
of a species is limitless, because of the greal number of eggs each indi-
vidual produces. The halibut lays over a million and a quarter eggs
every year of its breeding life, perhaps ten million in all. and the male
produces the fertilizing sperm for the same: but this abundance of eggs
merely foreshadows many dangers to the young, for from these ten
million need come but two mature animals to maintain the species.
If there were constantly more than necessary to maintain the numbers
cf the species, then the resultant increase must, however slight,
eventually overcrowd the waters of the sea ; and if there were ever so
small a lack every year, then the species must vanish ultimately. Plan's
influence, however slight, like weighted dice in a game, might well, in
the end make loss inevitable if it were not for the probability that
many forces come into play to favor threatened species. Are those
forces potent enough to counterbalance man's influence? Do we know
that they are sufficient to avert final loss.'
But has there ever been such a loss? Have not men fished for many
centuries in the waters of Europe without over-fishing? Why should
depletion oci ur now rather than long ago? But we know that this very
thing has happened, and that there is good reason why it should have
happened in our day. The great plaice fisheries in the North Sea have
been proved over-fished, and in our own waters the halibut fisheries
and those for the salmon of the Frazer are good examples of the same.
And the reasons are not far to seek. They may be found in the rela-
tively recent invention of the canning process, in the use of steam and
gasoline for transportation, and in the use of ice and cold storage
methods of preserving food. Salmon from the Frazer is known in
Africa and .Mexico nearly as well as we know it in America. Halibut
taken by steamers and gasoline-driven boats in the Pacific is carried by
express trains across the continent and across the Atlantic to England
in a fresh condition. The cold-storage and the canning of fish have
abolished boundaries and "off-seasons" in so far as many species are con-
( erned. The net result of all this has been the recent vast enlargement
of the market, and with that has come the equally vast enlargement of
the fishing industry. This marvelous growth of our fisheries has not
been appreciated, I am sure. Our sardine fishery, totaling in 1917
over 100,000,000 pounds, has arisen within the last four years. The
great halibut fishery, which reached a maximum of 70,000,000 pounds
a year, began in 1890, and is now on the decline. What will the
future show to us in this regard.' Well may we think seriously, and
consider our words when Ave feel tempted to say that the resources of
the sea are inexhaustible. The population to be fed may double its
numbers in the next fifty years, and transportation may become twice
as efficient. What will happen then?
And if the total catch continues to increase, as it has in the past, how
may we recognize the commencement of depletion .' First of all we
must discount in our statistics the marvelous growth in apparatus and
equipment, and discover whether a greater effort is required each year
to gather the same amount of fish: in other words, ascertain whether
decreased abundance necessitates greater effort. This means the aban-
donment ef the old statistical ideal of portraying the magnitude of the
industry, and substituting for it a mure rational one of the observation
of the real abundance of the fish.
i>z
C \l,lFiii;\l\ PISH \ND GAME.
But when ;i decrease is discovered, we musl know whether il is a nat-
ural one or due to over-fishing, and we must know in time to lake
remedial measures, not when commercial extinction lias solved our
doubts. For there arc greal fluctuations in abundance (of very differ-
ent extent in the various species) which are not the result of man's
efforts but of natural causes, and a decrease in numbers of &3h because
of such is. of course, not permanent, any more than the causes are. To
know the character of such a decrease implies a study of the biology of
the species, which provides a distinctive mark for the results of over-
fishing in many cases, if not in all. It also implies advancement of the
science of the subject, a greater knowledge of the laws which govern
the matter, for what is known at present is undoubtedly ill-defined.
'flic laws seem to he much the same as those which govern the human
population, and the results of over-fishing what mighl he expected if
"over-fishing" of human beings could he carried on in the same way.
If the adults are removed by "over-fishing" the relative numbers of the
adults decrease; and if the fishery continues to remove an equal number,
the catch becomes a constantly greater proportion of the total left, thus
heightening the rate of decrease. Hut if the young are not produced
because of defective spawning conditions — which can not he blamed on
the fishery — then the young arc less numerous as compared to the
undiminished numbers of adults until the latter have live, I out their
term of life. Decreased abundance of fish because of "over-fishing"
of the older classes is therefore marked by decreased numbers of the
older fish as compared to the young, while the reverse is true in the case
of a natural decrease because of the failure of the young to appear.
The inference is ohvious, a record of the relative numbers of adult and
young musl he kept in connection with a record of the total abundance,
and from it can he ascertained just where the loss in abundance occurred,
the degree to which the fisherj is responsible being to a greal extent
ohvious 1 herefrom.
If the failure of a spawning season could hi' ascertained early i oough,
it would provide a knowledge of the impending change. Tim value of
such knowledge may well he illustrated by the history of the herring in
Europe. It is well known that from the dawn of history meat natural
fluctuations in its abundance have occurred, according to which a greal
industry has been built up or destroyed, carrying with it the fate of
whole towns. Receul studies by scientists in the Norwegian fisheries
service seem to show that it is possible to dorecasl the magnitude of
TABLE 1.
Table- Showing Percentage of Each Age in the Catch of Norwegian Fat-herrings in
Various Years, Illustrating the Appearance of an Unusually Abundant Class as
Successive Ages in the Catch of Successive Years.
Catch
During 1907
During 1908
During i fl i
During
Age when taken
1 >
| 1 1 .Tilt.
2 years.
■cut.
'■ars.
per cent.
4 years,
.rut.
5 yea
. mi
6 years,
per cent.
ears,
i.ir.
Total,
per cent.
". 1
M.l
0 -2
-
1
61.0
rii.7
51.3
in.:;
L3.3
42.0
0.4
37.8
0.9
100.0
99.9
16.9
1.7
0.7
4.5
0 -i
Hi
100.2
100.1
Not] Prom Hjorl and Lea, "Some Results of the International Herring [nvsstigations,
1907 I
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 53
the yield according to the sizes of fish taken. A great drop in the
abundance of the herring was apparently preceded by the failure of
the youngest classes to appear in adequate numbers, — in other words
a predominance of mature existed at the same time as a decrease in
catch. The success of the commercial fishery for herring during a
number of years, in fact, seems to have depended on the success of
a single year's spawning, the product of which became larger and older
every year but which was not supplemented by young produced by
subsequent spawnings. The result was the lack of small fish until
another successful spawning could occur. The consequence of the grad-
ual natural disappearance of the old fish in such a case, without another
class of small to take their place, may be easily imagined. If fluctua-
tions of such magnitude as occurred in the herring fishery could be
foretold, the doing so would be a truly great accomplishment for the
good of humanity.
Yet such a service would not be comparable to that of showing that
a species as a whole is in danger, that man's operations are incurring
a preventable catastrophe. Depletion from over-fishing is, obviously,
very likely to be confused with natural decreases due to things other
than over-fishing, or man's demand for food. The ability, then, to
distinguish natural fluctuations due to the spawning seasons for instance,
should enable us to recognize the results of over-fishing with greater
clearness. This is without doubt the most important service to be ren-
dered by a study of the fluctuations.
So we must observe the classes of various aged fish as early as possible,
distinguishing them with the greatest possible exactness, in order that
the nature of a change in abundance may be known, whether caused
by natural fluctuations or by over-fishing. How far this is from realiza-
tion in all of our species is a striking testimonial to the indifference
of man.
To do these things we must know the ages of the fish taken. We
must be able to contrast two-year-old fish with those six years old, to
recognize the youngest fish, and to be able to tell in what year any
individual or class of individuals was born. If we do not know the
year of birth we can not trace back the failure of the spawning season
to the occurrence of any particular phenomenon or group of phenomena.
This means the discovery of the age of the fish, not merely of a particular
class, but of the individual, a subject difficult in itself.
We may illustrate the most obvious method of finding the age by
comparing the fish on a given bank to an orchard planted at different
times. There will be some variation, but trees planted in a given year
will approach the same height, and the heights for the successive years
will be very different. So if all the trees planted in each year were
grouped, we might have well-defined size groups, and anyone looking
at them would say, here is the one-year group, here the second, and
so forth. And so 'it is with the fish ; they arrange themselves in natural
groups, according to the age. But when they become very old, the
growth both of the trees and of the fish slackens, so thai the difference
between those born in different years becomes less than the difference
between individuals, and the age can not he told.
Hut this is a cumbrous method. It could be carried oui once in each
case, to corroborate other methods, and then ab.-ii 'oned, as has usually
2—44620
54
CALIPORNJ \ FI.-UI \ND GAME.
been done. A preferable method is to use the marks Lef 1 on the hard
parts of the fish, jusi as il is possible to use the rings lefl in the wood
<>i' the I ree.
The reason for these marks is thoughl to exisl in the aature of the
growth of the fish, lis surroundings govern its growth, jusi as its
temperature depends entirely on the temperature of the water. The
seasons modify profoundly all the conditions of its surroundings, and
with them the growth of the fish. Dining the winter months, growth
and activity become much decreased, somewhat as those of a lizard or
snake do. The tree grows by adding to its trunk a thin layer of w ly
tissue, and the part laid down during the colder months of the growing
Fig. 19. Groups of fish
of various ages, showing
distinct difference in size
between the early age
groups, and the difficulty of
distinguishing older ages
by size alone. Average
length of each group shown
on line below, indicating
the decreasing rate of
growth with age.
Length a.t
3.
season differs radically in structure from that laid down during the
wanner. And so it is. presumably, with the fish and its hard parts,
such as the scales, the otoliths or car bones, and the bones of the body
and head, although to be sure we can not attribute all the changes to
the one condition, temperature, directly. The growth is by addition,
leaving behind the old structure to tell the tale of the seasons that are
past. Forest trees may tell of fires that have passed their way, of cold
years, of warm years, of crowding by other trees, and of all the tragedies
of the forest. So in a measure do the scales of the fish tell of birth, of
years of plenty and of scarcity, sometimes of spawning, of injury, and
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
55
of migration, but through it all there is the tale of the seasons, the
fundamental rhythm of existence among the lower animals.
We find that a scale is made up of many small rings, or circuli, but
that at certain regions these are closer together, or that there is a mark
or break in the continuity of the pattern on the scale. These parts
which are thus marked arc those in which the growth was affected, or
even stopped. So there is a mark on the scale of the fish when it reached
its first winter; and what was added during its second and its third
summers, is clearly separated by other winter marks. We find that
when we read the ages by these scales, the individuals in each of the
size groups mentioned above and compared with trees in an orchard,
are of the same age, and that the first size group has one annual ring,
the second two and so forth, showing that the reading from the scales
Fig. 20. Scale of Prazer River sockeye salmon, Bellingham,
Washington, June 18, 1917, from female, 23 inches long, in fifth
year, showing approximated circuli marking the winter growth, the
end of which is indicated by a line in each case. (After Gilbert,
Rept. British Columbia Commissioner Fisheries, 1917.)
corresponds with the size groups and hence must be accurate. Such
a comparison has not been carried out in all species, but in a sufficient
number to place the facts on a firm basis.
The same is true of the otolith. It is a calcareous formation in the
ear of the fish, which grows by successive concretions. The ear of the
fish is not visible from the outside, but is nevertheless well developed,
with semicircular canals much like those of men, and in one of the
sac-like parts is deposited the otolith. The portions formed during
the winters have much less organic matter in them than the layers
formed during the summers, and hence are easily distinguishable.
56
CALIFORNIA PISH \M> Q V.Mi:.
Thus we may know the age of the fish, and know when it spawns,
how old it becomes before it dies, and we may know these things regard-
ing each individual. This renders il possible to know in what year
fish belonging to an abundant year class were spawned, and under what
conditions they were born: therefore, why thej' were abundant. With-
out a knowledge of this kind, which would indicate when the results
of particular phenomena might be expected to become evident, it is
obvious that the careful study of such phenomena is meaningless from
the standpoint of the fisheries. The age reading also renders it possible
to accurately compare the numbers of fish of various ages, something we
could not otherwise do, because if we relied on size groups we would
confuse the ten-year-old fish with those nine and eleven years, or even
eight and twelve years old. But aside from these more important
things, there are, naturally, many things upon which a knowledge of the
age throws light. Thus il is possible to prove that fish grow faster in
one locality than in another. There is. indeed, much to be worked out,
Fig. 21. Otolith, or ear bone, of halibut, in tenth year, showing dark "winter"
zones and white "summer" zones. I Vftei Thompson, Seventh Annual Report, Com-
mission of Conservation, Canada.)
and much to he proved in the case of the individual species, and even
in regard to the general principles governing the different species.
In every species the light thrown by a knowledge of age, even when
mosl brightly, is dependent for its importance on a knowledge of whether
it is shown for the whole of a species or for merely a small part winch
may happen to be involved by the fishery. We must know whether the
locality is representative, or whether it is isolated from the others.
Perhaps we could catch all the fish in one locality and the numbers of
lish in other localities would not diminish, there being therefore no
danger to the species as a whole. Similarly, the value of protection to
a limited area is subject to the same considerations. But, it may well
be asked, how is it possible to discover this isolation, when we can not
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 57
see below the surface of the waters to watch the coming and going of
the fish? It is difficult, hut possible, as we shall see.
We know that when a village of men is isolated, and the inhabitants
interbreed for a sufficiently long time, a dialect grows up, and ultimately
certain physical characteristics seem to mark the inhabitants. The
formation of the dialect is a rough measure of the degree of isolation
of the group. So it is with a school of fish, or those inhabiting a certain
region, their separation from others leads in time to the formation of
small peculiarities of habits and structure. If the separation is simply
lifelong, perhaps only those characters will be changed which have to
do with the amount of food obtained, such as the length of the head
and the rate of growth. But if isolation is complete, and has lasted for
many thousands of years, there are deeper, more fundamental differ-
ences, of habit and structure. These are indications of the degree of
isolation.
TABLE 2.
Table Showing Difference in Number of Vertebrae Between Herring From British
Columbia and California.*
Locality
British Columbia —
Point Grey
Pender Harbor
Pender Harbor
Kildonan
Nanaimo
California-
San Francisco 81 50.7
Specimens
Average
counted
of count
160
51.8
96
51.8
281
51.75
305
51.8
206
51.8
*From Thompson, "A Contribution to the Life History of the Pacific Herring," Report
British Columbia Commissioner of Fisheries, 1916.
Therefore, it has become a well-recognized method of research, to
take samples of fish from different regions and to compare them care-
fully by minute measurements, such as the length of the head, the shape
of the skull, and the number of fin rays. The results are sometimes
astonishing, for well-recognizable groups may be made out in many
species of fish. The implication is always that there is no migration
between the groups, that each group has its home waters, to which it is
confined, or that it has well-defined habits which keep the stocks
separate.
Another method used is to place on the fish silver tags, piercing the
fins or the body for the purpose, and then to release the marked indi-
vidual alive, wTith the hope of retaking it, or of having a fisherman
return it. By keeping a record of where and when the fish was
released, it is possible to discover how far it has traveled and at what
rate. The trouble, naturally enough, is that the fish, because of the
irritation, may travel farther and faster than it ever would naturally,
and may perhaps leave "home" when it would not under usual con-
ditions.
Sometimes advantage is taken of the fact that fish from a certain
locality may be characterized by marks left on the scales by some local
condition. Then the dispersal of the marked group may be traced from
58 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
year to year. An attempl has been made to use this method in the case
of the herring, and also in the case of the sockeye salmon, where the
scales are marked by the character of the growth during the first year
or two. In the latter this has led to the identification of the birthplaces.
There are also other methods used of discovering the rale of movement,
but none as valid. Thus when fish are abundanl in one locality during
one season, and abundant in another during the season following, migra-
tion is naturally supposed, by many people, to have occurred. In an
extreme case of the use of this method, mackerel being abundant in
Europe while they were not in American waters, many men drew the
conclusion that the mackerel had migrated across the Atlantic. But
there was no evidence to show that the disappearances and appearances
were not simply the result of great fluctuations in the success of the
spawning seasons. The dangers of such conclusions should be obvious,
particularly when the imperfection of any known measure of the real
abundance of the fish, such as the returns from particular methods of
fishing commercially, is known. There were also at one time theories
that the herring of European waters lived around the North Pole, and
that they came down from the Arctic seas in great armies, the German
Heere. These armies, or schools, were supposed to move around
England and return to the far north. Now it lias been proved that the
herring of the Baltic, of the English Channel, of Iceland, and other
localities, are of separate stocks which intermingle but slightly, if at
all, and that they do not migrate in any such fashion. The method used
to discover the truth was that which has just been mentioned of meas-
uring the physical characteristics.
On the whole the tendency is to discredit migrations of great extent.
but there are several marvelous migrations well known. Certainly the
eel, which lives in fresh water, goes into mid-ocean to spawn. And just
as certainly the salmon of the Pacific comes in out of the sea and passes
up rivers thousands of miles long to spawn at the headwaters. But
the quick assumption of long marine migrations, as that of the albacore
into Mexican .waters, is certainly to be deprecated. It is so easy to
postulate complex migrations to explain varying appearances of fish in
different localities in different seasons that to every species is ascribed
such movements by the fishermen, with all the certainty in the world.
But it is better, without doubt, to suspend judgment until actual fads
from other sources are at hand to corroborate such theories.
It should be evident from what has been said that there is much to
learn before over-fishing may be ascertained, or its extent judged. Tin-
problems to be met are large ones, yet not insuperable. The appli-
cation of the acquired knowledge in order to prevent depletion is a
considerable problem in itself. Over-fishing may always be stopped by
restricting the fishery in any way. however crude and harmful the
restriction may be, but the application of measures which will so dis-
tribute the restriction as to do the least harm to the fishery and the
must good to the species is a different matter. Primarily, it is possible
to restrain the fishery wherever it imposes its greatest drain on the
supply, with a good chance of effectiveness; but that might not be the
best available method. The most general principles underlying the
subject are, as a matter of fact, unknown or undiscussed, despite the
many legal measures passed by the legislatures
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME. 59
We may ask, for instance, why the spawning season should be so
persistently an object of protection. The eggs are slowly developed
throughout the year, indeed throughout the life of the individual, and
the death of a female in January certainly destroys as many eggs as its
death in June, if the spawning season comes in June. The matter would
seem to be one of securing the survival of an adequate number of indi-
viduals throughout their normal lifetimes, so that there would be enough
of them to produce eggs. But that implies care that too many young
are not taken, just as it implies care that too many adults are not taken.
In short, the value of the individual at the various times of its life must
be known, so that it may be used when it is of the least value to the
species and of the most value to the fisherman. We are still far fi*om
such a knowledge of biology as that implies.
The impression that it is sought to convey throughout this paper is
that in order to conserve our fisheries, there are many problems to be
solved, all of them important. Among them that of the adontion of
statistical methods having for their object the ascertainment of the
abundance, rather than the amount taken, easily comes first. But such
a substitution can not be made without a knowledge of biology to supple-
ment and guide it. And the biological phases of fishery science are in
themselves many and important, dealing as they do with the rate of
growth and the movements of the fish. Then finally, there is almost no
adequate knowledge concerning the methods of conservation, or the
prevention of depletion. We are at the threshold of a period of exploita-
tion of our fisheries and we must be sure that we begin an era of
scientific investigation of our fisheries in time to adequately guide and
control the exploitation.
The dependence of the statistical method and biological study upon
each other necessitates their prosecution by an agency capable of giving
the investigation its needed scope. Adequate statistics can be gathered
by a government only, and the same is true of the biological data
required. The responsibility therefore rests upon the state, in whose
hands lies the legislative control of the fisheries.
THE BASSES AND BASS-LIKE FISHES OF CALIFORNIA.
Families Serranidae, Haemulidae, and Kyphosidae.
By EDWIN C. STARKS, Stanford University, California.
The basses are the most fish-like fishes, so to speak, for they represent
more than others the typical spiny rayed fishes. They have been usually
selected as types of fishes for books of anatomy and textbooks since the
time the great French zoologist, Cuvier, so used the yellow perch early
in the last centurj^.
All of the families of bass-like fishes group about the central family,
Serranidfe. They and the mackerel-like fishes apparently were
descended from a common ancestor. Also related to the basses arc the
croakers, though less closely than any of t he fishes here included.
It is not at all desirable to here discuss the technical characters that
define these fishes. It is sufficient to say thai tin1 first dorsal fin is made
up of spines, the ventrals arc placed but little behind the pectorals and
joined to the shoulder girdle internally, the anal fin is usually with three
spines, the ventrals with one spine and five soft rays, and the scales
60 C \l.ll'oi;\l \ PISH \\1> GAME.
rough with little spinules on their margins. This Lasl may be appre-
ciated by passing the finger over the scales in the direction of the head.
Representatives of this group occur everywhere in fresh and salt
water, except in the Arctic regions. They arc very numerous in the
tropics and often very brilliantly colored. Among them arc some of
the largest of bony fishes as well as sonic of the smallest, ranging down-
ward from the giant sea basses to the pigmy son fishes and darters, some
of which are fully grown at a length of between one and two inches.
KEY TO THE BASSES AND BASS-LIKE FISHES OF CALIFORNIA.
1. The vomer with teeth. A small portion of the upper edge only of the maxillary
hidden by the bones just aboTe ii (preorbital bones) when the moutb is closed.
2. Side of body with well-marked lengthwise stripes. Striped bass. 1!<k-
cus Hncattis. Page 62.
2 2. Side of body without well-marked stripes.
3. Spines til' tirst dorsal shorter than rays of second. The two dorsals
not much united. Size very largo. Black sea bass or Jewfish.
Stereolepis gigas. Page 62.
3—8. Txmgest spines of first dorsal as long or longer than the rays of
second. The dorsals broadly united. Size not excessively large.
4. No small round spots on head or body. The third dorsal
spine not over twice as long as the second and a little shorter
than the fourth. The preorbital bone at its narrowest part
scarcely over half as wide as the diameter of the eye. Rock
Bass "/• Sand Bass, Paralabraat clathratus. Page G6.
4 — 1 Numerous small round spots scattered over the head, or head
and body. The third dorsal spine at least three times as long
as the second, and longer than the fourth. Narrowest part of
preorbital about a-- wide as eye.
5. The small round spots confined to the side of the head,
and usually some are on side of tail jest in front of the
caudal fin. Johnny Verde or Kelp Bass, Paralabrax
nebulift r. Page 68.
•~p 5. The small round spots scattered over the head and
almost the entire body and fins. Spotted Kelp Bass or
Cabrilla, Paralabrax maculatofesciatus. Page 67.
1 1. The vomer without teeth. A considerable part of maxillary slipping under
boms just above it. when mouth is closed.
('». Pectoral fin pointed ami reaching pasl tips of ventrals.
7. A dark band extending downward from middle of spinous dorsal.
Base of pectoral black. Third ana! spine shorter than second.
Sargo, Anisotremus davidsoni. Page 63.
7 7. No dark hand downward across body, bul several dark stripes n n-
aing lengthwise on body. Third anal spine longer than second.
Big-Eyed Bass, K.enistius calif orniensis. Page 64.
6 6. Pectoral fin rounded and not reaching pasl tips of ventrals.
8. No scales on gill cover behind praoperculum. Each tenth divided
into three points. Dorsal and anal rounded in outline. Ureen-
fish <T Opal Eye, O-irella nigricans. Page 65.
8—8. (Jill cover fully scaled. Teeth single pointed. Dorsal and anal
rising to an angle in front, straight edged or slightly concave along
tips of rays when fin is spread, and sharp pointed ln-hind as tip of
last ray. Half-Moon Fish, tfedialuna calif orniensis. Page 66.
GLOSSARY.
Anal fin: 'Idle unpaired lilt along the lower side of the body.
Caudal tin : The tail tin.
Dorsal fin : The tin along the back. Sometimes separated into a first
and second dorsal, the first part, whether separated or not. composed of
spines in these fishes.
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
61
Fin rays: The softer elements that stiffen the fins. Differing from
spines in not being sharp. They are usually branched like those that
make up the second dorsal in these fishes.
Fin spines: Stiffer than rays, sharp at the tip and unbranched.
Head: The head is measured from the tip of the snout along its side
to the edge of the gill cover.
Lateral line : A line of pore bearing scales along the side of the body.
In these fishes it is more or less arched upward and follows the outline
of the back.
Maxillary: The flattened bone just above the mouth and just above
and behind the premaxillary.
Opercle : The gill cover just behind the preopercle.
Pectoral fins or pectorals: The fins just behind the gill openings, one
on each side of the body.
Premaxillary : The bone bordering the upper jaw that bears the
teeth.
Preopercle : The bone just behind the cheek that forms a ridge down-
ward across the gill cover and turns at an angle forward.
Preoroital: The bone just in front and below the eye. It reaches
downward to the maxillary and its surface is covered with thin mem-
brane.
Snout : That part of the head in front of the eyes.
Ventral fins or ventrals: The pair of fins on the lower side of the
body under the pectorals.
Vomer: A single unpaired bone that lies in the roof of the mouth
directly behind the middle of the upper jaw. Do not mistake the
palatines for it. They lie one at each side of the vomer parallel with
the side of the jaw, and may or may not bear teeth.
FAMILY SERRANID/E.
The Striped Bass (Roccus lineatus).
This well-marked fish may be at once known by the dark horizontal
stripes on the body, teeth on the vomer, a spine at the angle of the gill
cover, and the pectoral fins not longer than the ventrals and not reaching
Fig. 22. Striped bass (.Roccus lineal us).
so far back. There is another fish on our coast that has such stripes,
but they are not so well marked and it lacks the above combination of
characters. The eye is three or four times wider than the narrowest
3—44620
62
CALIFORNIA PISH \M> Q \ ME.
pari of the preorbita] just below it. The maxillary reaches to below
the middle of the eye. The mouth is armed with rather fine sharp teeth.
Scales extend on t<»|> of the head l<> in fronl of the eyes. The edge of
the preoperele is divided into many small sharp spines. The dorsal
tins are separate from each oilier and aboul equal in height. 'Flic second
dorsal and anal have a sharp angle at the tips of the firsl rays. The
middle caudal rays arc shorter, making the outline of the fin concave.
The color is silvery with brassy and coppery reflections, and marked
with seven or eight blackish stripes, one of which is along the lateral line.
The striped bass, though not a native member of our coast, is one of
our important food fishes. It was introduced from the Atlantic coast
and has become abundant, It is caught to the limit of safety to the
species, and being a much advertised fish it commands a high price.
Though it is without question a very line food fish, it is rather overrated.
This fish reaches a weight of 80 or DO pounds, and one was once
reported on the Atlantic coast that weighed 111' pounds.
The Black Sea Bass or Jewfish (Stereolepis gigas).
This gigantic fish may usually be known by its size. The body is
broad and robust, and covered with rather small scales. The top of the
head between the eyes is wide and not very convex. The eyes arc small,
several times shorter than the length of the snout or the space between
them. In small ones the edge of the preoperele is divided into spines.
but the edge becomes nearly entire in large ones. Pine teeth are in
broad bands on the jaws. The dorsal fins are separate, and the first one
is composed of short, stout spines that are shorter than the rays of the
second dorsal. The pectorals are rather round in outline, and reach
past the tips of the ventrals. It is very dark brown or nearly black
in color.
Fig. 23. Black sea bass or jew fish (Stereolepsis gigas).
Tins huge fish is rather abundant in southern California, and it is
taken as far north as the Parallone Islands. It reaches a length of six
feet, or sometimes even more, and a weight, of 500 or COO pounds.
A considerable amounl of its flesh, cut in large chunks and salted, finds
a ready market. Its flesh, however, is not of the best, being rather
coarse grained. Those of small or moderate size are said to be. better
than the large ones. It is a famous fish among the anglers of big game
fishes, and monsters of nearly 500 pounds have been taken on tackle
unbelievably light. Related to it is a huge jewfish of the south Pacific
that is said to reach a length of 12 feet.
C W.IKoKXI A FFS1I AND GAME.
63
The arc panying drawing is a < -< >i n j »< >^i f « ■ reconstructed from several
photographs, all of which show the lishes hung by the Lower jaw and
the head much distorted. The photographs show considerable variation
in the depth of the body as compared witli the length, and a marked
variation in the relationship of the anal fin below the soft dorsal. In
some the two fins end evenly behind. In others the anal projects much
farther backwards.
Rock Bass or Sand Bass (Paralabrax clathratus).
As in the other members of this family the vomer is rough with small
teeth, and the hind part of the upper edge of the maxillary, is but little
hidden under the preorbital bone just above it. The third dorsal spine
is about twice as long as the second and scarcely as long as the fourth.
The eye is twice as wide as the bony part of the preorbital space just
below it. Small, fine spines are on the edge of the preopercle bone,
and a flattened spine is just in front of the soft Hap at the edge of the
gill cover. It is steel-gray below with the upper part of the side mottled
and barred with broad blotches of dark color with silvery gray between.
The fins are all tinged with yellow. There are no small, round, dark
spots on the head or body. Fig. 24.
Fig. 24. Rock bass or sand bass {Paralabrax clathratus).
This bass is an excellent food fish. It reaches a length of 19 or 20
inches and a weight of 5 pounds. It is found from San Francisco
southward along the Lower California coast, and is most abundant below
the Santa Barbara Channel. This and the other two species of
Paralabrax are all known as rock bass, kelp bass, and eabrilla without
distinguishing between them. I have more or less arbitrarily restricted
the use of these names in the hope that the species may be more con-
sistently distinguished from each other by common names.
Kelp Bass or Johnny Verde (Paralabrax nebulifer).
This bass may be known by the small, round, dark spots on the side
of the head, particularly below and in front of the eye. and, usually,
on the side of the tail just in front of the caudal fin. The teeth on the
64 CALIFORNIA PISH VXD GAME.
vomer and the relative covering of the maxillary b\ the preorbital is as
in the rock kiss. The third dorsal spine is considerably more than twice
as long as the second and is Longer than the fourth. The eye is as wide
as the bony pari of the preorbital space just below it. The spines on
the edge of the preopercle and the Hal spine on the gill cover do not
differ much from those of the rock bass. The small scales on top of
the head extend forward to opposite the front of the eyes. The ground
color is solid greenish to under the middle of the second dorsal, behind
which the color of the back and side is irregularly broken with short
wavy lines. The under parts of the body are pure white. On the front
of the body are some traces of irregular dusky bands extern line down
and back. The first dorsal has a large dusky spot in front, and the
anal fin is a bright slate-blue. The cheek and region below the eye arc
covered with small round golden or yellowish-brown spots. Fig. 25.
Fig. 25. Johnny Verde or kelp bass (Paralabrax ncbiilifer').
This bass is a very good food fish, differing little in this respect from
the rock bass and spotted kelp bass. It is rather abundant on the coast
of southern California, and has been occasionally taken as far north as
Monterey Bay, while southward it extends its range along Lower Cali-
fornia. It reaches a length of about IS inches.
Spotted Kelp Bass or Cabrilla (Paralabrax maculatofasciatus.)
The spotted bass may be at once known by the small spots that every-
where cover the head and body and extend over the second dorsal and
caudal fins. In common with the other members of the family
Serranidae the vomer is rough with fine teeth and the maxillary is only
slightly hidden by the bones above it, It resembles the kelp bass
(P. nebulifer) and differs Erom the rock bass i /'. clathratus) in having
the third dorsal spine longer than the fourth, and the eye as wide as
the preorbital space below it. It differs from the kelp bass in color, and
in having the fine scales on top of the head not extending forward
beyond the middle of the eyes. The color is greenish-brown covered
over with small, round, dark brown spots very close together. These
extend onto the soft dorsal, caudal and anal fins. On the side of the
head the spots are smaller and tinged with golden color. Six or seven
dusky bars extend down from the back across the body. On these the
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
65
spots are darker and more or less run together. A dusky-bluish streak
extends from the eye down and back across the cheek. Fig. 26.
This is one of the very few shore fishes found on our coast that extends
its range southward as far as Mazatlan, Mexico. It has not been
reported north of the Santa Barbara Channel. It reaches a length of
18 inches and as a food fish ranks with the other two basses of the
genus Paralabrax.
Fig. 26. Spotted kelp bass or cabrilla (Paralabrax maculatofasciatus) .
FAMILY H/EMULID/E
Sargo (Anisotremus davidsoni).
The sargo is a deep bodied fish that may be at once known by the
dark band that extends down across the body, and the dark spot on and
above the pectoral base. The mouth is small, slightly sloping from
the horizontal, armed with fine teeth set in bands, and with thick, fleshy
lips. When the mouth is closed the lower jaw scarcely projects beyond
the upper. The maxillary, which is considerably covered by the bones
above it, scarcely reaches back to under the front of the eye. The edge
of the preopercle is armed with small spines. The base of the spinous
dorsal is longer than the second dorsal. The dorsals are connected,
and the longest spines are longer than the longest rays. The base of
the anal is short, or scarcely equal to more than half the distance from
the anal to the base of the ventral spine. The caudal is somewhat
forked, or deeply concave behind. The pectoral is long and pointed,
about as long as the head and reaching well past the tips of the ventrals.
Color grayish-silvery, dark above with many dark points. A black
cross-band extends down from the middle of the spinous dorsal across the
side to .a point on a level with the pectoral base. The base of the pectoral
is black, with the black extending some distance upwards and touching
the edge of the gill cover.
66
(' UjIFORNJ \ PISH \.\1> GAME.
This fish ranges Prom San Pedro southward along the Lower Cali-
fornia coast. In the summer time it is reported to be ool uncommon
aboul San Diego and the Santa Barbara [slands. It reaches a Length
of somewhal over a foot.
Fig. 27. Sargo (Anisotremus davidsoni).
Big-eyed Bass (Xenistius californiensis).
This is not a true bass, but belongs to the related family Haemulidae.
It has no teeth on the vomer, and a considerable portion of the maxillary
is covered by the bones just above it. It somewhat resembles the striped
bass in the shape of the fins and in having stripes lengthwise of the
body, Init the stripes are not nearly so conspicuous. The eye is very
large; its diameter greater than the space between the eyes on top of
the head, and about equal to the distance from its front margin to the
tip of the lower jaw when the mouth is closed. The mouth is moderate
in size, xevy oblique, and with the lower jaw projecting beyond it in
front. There is no Hat spine pointing backwards al the hind angle of
the gill cover. The maxillary reaches to opposite the front of the large
i ig Big-i \'<1 bass (Xoiistins calif omiensis).
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
G7
pupil. Fine spines .are around the edge of the preopercle. The pec-
toral is pointed and extends farther back than the ventral fins.
The first dorsal is rather triangular in shape, almost separated from the
second dorsal, and is composed of rather stiff spines. The second dorsal
resembles the anal fin. The scales feel very rough when the finger is
passed over them in the direction of the head. The color is bright
silvery, bluish above. Six or seven dark orange-brown stripes run
lengthwise of the body.
The big-eyed bass reaches a length of about a foot, and is found from
southern California southward along the Lower California coast. It is
reported to be sometimes common about San Diego.
FAMILY KYPHOSID/E.
Greenfish or Opal Eye (Girella nigricans).
The greenfish has a bluntly rounded head and a moderately deep
body. Small teeth are in bands on the jaws, attached to the membrane
only and freely movable. Examination with a magnifier will show that
each tooth is divided into three points. The maxillary is entirely hidden
under the bones above it, leaving only the premaxillary in sight when
the mouth is closed. The maxillary scarcely reaches to below the front
Fig. 29. Greenfish or opal eye (Girella nigricans).
of the eye. The edge of the preopercle is not divided into fine spines,
and behind it the gill cover is devoid of scales. The spinous dorsal is
much longer than the soft dorsal and broadly attached to it. The
spines do not decrease much in length towards the last ones, and the
longest ones are about as long as the longest rays. The rays of the
anal fin are about as long as the bast1 of that fin. The pectoral is short
and rounded, nearly as long as the head, and scarcely reaching as far
hack' as the tips of the ventrals. The caudal fin is slightly concave.
The color is olive-green, paler on lower parts, the fins dusky greenish.
Small ones have a yellowish spot on the hack, and the tins have bright
blue borders. The blue color quickly fades when the fish dies. The
eye is a beautiful opal blue and green, hence the name, opal eye. that
is sometimes applied to it. It is also called bluefish and blue-eyed perch.
68
C M.II'i'KNIA PISH \N1> CAME.
The former name should be discouraged as it is not related to the
famous bluefish, and the latter is doubly unfortunate, for it is neither
a perch nor related to the fishes on our coast that we wrongly call
perches. The name was doubtless given it from a fancied resemblance
to the false perches, but aside from the shape of the body, it has
nothing in common with them.
Though the greenfish is herbivorous, feeding very largely on sea
weed, it will bite a hook baited with a bit of clam or abalone. It scarcely
exceeds a foot in length, and when fresh is a food fish of very good
quality, but its flesh is rather soft and does not keep well. It is found
in abundance from San Francisco southward to the coast of Lower
California. Small ones are very abundant in tide pools.
Half Moon (Medialuna californiensis).
The half moon is a compressed dee]) bodied fish that may be known
from its relatives on our coast by the complete covering of fine scales
that extends over the anal and second dorsal fins, and to a less extent
over the caudal. The mouth is small, slightly oblique, and armed with
fine even teeth set in broad bands. The maxillary scarcely reaches
hack to below the front of the eye. The lower jaw scarcely projects
Fig. 30. .Half union (Medialuna californiensis).
beyond the upper when the mouth is closed. The edge of the preopercle
is thin, membranous, and not divided into fine sharp points. The first
dorsal is connected with the second and is very much lower, the longest
spines being little longer than the diameter of the eye. The anal is
shorter than the soft dorsal hut resembles it in shape, being highest in
front, where it rises to an angle and sharp pointed behind at the tip
of the last ray. The caudal is evenly concave behind. The pectoral is
rounded, much shorter than I he head, and not reaching nearly so far
back as the ti|>s of the ventrals. The color is dark steely gray, Lighter
below, and more or less mottled, all of the fins are dark, and the dorsal
and anal nearly black.
This fisli is very beautiful in its lines and color. It is taken in con-
siderable abundance aboul rocky places on the southern California
coast, and is reported to he a very good pan fish. It reaches a length
of about a foot.
CALIFORNIA FISH \ XI) GAME.
69
BEAR HUNTING WITH BOWS AND ARROWS.
By SAXTON POPE.
For some years back a number of us in San Francisco have been
hunting with the bow and arrow, purely for sport. A powerful bow
is an effective weapon, but it takes months of practice to be able to
shoot it well. Such a bow pulls 75 pounds.
Having killed rabbits, quail, squirrels, bobcats, skunks, foxes, and
deer, we naturally wanted to try our hand on a bear. We knew that a
bear is a hard animal to kill even with a gun, but we also knew that
the Indians killed him with a bow. So we wanted to find out just how
much there was to the game. Our friends of course were very skeptical.
They said that an arrow would hardly go through his hide.
Fig. 31. Black bear killed with bows and arrows by Arthur Young and Saxton Pope of San
Francisco in Panthen Canyon, Humboldt County, California.
We got in communication with Thomas Murphy of Blocksburg, Hum-
boldt County, who hunts bear as a business. He has been at this sort
of thing for thirty years and never fails to get about a dozen bear
every winter. So we packed up our strongest bows and several dozen
broadhead arrows, and Arthur Young and I went up to Blocksburg.
Murphy was willing to let us shoot at a bear, but he insisted upon
carrying a gun in case of accidents. He said he didn't want to lose a
valuable dog over the affair.
After four unsuccessful hunts, we at last treed a good-sized bear up
a tall fir. After securing the dogs, Mr. Young and I took our stand
about thirty yards from the base of the tree, on the sidehill, and let
drive two arrows at one time. Both shafts struck the bear in the
chest, going completely through, feathers and all.
Quick as a flash the bear wheeled about and began descending the
tree. We ran up close and shot him again as he neared the ground, and
bounded down the hill. Murphy turned the dogs loose, and they all
went crashing through the brush together.
4—44620
70 CALIFORNIA PISH \NI> G 1MB.
Pretty sunn we heard them bay him again, and we rushed a quarter
of a mile down the canyon to find him sitting on the limb of another
fir, holding on like ;i man. We shol again and he dropped to the
ground, where the dogs heeled him and went flying pasl hanging on
to a hind leg. The boar immediately mounted a nearby oak, do1 over
eight inches in diameter, and ,s w 1 1 1 1 *•• ou1 on a limb. At dose rang<\
we shot arrow after arrow through his chest while he slipped further
out on the bending limb, and at last fell to the ground, rolling over
and over down the canyon. The dogs were on him in a second, and
by the time we reached the creek bed. the bear was dead.
Murphy performed the autopsy, giving the bounds the liver and
lights. Eleven arrows bad gone through the beast, seven of these
through the chest. The lungs were collapsed and pulmonary hemor-
rhage finished him. The firsl two shots would have been enough if we
had waited.
It was a three year old female black- bear, weighing about 150
pounds. That it was no larger was no fault of ours. The arrows cul
ribs in two at several points and undoubtedly could have penetrated
any beast with a hide less resistant than a hippo or an elephant.
NOTES ON THE ARTIFICIAL PROPAGATION OF THE SPINY
LOBSTER.
By P. S. BARNHART. Scripps Institution for Biological Research.
Because of its possible bearing on the future artificial propagation
of the spiny lobster, Pcmulirus interruptus, I think it might be worth
while to make a record of the conditions under which eggs were hatched
and the young carried through the phyllosome stage of development.
It has always been easy to secure berried lobsters and obtain from
them the first stage of the young. These have always died before
passing through further stages of development, even though kept in
fresh running sea water, supposedly under ideal conditions.
B. M. Allen working under the auspices of the California Fish and
Game Commission in 1911, constructed elaborate hatching boxes at the
inlet to False Bay. where a plentiful supply of fresh water was con-
stantly available and the water in the boxes kept in constant agitation
by means of a rotating wheel. In his published notes (1916) he says':
'There is no difficulty in securing the young. It is only necessary
to impound spawn-bearing females. The young hatch very readily
even after the spawn-bearing parent has been kepi in captivity for
weeks. Attempts to rear them, however, proved futile. Their extreme
delicacy and pelagic habit make their culture an especially difficult
problem."
On .May 14. 1918, a berried lobster was placed iii a large concrete
tank. ii by 9 feet, in the research aquarium of the Scripps Institution.
This tank contained approximately 800 gallons of water. A small jet
furnished about 5 gallons of water an hour. The 20th of June two
green turtles weighing about 30 pounds cadi were placed in the same
tank. Every few days after this quantities of a green alga was thrown
in for the turtles to feed upon. Much of 1 his rotted and accumulated in
California fish and game. 71
one corner of the tank under and around a lot of large stones where I he
lobster kept itself hidden.
The in- and outflow from the tank was oot enough to keep the water
perfeetely fresh and it began to take on the milkly hue indicative of bad
water. This finally became so bad that I decided to clean the tank out.
On the 10th of July I started to do this, but where the sun struck the
water I noticed that there was a slight movement on the surface as of
many small animals moving about. I immediately made a haul with a
fine net and was much surprised to find quantities of phyllosomes.
Many of these were put into fresh running water where they remained
alive for several days, but gradually died off. Those remaining in the
large tank kept alive about eight days when they also died. As far as
I was able to observe these were in the small, first phyllosome stage.
This experiment might indicate that, while bearing and hatching the
eggs, the adult seeks comparatively quiet water where there is much
decaying vegetation. It surely proves that fresh clean water is not
necessary for their hatching and development to the phyllosome stage.
Allen found that spawn-bearing females usually "seek sheltered spots
in the lea of islands or points of land and take refuge in sheltered
crevices of rocks alongshore."
I hope to repeal this experiment this year on a much larger scale.
IS THE HERRING GULL INSECTIVOROUS?
By A. C. BURRILL, Idaho Station Entomologist's Office.
Some individuals doubt that gulls naturally eat insects. They con-
sider that the blowflies reported eaten by gulls (Dr. Dutcher, President
of National Association of Audubon Societies), were merely gulped
down when some gull seized a beached fish on which the flies might
have been ovipositing. This seems probable and also that some other
insects eaten, as the white grub's adults, the May beetle, may have
been washed up on shore alongside fish and so included with the bigger
mouthful, even if the young gulls were being fed by their mothers at
the time. (By the Wayside, Feb., 1912, p. 42.)
In The Auk (v. 19, p. 46), Doctor Dutcher saw at the No-Man 's-Land
Gull Reservation, Maine, young gulls which, as soon as able to leave
the rookery, went in flocks to neighboring grass and potato fields and
ate immense numbers of grasshoppers and potato beetles. This doesn 't
look like mere beach scavenging, does it? Yet I agree that many
insects can be easily swallowed unintentionally by scavenging gulls.
In the summer of 1910, I related in a recent note how the gulls cleaned
up the fish driven ashore on Lake Michigan, Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin.
At that time there were thousands of beetles, largely ladybirds (Coc-
cinellids) of many kinds, along the beach, besides various other unfor-
tunates, so that a gull would have great difficulty in cleaning' a fish
body of all of the smaller fry before swallowing.
Owing to the lack of material, former Chief Henshaw says, our Fede-
eral Biological Survey has made very few stomach analyses of this species.
But just lately Dr. A. S. Alexander called to my attention a Scottish
work (Transactions of tie Highland and Agricultural Society of
Scotland) in which in 1912 is given the analysis of 616 Scottish bird
72
CALIPORNl \ PISH \NI> GAME.
stomachs, including 41 herring gulls (the same as ours, Larus argen
tatus Gmel.). This seems to accord so well with the little known hi re
that I venture to quote in the words of the author, Miss Laura Floren
Carnegie Scholar in the University of Aberdeen, published al Edin-
burgh: "Summary: 15 contained fish; 3, carrion; L3, shells; 4. refuse;
1, brittle star; 4, Crustacea; 3, insects of injurious group; 2, insects
of indifferent group; 3, earthworms; 3, potatoes: !). urain; 14. grass;
!•, seeds." Again, she lists the food £or a single male shot at Donmonth
in Aberdeen, Oct. 31. 1!>10: "Stomach about quarter full; fragments
and husks of grain ; fragments of chitin; forceps of an earwig (Forfi-
euliadoe) ; grass." The chitin mentioned may have been other parts
of the same earwig or some other insect. This work was supervised by
the well-known zoologists. Professors -1. Arthur Thompson and J. W. II.
Trail.
--V
^^^
/
I
Fig. 32. Herring gulls on breeding grounds, No Man's I_and, North Carolina.
Photograph by Herbert A. Job.
Thirty per cent of these gulls, therefore, ate fish, but the amount of
fish material must have been much less than that. Compare Mr.
llenshaw's statement regarding American gulls: "The herring gull
can be considered a fish eater only to a very limited extent. Occasion-
ally, we have found the remains of fish in the stomach contents, but
there has always been collateral evidence that the fish were eaten in
the shape of offal. When about harbors and inland waters, its prin-
cipal food consists of garbage. We have a number of stomachs col-
lected in Maine by Dutcher, ami these contain the remains of June
bugs and other insects with about 10 per cent of fish garbage, showing
that the herring gull is in some localities and to some extent, at least,
insectivorous."
In Leslie's Weekly, for Sept. 5, 1912, there is a view of the American
battleship "Utah," near Galveston, Texas, surrounded by sea gulls
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
73
picking up refuse. lu an earlier issue, February, 1909, is another of
gulls picking up fish from a school of herring on the high sea. This is
more often true of the kittiwake gull or of the stormy petrel, alias
"Mother Carey's Chicken," well shown in Collier's Weekly for Sept. 6,
1913 (p. 15), though Mabel Osgood Wright says the name herring
gull was given this bird "because as they were originally fishermen by
trade, their presence flying above the water told where schools of
herring were to be found. Today the schools of herring are less
plentiful along our shores, and the value of this gull, though greater
than ever, is due to a different source." Now gulls act as scavenge-,
becoming "the health officers of the coast" (November, 1907, The
Herring or Harbor Gull, Educ. Leaflet No. 29. The Nat. Ass. Aud.
Soc, N. Y. City) .
Mr. Brann (By the Wayside, January, 1912), claims gulls still dive
for fish occasionally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, but Mr. Henshaw
rather disputes this for the United States as a whole, and so writes
friend W. T. Davis, a careful observer and naturalist of Staten Island,
New York Harbor (letter, Dec. 31, 1912). One of the best refutations
of much fish being eaten by gulls came out in the Pall Mall Gazette
(Feb. 6, 1912), Mr. F. G. Aflalo saying:
Fig. 33. Sea gulls flying over headlands, La Valle, California. Photograph by L. Hugo.
"The public mind is constantly being misled on this subject of the
destructiveness of gulls by journalists with a passion for statistics.
Only the other day a morning paper published what purported to be the
pictorial menu of a sea gull during the year. It was shown in terms
of a great line of barrels of herrings, 146 barrels, each containing 500
herrings, to a total not far short of 200 pounds sterling. There were
two very obvious fallacies in this reckoning. In the first place it
assumed that the whole of the 73,000 herrings thus consumed as fry,
would have grown to maturity if the gull had left them alone. To put
it mildly, this is by no means proved; to put it frankly, it is rubbish.
74 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
Moreover, this imposing cartoon gave no hint of the tons of offal and
garbage which, to the greal benefil of many a harbor, these feathered
scavengers consume every year. The picture told, in fact, what was
not true, and suppressed what was."
.Mr. ('. \V. Creel, in charge of the cereal and forage insed investi-
gations laboratory of the United States Bureau of Entomology, at
Foresl Grove, Oregon, informs that often, when the farmers are plow-
ing in the Salt Lake Valley, Utah, gulls come in large flocks to work
over the land, whether after insects or Held rodents would be a wr\
interesting line of investigation. Likewise we have a photograph of
many gulls visiting plowed land in California, and suppose that this
is the California gull. However, it will he interesting to hear from
other observers, if the herring gull, which is less common there than
in other parts of America and Europe, still shows sufficient interest in
plowed fields in California to associate with, the California gulls in
their field patrols.
One species of gull flies up the Columbia River and has been reported
in spring as far up the Snake River Canyon as Lewiston, Idaho, per
Adjutant General Charles Moody, showing that even inland Idaho,
though lacking large lakes, may be within the flying zone of this
valuable species. In the Bi^ Bend country of eastern Washington,
seme of the farmers who were worried by the large armies of coulee
crickets in the spring of 1918, were discussing if there would be any
advantage in shipping a few pairs of gulls to the desert country to
eat up these crickets and thus attract more gulls to fly in from the
coast, and thus repeat the well-known tale of the Mormons and the
Mormon crickets of I 'tali, and the deliverance effected by the gulls.
Further data is invited.
Messrs. I?. G. Thompson and M. M. Reeher, special field agents of
Mr. Creel 's office, have furnished the following details. Mr. Thompson
was sent into the grasshopper afflicted district near Burns, Harney
( !ounty, Oregon, .May, 1918, where he met a Mr. McGee who said that for
several years gulls had been working on grasshoppers. Messrs. Thomp-
son and McGee went out to look for a new band of hoppers in May and
alter a long hunt saw at a distance about a thousand gulls feeding on the
land. Mr. McGee fell sure that they would find the hoppers near there,
and on going over to see, found the gulls so gorged that they would
hardly get out of the way. The gulls were busily picking up the young
hoppers. Mr. Reeher was sent into Langells' Valley, near Klamath
Falls, Oregon, early in dune. 1918. His guide told him thai a few
gulls visited the hoppers the year before, and showed him this dune.
1918, about live hundred gulls feeding on hoppers. We have no data
as to what species of mill this was. save thai it was white with bluish
slate-colored wings, which answers to at least three species. As the
California and ring-billed gulls breed in colonies on Klamath bake, it
seems reasonable to believe that birds of these two species were
implicated.
These facts are given to show that gulls may be quite as well worth
study in the AVest as in the East, and their protection quite as necessary.
FRANK A. SHEBLEY.
The death of Frank
A. Shebley, one of the
oldest employees of the
Fish and Game Com-
mission, which oc-
curred in a hospital in
Yreka, December 21,
1918, came as a pro-
found shock to scores
of friends. Although
he had been uncon-
scious for seven hours
after the accident to
the auto bus in which
he Avas riding" between
Fort Jones and Yreka,
several days before, on
Saturday morning
there was every indica-
tion that he would get
well, but a sudden
change which occurred
late in the afternoon
ended in death.
Frank Shebley was
born in Nevada county
nearly forty-seven
years ago. He was the
son of California's first famous fish culturist, and had succeeded
before his death, in company with his brother, William H. Shebley.
in making a reputation as great if not greater in the same line of
endeavor than that of the father, who had gone before. As a boy, he
followed farming on his father's place, but for the past twenty-five
years has been identified exclusively with fish culture in connection
with the California Fish and Game Commission, and there are few men
on the Pacific slope who knew as much about fish and fishing in the
waters of the rivers and bays as Frank Shebley knew. During his
experience with the Commission he was the superintendent of the Price
Creek hatchery in Humboldt county, and the Brookdale hatchery in
Santa Cruz county, and recently the new Mount Whitney hatchery in
Inyo county. Under his management the Brookdale hatchery became
very popular and was sought out by sportsmen from all over California
as a place of great interest. Also interested in angling as a sport, he
was a master of the fly rod and a skilled angler. In recent years he had
given some attention to land investments, as well as mining ventures,
and with W. P. Netherton of Santa Cruz was the owner of considerable
property in Texas.
Few employees of the Fish and Game Commission have been so uni-
versally loved as has Frank Shebley. His genial personality and per-
petual good humor won for him hosts of friend;. His loss will, there-
fore, be a personal one to many. Mr. Shebley \s sh cultural attainments
furnish assurance that the vacancy left by his death will be hard to fill.
76
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME
A publication devoted to the conserva-
tion of wild life and published quarterly
by the California State Fish and Game
Commission.
Sent free to citizens of the State of Cali-
fornia. Offered in exchange for ornitho-
logical, mammalogical and similar period-
icals. „ „
The articles published in California Fish
and Game are not copyrighted and maybe
reproduced in other periodicals, provided
due credit Is given the California Fish and
Game Commission. Editors of newspapers
and periodicals are invited to make use of
pertinent material.
All material for publication should be
sent to H. C. Bryant, Museum of Verte-
brate Zoology, Berkeley, Cal.
April 21, 1919.
"Conservation deals with those things
to which practically every normal person
turns for relaxation in his moments of
leisure."
OUR MAILING LIST.
The mailing list for California Fish
\\n GAME has been entirely revised.
Those who did not take the trouble to
sign the card enclosed in the October
number have been removed from the list
and a new written request alone will
replace them.
There have been so many additions to
our mailing list of late that the edition
published has had to be increased. This,
in connection with a marked increase in
cost of printing, leads us to speculate as
to the possibility of continuing free dis-
tribution. It may well be that some
small charge will have to be made for the
magazine in the future. If this change
becomes necessary, we will but be follow-
ing the lead of several other states. A
regular subscription list would allow a
great saving in postage in that (he maga-
zine could then be mailed ;is second-class
matter.
PENDING LEGISLATION.
Less important lisli and game legisla-
tion has come before the present legisla-
ture than for many years past. The bills
that have been introduced are less radical
in nature and notably less in number.
The few relating to game which stand out
as desirable are: A bill granting discre-
tionary powers to the Fish and Game
Commission which would allow better ad-
ministration of fish and game resources;
bills making the stale laws conform with
the new federal regulations; and one re-
modeling the districting act to include
two new game refuges, an area in the
vicinity of Mt. Breckenridge, Kern
County, and an area on Mt. Hamilton,
Santa Clara County.
Desirable changes in the law requiring
fishways are provided for in two bills,
and it is hoped that another bill prohibit-
ing fishing within two hundred and fifty
feet of any fishway or screen will be
passed. An important bill provides for
the inspection of all imported fish eggs
or fish so that undesirables may be quar-
antined.
Among undesirable bills relating to
game are those which provide bounties
on predatory birds and on predatory mam-
mals, one opening the bear season in dis-
tricts 2, 2A and 10, one opening the
season on rabbits in the above districts,
one providing for the repeal of the hunt-
ing license law, and one providing for the
sale of ducks killed when destroying rice.
A bill to permit the use of a spear in
taking trout in certain local districts and
a pernicious shrimp bill are among those
relating to fish which would tear down
present protective laws.
It seems reasonable to believe that our
legislators will look with disapproval on
those bills which are adverse to the best
interests of our fish and game, and will
stand by those tending to uphold protec-
tion and conservation for our wild life
resources.
FISH AND GAME COMMISSION INAUG-
URATES EDUCATIONAL WORK AT
SUMMER RESORTS.
Believing that a better knowledge of
wild life will bring about better conser-
vation of it, and that when people are
on their summer vacations they are most
responsive to education on wild life re-
sources, the California Fish and Game
Commission, backed by the Nature Study
League, will institute this coming sum-
mer a series of lectures and nature study
field trips designed to stimulate interest
in the proper conservation of natural re-
sources. The Tahoe region has been
selected for the work this year. The
work will be offered at six different re-
sorts. The month of July is the time
set. All lectures and classes will be open
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
77
to the public and no fees will be charged.
Illustrated lectures on the game birds,
song birds, mammals and fish will furnish
evening entertainment, and early morning
trips afield will give vacationists an intro-
duction to mountain wild life.
Everyone wants to recognize the plants
and wild things encountered on the sum-
mer vacation. There is no better way of
developing this ability than to accompany
one who knows the trees, birds and mam-
mals. Special attention will be given the
identification of birds by call, song, color
and habits. The motto of these classes
will be : "Learn to read a roadside as one
reads a book." Knowledge of wild life
insures better conservation of it. Special
excursions for children will be conducted.
These nature study lectures and field
trips which compose the vacation camp
work of the Bureau of Education, Pub-
licity, and Research of the California
Fish and Game Commission are designed
to bring about a healthy interest in the
out-of-doors and in wild things that
through knowledge proper public senti-
ment and proper conservation of our natu-
ral resources may be brought about. In
other words, "conservation through edu-
cation" is the end being sought.
PRESERVE GAME RESOURCES.
California's natural resources in fish
and game, with its incomparable climate,
its 26,212 miles of fishing streams, its
S62,000 acres of lakes and every stage
of climatic conditions to be found out of
doors, are a gigantic magnet drawing
people from remote corners of the earth.
California should be the mecca for the
human race. The remarkable develop-
ment of road building of the past few
years, with the development of the auto-
mobile, have brought the people in touch
with this wonderful fish and game asset.
To hunt and fish is as natural to the
California boy and girl as to breathe.
The farmer and land owner is practically
ihe breeder and raiser of our game and he
is ever zealous in its protection. His
children hunt and fish whenever the sea-
son and opportunity offer. Not a family
exists in our rural districts that does not
own, as a family heirloom, a shotgun or
a rifle, and both sexes of the children
are taught their use. They can teach
many an expert the fine art of angling
in the stream that flows by his home.
There in the rural districts you will
find the nucleus of the strong, virile gen-
eration that Northern Europe knows so
well and that will come after us, for they
live much in the open, where they learn
self-reliance. Let us not remove from
them the natural opportunity to improve
their physical being, but rather assist
them by conserving our natural resources
in fish and game.
Continued changing and revising the
fish and game laws will do more toward
decimating our fish and game than all
the hunters and fishermen can possibly
do. The State Fish and Game Commission
is a state body directing and supervising
the entire work of fish and game protec-
tion, propagation, distribution and con-
servation. Thus the state is administered
as a unit and a maximum degree of pro-
tection can be given. This could not be-
come an actual possibility were each of
the fifty-eight counties given full and com-
plete control within their respective bor-
ders. With fifty-eight separate and dis-
tinct districts, ranging from a mere hand-
ful of population to half a million, each
endeavoring to handle the affairs of each
for themselves and not one for the other,
one can easily imagine the chaotic state
of affairs that would result. Thus one
can realize why experimental legislation
would be and is more detrimental to the
unsurpassed fish and game interests of
California than all her hunters and fish-
ermen, alien and domestic— Editorial,
Sacramento Union, Feb. 16, 1919.
LARGE PROFITS WITH SLIGHT OUT-
LAY.
Few, if any, natural resources of a
state are administered with so slight a
cost to taxpayers as is fish and game.
Wild birds, mammals and fish yield a
splendid annual return in food and sport,
to say nothing of their help in controlling
pests, and this wild life does not need
food or shelter, but simply reasonable
protection. Not one dollar is appropriated
by the state for its maintenance. The
small burden falls entirely upon those
who make most use of the resource. The
hunters and anglers of this state by pay-
ing a small license fee of .$1.00 furnish
78
(\UFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
the funds used to enforce fish and game
laws and initiate protective measures.
Many persons are ignorant of these facts
and these are the ones thai continually
complain of the high cosl of fish and
game administral ion.
"NOW BEGINS THE SEASON."
"Now begins the season of the year
when the weary city man turns his face
from the familiar crowds and noises of
the lily to the country places: where he
may lish in the trout streams; plod over
the hills with a gun on his shoulder in
the hope of shooting something; dabble in
the o in waves at the beaches; or sleep
all riight on the hard ground, with queer
noises going on in the woods around him,
<ni- ions little insects walking over his
hody and tickling him. curious little ani-
mals tiptoeing around among the leaves,
and unknown dangers, remembered from
his primitive days, waiting to catch him
and gobble him up." — San Francisco Bul-
letin, June 30, 1914.
It is good for a man to wander hack
at intervals into the domain of old Dame
Nature. What good docs it do? It means
quickened pulse, hearty appetite, an inex-
pressible tingle of exhilaration in every
nerve, better poise, greater resiliency of
step, augmented power of body and mind
for the battles of the workaday world.
What clement is more important in
making insistent the call to marsh, field.
and mountain than that furnished by the
wild life? Exterminate the game and yoti
make the world drearier, more monoto-
nous, less interesting. Exterminate Cali-
fornia's game and you turn one of the
most attractive of the sisterhood of states
into a desolate waste. Western Wild Life
(■'ill, No. 4.
CONVICTION MADE UNDER FEDERAL
MIGRATORY BIRD TREATY ACT.
Los Banos and other Sun Joaquin
points have heretofore supplied most of
the ducks for the market. Changed condi-
tions have moved the activities of market
hunters to Colusa. Sutter and Yub;i c
ties. The city of Colusa, being in the
center of operations) became the rendez-
vous of most of the market hunters. The
fact that the Migratory Bird Treaty Act
prohibits the sale of all waterfowl made
no difference to ties,, men who shoot for
money.
'I'll,, difficulty of detecting sale transac-
tions is evidenced bj the following facts:
< >ne of the mosl notorious hunters main-
tained a joint in Colusa where ducks were
dispensed after the password had been
given. So notorious had the place become
for the distribution of dinks that travel-
ing men had no difficulty in purchasing
them at any time. It was the custom of
these men to keep a supply of ducks on
hand in order that they might guarantee
the limit to so-called city - "sportsmen"
whom these hunters took out at so much
per day. The surplus ducks were shipped
to San Francisco and Sacramento under
lietiiioiis names to be distributed by
agents.
The proprietor of this joint, with three
other well-known market hunters, was de-
tected on October 15, 191S, the day pre-
vious to the opening of the season, with
226 ducks and one snipe in his possession.
Information was tiled against these four
defendants, Charles Guernsey, J. T.
Maley. Frank Chambers, and Joe P.
Meyers. They were indicted by the Fed-
eral Grand Jury and were tried by jury
on February I. I'.U'.t. at Sacramento,
Judge Van Fleel presiding. The jury re-
turned a verdict of guilty in eleven min-
utes, and the defendants were sentenced
to pay $100 each or in default serve GO
clays in jail.
.Much credit is due stale and federal
wardens Carpenter and Ludlum, Deputy
United States Game Warden E. S. Cat-
tron and Assistant United States Attor-
ney Johnson for the manner in which the
case was handled. As this was the first
case in California under the Migratory
Bird Treaty Act, Judge Van Fleet did
lml impose a maximum hue. but warned
all future offenders to beware.
Geo. Neale.
mendocino rancher makes good
KILL.
Mr. Frank Williams, a sheep rancher
of Calpella, Mendocino County, recently
succeeded in killing a black bear which
had been killing sheep in the vicinity for
several years. It weighed 300 pounds.
A mountain lion was killed the same day.
(See Fig. 32. I During the winter of
1913 seven lions were killed in this
vicinity.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
79
Fig. 34. Mountain lion and large black bear which
had pestered sheep-men for years at last rounded
up in one day by Frank Williams, a rancher of
Calpella, California. Photograph by Una Boyle.
GAME LAWS TO BE ENFORCED IN
NATIONAL FORESTS.
Persons who violate the state game law
on national forests now become liable to
prosecution in the federal courts. A reg-
ulation recently issued by the Secretary
of Agriculture is as follows :
"The going or being upon any land of
the United States, or in or on the waters
thereof, within a National Forest, with
intent to hunt, catch, trap, wilfully dis-
turb or kill any kind of game animal,
game or non-game bird, or fish, or to
take the eggs of any such bird, in viola-
tion of the laws of the state in which such
land or waters are situated, is hereby
prohibited."
BEAVER HIDES CONFISCATED.
Deputies Newsome and Sellmer, while
on patrol work along the Tuolumne River,
discovered 14 green beaver hides in the
eamp of a trapper. The trapper, fearing
the hand of the law, had fled. If the at-
tempts being made to locate the trapper
are successful, prosecution will follow.
DEPUTY ACQUITTED AT TRIAL.
Deputy Carpenter of Maxwell, Colusa
County, was recently made defendant in a
suit to compel payment for seventy-three
ducks which he seized from three Colusa
market hunters. The commission's attor-
ney, R. D. Duke, handled the case in a
masterly way when it came to trial by
jury at Colusa on February 11. Attorney
Duke contended that the justice had no
jurisdiction in the case and that it should
be tried by a federal court, but he was
overruled by Justice of the Peace, Moore.
Nevertheless, the outcome was a verdict
in Deputy Carpenter's favor. This vin-
dication of the game laws by a jury in
Colusa augurs well for the future.
WAR-TIME SAVING IN COST OF FISH
FOOD.
The furnishing of proper food to the
millions of fish reared in our hatcheries
is no small problem. Until the cost
made it prohibitive, beef liver was largely
80
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
used 'm the preparation offish food. With
the increase of cost wholesale in San
Francisco from 5 cents to 32 cents per
pound, it became necessary to seek a sub-
stitute This was found in refuse fish
costing but 4 cents per pound. A product
of a fish reduction plant known as crack-
lings lias 1 n found usable, but hardly as
satisfactory as beef liver.
THE PACIFIC COAST WHALE IN-
DUSTRY.
It is reported that in 1918 the principal
whaling company on the Pacific Coast,
with stations in Washington. British Col-
umbia and Alaska, took 900 whales, of
which about 200 were of the set species
(Balaenoptera borealis), whose meat is
light colored and particularly good for
canning. One right whale was captured;
it yielded 1.(.500 pounds of excellent baleen.
Four samples of this baleen, 8 to 9 feet
in length, have been sent to the bureau
for exhibition purposes. The short baleen
of the common shore whales, which in
recent years has been thrown away, now
has a fair market value, and large quan-
tities of the discarded material are being
profitably salvaged.— Fisheries Service
Bulletin, No. 45.
FOOD ADMINISTRATION REGULA-
TIONS ON FISHING NO LONGER
EFFECTIVE.
All of the rulings of the Federal Food
Administrator regarding the commercial
fisheries of the state, with the exception
of that relating to the packing of sardines,
were revoked on December 31, 1918. The
laws of this state are now in full force
and effect as they were previous to the
rulings of the Food Administrator.
MORE BIRD TREATIES NEEDED.
Conservationists having successfully
provided for the protection of migratory
wild fowl which breed to the north of the
United States are now demanding a sim-
ilar protection for the waterfowl and
insectivorous birds which summer in the
United States, but spend the winter sea-
son in Latin America, where they are
wantonly slaughtered. As a sample of the
type of destruction which goes on in
Mexico, we quote from a letter written
by II. S. Battie of Hollywood, California :
"Regarding the market shooting. 1 refer
solely to ducks : excepl the egret, no other
feathered game is shot for the market.
"As you ma\ not have beard of the
methods of shooting ducks for market. I
will explain it.
"In the table lands of Central Mexico
nearly all the large haciendas have ponds
or lakes to catch water during the rainy
season which is later used for irrigation.
During the winter the ducks congregate
in immense numbers on such places.
"At a convenient place on the bank a
frame of heavy timbers is laid, and to
these are fastened batteries of guns — any-
thing that: will shoot, in some cases iron
pipe being used. They sometimes have tin
tiers, fan-shaped, one above the other, and
perhaps a bundled or more guns, the first
aimed at the water, the second slightly
above, and the third slightly higher still.
These are tired by trains of powder.
"On the day selected the peons go in
boats, and also wading, gradually driving
all the ducks on the lake into a compact
mass in front of the battery. At a sig-
nal the boats back away and the peons
duck under. The first tier is fired as the
birds are sitting and the other two a
fraction of a second later as the birds are
taking wing. The slaughter is dreadful.
1 would not care to say just the number,
but an American friend who happened to
be at an hacienda at the time, told me
they got two thousand that day. I had
no reason to think he exaggerated."
While interest is still strong regarding
the protection for migratory and insec-
tivorous birds effort should be made to
give the summer visitant class of birds
equal protection with the winter visitants.
Not only will the carrying out of such
a program of protection be a benefit to
the citizens of today, but will be a bene-
faction to the coming generations.
CONSERVATION OF FISH.
Former visitors to Santa Catalina
Island, who remember seeing tons of alba-
core, tuna, and black sea bass spoil on
the pier ami then towed out to sea, will
be interested in reading the report of the
Avalon Fish Exchange. All fish caught
by anglers and not utilized by them be-
comes the property of the Fish Exchange.
This supply is augmented by market fish-
ermen. Last season 165,000 pounds of
edible fish were shipped to the mainland.
This was in addition to the large amount
sold on the island. Included in the ship-
ments to the mainland were 92 giaut
bass, fish which formerly went to waste,
but which now are in great demand.
Anglers trolling in Catalina waters used
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
81
1.5,000 flying fish as bait. Valuable data
,-is to the time of year when the differenl
varieties of fish are in abundance is being
accumulated by the exchange.
DEPENDABLE INFORMATION IS
NEEDED.
Honorable George D. Pratt, Conserva-
tion Commissioner of the stale of New
York, has recently called attention to the
need for precise and dependable informa-
tion about wild life resources. He points
out that the underlying cause for the
multiplicity of laws relating to game
offered at each session of the different
state legislatures is inadequate informa-
tion regarding game conditions. In at-
tempting to fill this need, Mr. Pratt insti-
tuted in 1915 a game census designed to
furnish a running check upon the condi-
tion of the state's wild life. By leaving
out of consideration unprovable asser-
tions or estimates based upon guesswork
or the unreliable method of averaging,
the census gives definite knowledge re-
garding general abundance of different
species in different sections and the fluc-
tuations in their condition from season
to season. Each of the 140 field men have
been required to report upon cards every
week all of the game that they have seen
and the conditions under which that game
was existing during that week.
On the deer card, spaces are provided
for recording the number of bucks, does,
and fawns, damage to crops, distribution,
physical condition and food supply.
Other cards provide "for data regarding
game birds and waterfowl, fur-bearing
animals, and predatory animals and birds,
with appropriate remarks. As a result of
a study of the deer cards, it has been pos-
sible to draw definite conclusions regard-
ing relative proportion of the sexes and
the extent to which they are breeding.
As a means of gathering additional
statistics, every holder of a hunting
license when applying for a new license
will hereafter be required to give in ad-
dition to his name, residence, personal
appearance, etc., the amount of game that
he killed under his old license. This will
give an approximate measure of the
amount of game actually killed and will
uive a basis for demonstrable facts. With
these facts at hand, wise laws can be
maintained on the statute books, and
changes will be broughl about only as
rapidly as actual changes in the condition
of wild life justify modification of the
law.
When Vermont inaugurated the same
system it was pointed out that the value
of such a census would be threefold :
1. The warden force will be educated
in local conditions and brought into
closer harmony with the sportsmen.
2. A basis for wise legislation will be
secured for the protection and conserva-
tion of a resource of real value in terms
of dollars and cents.
3. The educational value to our people
as increasing their interest in, and co-
operation with, the work of the Depart-
ment of Fisheries and Game.
STATE GAME DISTRICT 1K.
In connection with the Sequoia Park
extension bill introduced in the present
session of Congress, which proposes to ex-
lend the present boundaries of the
Sequoia National Park to include the
South and Middle Fork canyons of the
Kings, it is worth while, perhaps, to con-
sider the, effect that the passing of this
bill would have on the game situation in
the Sierra and Sequoia National forests,
and particularly on the State Game
Refuge IK between the north and middle
forks of the Kings.
Nearly one-third of the area of Game
District IK is within the boundaries of
the proposed park extension, and as other
areas suitable for the propagation of game
are also included, and the park regulations
do not permit hunting within the national
parks, it is only reasonable to suppose
that some action may be taken to try to
have the present game district abolished,
on the grounds that the park will amply
provide for all the game protection needed
in this part of the mountains.
The fact will still remain, however, that
no other area is so favorably situated with
regard to ideal conditions for winter
breeding grounds as the low brushy south-
ern exposures in township 12 south,
range 28 east afford. Because of the
rough nature of the country and its inac-
cessibility, there is little probability of at-
tempted poaching, and while a park would
provide protection and ample range during
the summer season, I believe it would
be a serious mistake if the above-men-
82
CALIFORNIA PISH LND CAME.
lioned township ai leasl is not retained
.is ,-i game preserve where hunting is pre-
vented ;K all seasons.
1 1 mil; hi be argued thai the closed season
during the winter months offers all tin- pro-
tection that is i essary ; but it would be
found, I believe, if the game preserve were
abolished, that a large number of hunters
would flock to this area in. the open sea-
sou, on the assumption that by this time
the deer would be working down from
the higher elevations where they had been
protected in the park and possibly tamed
to some extent.
One other consideration is the open
bear season of November and December
that offers a legitimate excuse for hunting
parties in the brush at that time of year.
That is the one time when poaching
might be carried on, for only a few hunt-
ers could resist the temptation to kill
some of the numerous bucks they would
undoubtedly see, especially since the
chances of detection are so small withoul
I he continuous presence of a game warden
in the vicinity. It would seem much safer
to cut out every -excuse for legitimate
hunting in these breeding grounds.
Roy Bootiie.
is the porcupine worth saving?
Evidence that we have not j'et stand-
ardized our game laws is apparant in the
different viewpoints taken by the states of
New York and Minnesota regarding the
porcupine. The New York Conservation
Commission classifies the porcupine as
"vermin" and enumerates twenty as hav-
ing been killed during January, 1919.
'The state of Minnesota, on the Other
hand, protects the porcupine on the
theory that the animal furnishes an
easily obtainable source of food to anyone
lost in the wilds.
MANICURE THE BIRD-CATCHING
CAT.
Dr. Wm. II. Dall, of the United States
National Museum, recently pointed out
a method thai will save our cats and
thoroughly protect the birds against their
attacks. It is a well-known fact that
these animals only seize their prey
through the use of the claws on the fore-
feet. These claws are, as we know, so
organized anatomically that when at rest
they are retracted, but when brought into
play they are thrown forward, so that
their sharp points may be instantly em-
ployed in the act of seizure. No ca1 ever
attempts to catch a wild bird in the open
by employing its hind feet, or the daws
upon them. No lion, tiger, leopard, or
any of the rest of the big felines in nature
ever do. This also holds in the case of
pel cats who kill the canary in its cage,
or capture the fish in the globe or aquar-
ium.
When one comes to think this over, it
.•■on becomes clear that, were cats de-
prived of their claws on their forefeet,
they could not catch a bird of any kind,
however hard they tried. The claws have
no more feeling in them than have our
finger-nails, to which they really corre-
spond. Cat claws can be trimmed just as
we trim our nails, and the best tool to
do it with is the small cutting pliers used
by jewelers. Anyone cau use such a tool,
and with a little practice anyone own-
ing a pet cat can readily trim all the
claws on its forefeet. All there is to be
done is to gently press the foot from
above, downwards, between your thumb
and forefinger, when the claws will be
thrown forward. They should be snipped
off a trifle back of their middles applying
the cutting edges of the nippers to their
sides. A little dressing with delicate file
afterwards will also prove advantageous.
A cat so operated upon can not possibly
catch and kill a wild bird or a pet bird
in s cage ; nor can it destroy fish in any
receptacle in which we may keep them
Moreover a cat with its claws so trimmed
can not climb a tree ; it is up in ties
that they catch many birds, as they like-
wise do by running up poles topped with
bird boxes ami bird houses of every
description. After the claws are trimmed
the foot looks precisely as it did before
the trimming was performed — that is to
say, nothing unsightly results.
Some will say that it prevents the cat
from catching mice. Well, what of it?
There is not one cat in a hundred thai
catches mice for any purpose ; moreover,
a few mousetraps of modern models will
very quickly rid house, barn, and out-
houses of all description of mice. Any of
i lie "cyclone" pattern of traps will do it
in a few weeks. Cats with trimmed
claws can enjoy their milk and other
food just as well as with unt rimmed
ones, so there is no cruelty done along
such lines.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
83
Finally, were we to trim the daws in
the manner indicated of all claimed cats,
and destroy .'ill cats not claimed by any-
we would save thousands of insectiv-
orous birds annually ; and surely the
country lias by this time begun to realize
what the insectivorous birds mean to the
farm and agriculturist generally. A fed-
eral law should be enacted to enforce
what is indicated in this matter, and be
so framed that, when passed, it would be
in the highest degree effective. — III. A itdo-
bon Soc. Bull, 1918.
A PLAN TO CONSERVE WYOMING
ELK.
After a very careful investigation of
the problems presented by the herds of
elk on the National Forests adjacent to
(he Yellowstone National Park, Henry S.
Graves, chief forester, and E. W. Nel-
son, chief of the Bureau of Biological
Survey, have suggested a plan, based on
sound biological principles, for conserving
Ibis valuable game animal. They pro-
pose the maintenance of the present herds,
estimated to number from 40,000 to
45,000, and the use of the annual increase
for legitimate hunting and distribution to
build up other herds. The maintenance
of these herds is to be accomplished by
the acquisition by purchase or exchange
of private land to provide needed addi-
tional winter forage, and the setting aside
of adjoining areas as game refuges, the
progressive extinguishment of sheep graz-
ing privileges to prevent any possible con-
flict between wild life and domestic stock,
the enlargement of the present govern-
ment ranch in Jackson Valley to provide
forage during severe seasons, a vigorous
campaign against predatory animals that
destroy elk, and state legislation requir-
ing hunters to report the number and
kind of animals killed and to preserve
and make economic use of the meat. In
addition, it is pointed out that a special
study of the migratory drift and winter
and summer habits of the elk to supply
certain facts now in doubt should be
instituted.
FUR FARMING IN ALASKA.
The United States Bureau of Fisheries
in a recent bulletin (Document S47)
gives interesting information regarding
fur farming in Alaska. Reports are
given on the success attained by no less
than 25 different breeders. Fur farming
in Alaska is concerned almosj wholly
with the lir ling and rearing of foxes.
Iml some attention lias been given to
minks and martens, and there are rec-
ords of martens having been born and
reared in captivity in the territory. Al-
though skunks and raccoons have been
introduced into Southeastern Alaska,
nothing is known as to the success at-
tained.
The history of fur farming in south-
eastern Alaska is with but few exceptions
a history of failures rather than suc-
cesses. Three good reasons for the fail-
ures can be advanced : one, neglect due
to irresponsible men left in charge ; two,
discouragement following failure of the
industry to prove a "get-rich-quick" propo-
sition ; three, lack of experience and
knowledge in handling fur animals.
Nevertheless, the opportunities for the fur
farmer in Alaska are almost unlimited.
HOW DO BIRDS FIND THEIR WAY?
A lecturer at the California Academy
of Sciences on January 15 discoursed on
"How Migrating Birds Find Their Way."
This lecturer upset all my previous no-
tions that instinct had anything to do in
guiding birds on long journeys, and gave
numerous instances to prove that birds
followed previously observed currents of
air and water in their flight, or rose and
depended upon sighting distant landmarks
through their well-known powerful vision.
As a lover of birds and a former
breeder of homing pigeons (usually called
carrier pigeons) my observation leads me
to believe that the orienting instinct of
birds is innate, on the same principle that,
biologically, plant and animal life is gov-
erned by the influences of light and heat.
I cite a case in our late war of bird travel
under difficulties. A Lake County man
began to raise homers (carriers) for the
United States Army in France. Anxious
to try out his stock he sent a male fledg-
ling to my home at 1125 Bush street, San
Francisco, in a little collar box with a
few holes perforated in the cardboard.
Wheat lay on the bottom of the box, but
the bird was cramped and did not eat it
on the rough stage trip from the moun-
tains. When it arrived, it had nothing
in its crop and it should have been nur-
tured, but next day it was taken from
the dark box, a quill fastened to its leg
$4
CALIPORNl \ PISB \NI> CAME.
with date, hour, :i ml minute, and released.
1 1 barely made the fire wall of the five-
story apartment house nexl door, and sal
Btretchiag one leg and wing, (hen the
other, preened its feathers, lifted its head
to one side, then the other, rose, circled a
few times and darted north. Being of
good homing stock, I thought we should
hear from it next day, but three weeks
passed, then came word that the bird
had got home, worn, bedraggled, with a
.22 bullet wound through its breast and
wing, over which the blood and feathers
had matted or had been stuffed in the
wounds by the bill of the bird. The
wounds were weeks old.
Now, how did the bird exist, and how
did it find its way — a young bird, its first
Bight after a seventy-five mile trip in a
dark box, from which it never gleaned
sight of a landmark to guide it home to
the Switzerland of America if not by
some inherenl trail? Can California
Pish and Game readers elucidate? —
John Oliver Titlow.
A SUGGESTION FOR CALIFORNIA
CONSERVATIONISTS.
It may be of interest to those concerned
with the conservation of wild life in Cali-
fornia to note that the state of New York
number of game and fur-bearing animals
ing of additional information as to the
number of game- and fur-bearing animals
killed in that state. The American Field
for December 28, 1918, page 593, stales
thai :
"Beginning January 1 all applicants for
hunting and trapping licenses in New
York State will be required to make a
statement of the game and fur-bearing
animals which they took under their li-
cense for the previous year if they had
one.
This information will be tabulated on
the stubs of the licenses, which are re-
tained by the town and village clerks and
will give to the Conservation Commission
accurate information of the greatest value
regarding the food and game resources
of the state.
Statements of their IDIS catch, which
sportsmen make when securing their T.»l!i
licenses, will necessarily be from memory.
but to assist them in keeping track of
what they take during 1919 a neat little
tally card will be supplied when the li-
censes are taken out, upon which the
sportsmen can keep a record during the
year.
Both license and tally card will be
handed to the applicant in a stout manila
envelope, in which lie may carry them
in the field and keep them clean through
out i he \ ear."
It is believed that this suggestion will
appeal strongly to Californians. As the
tendency toward reduction in the numbers
of game and fur-bearing mammals be-
comes more noticeable, it is fortunate that
public opinion is insisting more and more
upon scientific administration of the fish
and game resources of the state. It is
evident that a common sense program of
this sort is dependent upon adequate
information, and it seems that the method
suggested is one which gives promise of
valuable results. The writer has been
advised by Dr. T. S. Palmer that the
method has been given a partial trial by
one or two of the provinces of Canada and
a similar number of states. The chief
difficulty in regard to it is in connection
with enforcement. Changes in residence
and failure to appreciate the necessity
for definiteness in Uie record are among
the complicating factors. It is believed,
however, that the adoption of a measure
of this sort would be a long step in the
right direction. In California this would
be particularly true with reference to the
fur-bearing mammals, concerning the num-
bers of which taken during any one season
adequate information is not available. —
WALTER P. Taylor. Biological Survey,
Washington. D. O.
THE GAME BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA.
The Game Birds of California (Con-
tribution from the University of Califor-
nia Museum of Vertebrate Zoology) by
Joseph Grinnell. Harold Child Bryant,
and Tracy Irwin Storer: University of
California Press, Berkeley, 1918. Large
8vo., pp. x -G42, 16 colored pis., 94 figs,
in text. Cloth. $(i.<X) net.
The volume of the above title is the
comprehensive book on the game birds
of California that sportsmen, nature lov-
ers, and serious students of bird-life have
long needed. The book aims to supply
the naturalist with complete information
to date regarding the life histories of
California birds, to give the hunter use-
ful facts concerning the birds he wishes
to shoot, to furnish the legislator with
helpful suggestions relevant to the prepa-
ration of game laws, and to give the
conservationist information which will aid
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
85
him in his efforts to perpetuate bird life.
The authors took into account all four
of these classes of readers and selected and
arranged their material accordingly.
Every one of the 108 native game birds
of the state is described in detail, these
including the ducks, geese, swans, ibises,
cranes, rails, snipe, sandpipers, curlew,
plover, quail, grouse, pigeons and doves.
The localities in which each is found, and
the times of the year when it is found,
are designated and its life history and
habits are accurately described.
The extensive collections and field notes
in the California Museum of Vertebrate
Zoology, supplemented by previously pub-
lished knowledge from the experience of
ornithologists throughout the West, have
formed the basis for the volume. To this
groundwork has been added material ob-
tained from interviews with numerous
reliable sportsmen and directly from the
fresh field experiences of the authors
themselves. The whole is worked into
what constitutes a practically complete
summary of our knowledge of each of the
species down to date. The authors do not
claim that the book contains everything
that ought to be known about each of
the game birds of California ; far from
it, for more extended observations are cer-
tain to provide multitudes of new facts.
This book should act as a stimulus for
future observers, leading them to add to
what is now made common knowledge
regarding our game birds.
The joint authorship of the book is the
working out of the principle that the
highest plane of scientific output is likely
to be reached only through co-operative
effort. When one author works alone,
mistakes are made unawares ; but when
two, or better three, are at work, one.
is able to check another's work to advan-
tage, and an increased measure of accu-
racy is the result.
An underlying incentive for the publica-
tion of the present work was found in the
decrease of many valuable species of game
birds and the apparent apathy of the
public wilh reference to instituting proper
measures to conserve them. The book
adequately (reals of the means to be taken
to conserve same and makes practical
recommendations suited in each species.
Introductory chapters are devoted id
genera] subjects, as follows: Decrease of
Game and its Causes; Natural Enemies
of Game Birds ; The Gun Club in Cali-
fornia ; History of Attempts to Introduce
Non-native Game Birds ; The Propaga-
tion of Game Birds ; Legislation Relat-
ing to Game Birds in California. The
sportsman and nature lover will find
much of immediate utility in these gen-
eral chapters.
The technical matter useful to the
special student of birds is found con-
densed in small type at the head of each
discussion. This makes reference to the
finer characters of each species easy,
and at the same time segregates this for-
mal matter from the more readable text
following.
The plan of treatment of each bird
follows a regular sequence : Technical
portion (in small type) : Accepted com-
mon and scientific names ; other names ;
description : adult male, adult female,
juvenile, downy young ; marks for field
identification; voice; nest; eggs; general
distribution ; distribution in California.
Text (in large type) : General and local
distribution ; migration ; field marks ; life
history : nest, eggs, young ; habits and
behavior; food; economic value; present
and probable future status.
"The Game Birds of California" is well
illustrated with line drawings and col-
ored plates. Thirteen of the sixteen
colored plates were made by the well-
known artist, Louis Agassiz Fuertes, and
the other three by Major Allan Brooks,
now of the Canadian army. In all,
twenty-one different game birds are fig-
ured in color. The 94 line drawings serve
largely to illustrate characters of plum-
age, bill, or feet, such as are especially
helpful in identifying the different kinds
of game birds.
As a sample of what may be expected
in the treatment of each species, atten-
tion may be called to the chapter on the
Valley Quail. Twenty-three pages are
utilized in describing the bird, its nest,
I'^s, distribution, field marks, habits and
behavior. Here will be found interesting
evidence to show (hat (he male birds act
as sentinels. A compilation of data on
time of nesting and size of clutch occu-
pies over four pages. It is demonstrated
dial (lie valley quail lays more eggs than
any other game bird, and under normal
conditions suffers corresponding mortality.
86
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
Means of controlling tins mortality are
suggested. A discussion of the agricul-
tural bearing, early bunting for the mar-
ket, and present and probable status of
this upland game bird concludes the
chapter.
All through the book especial atten-
tion is given to those distinctive charac-
ters of a bird that help to make it recog-
nizable from other species when alive,
at a distance. A useful field manual is
thereby provided. A dependable key to
the various species makes possible the
identification of any specimen in hand.
The index contains all the common as
well as the scientific names, thus making-
it easy to locate any bird, provided some
name is known, even though this name
be a very local, popular one.
Every school and library in the west-
ern stad's should contain a copy of this
work for reference use, for more and
more is the natural history of bird life
assuming importance as a subject of gen-
eral popular culture. Individuals inter-
ested in the fascinating field treated in
this work should waste no time in secur-
ing copies.
PASSENGER PIGEONS REPORTED IN
EASTERN STATES.
Apparently tin1 death on September 1,
L914, of Martha, a twenty-nine year old
passenger pigeon kept in captivity in the
Cincinnati Zoological Gardens, marked the
extinction of the passenger pigeon. At
least for several seasons thereafter,
a prize offered for the discovery of a pas-
senger pigeon's inhabited nesi failed to
disclose any pigeons.
During 1918, however, several persons
reported seeing passenger pigeons. Bay-
men and oy.stermen of Great South Bay
insist thai a few pigeons still migrate
along the southern shore of Long Island.
New York.
According to a letter published in Set
i m e, Messrs. Rasmussen, Wilson and
Sanders, id' Amsterdam. New York, en-
countered a Hock of passenger pigeons i a
October 1. I'.HS, while on a bird Studj
trip in the vicinity of West < lalway and
Charlton, New York. One of the birds
lighted within a few feet of I he parly, and
.Mr. Rasmussen, who has Keen studying
birds for li."p years, declares that there is
no possible doubt of 1 he ii I < • 1 1 1 ilica I ion.
The latest report is from John M.
Crampton, 61 years of age, and Superin-
tendent of the i Jonnecl icul State Board of
Fisheries and Game. He describes having
seen three passenger pigeons in the middle
of May, 1918, while fishing at Graniss
Pond, Southington, Connecticut. lb
maintains that he had no difficulty in
identifying them, for he has been ac-
quainted with the appearance and habits
of the passenger pigeon since early boy-
hood, having been L3 years old when he
first shot passenger pigeons, and having
hail a trained passenger pigeon for a pet
lor a long time. On June 2, 1918, a
.Mr. VVooster, who was told of the find.
saw three birds, and on June '•». a .Mr.
Parker saw- two birds in the same
vicinity.
ENGLISH GAME BIRDS VINDICATED.
Recent invest igat ions of the food of the
English pheasant, the red grouse and the
partridge of England show that these
splendid game birds do not appreciably
damage growing crops.* The stomach ex-
amination of 183 stomachs of pheasants
show that their food1 consists largely of
injurious insects and weeds. This con-
clusion is of particular interest when it is
known that the Board of Agriculture and
Eisheries on February 8, 1917, authorized
the War Agricultural Executive Commit-
tee of each county to reduce the stock of
pheasants on any land "where there is a
risk of substantial injury therefrom to
crops." The only possible harm occa-
sioned by the pheasant for which there
seems to be any reliable evidence is that
of tramping down corn, and this is not of
frequent occurrence, but happens only
where birds are unusually abundant.
The food of the young red grouse is
made up largelj of insects, while that of
the adult is largely browse secured from
heather and twenty or thirty other plants.
So far as agriculture is concerned, the
partridge is a harmless bird. The percent-
age of cereals consumed is small and re-
st rioted to a very short season of the year.
This is secured largely in stubblefields.
In conclusion, il is pointed oul that blame
for crop destruction should be fixed upon
. W. l\.. (>n the f I ami feeding
habits of British game birds. Reprint from
Jour. I. ami Agents See.. Tune, 1917, pp. !
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
87
the right species and that the wood pigeon,
rook, certain species of gull and the star-
ling have been proved guilty. If birds of
the above character are destroyed whole-
sale the farmer is being robbed of a spe-
cies that are beneficial, and the real
culprits as well as the injurious insects
eaten by the game birds, are left to con-
tinue their work of destruction of the
country's food supply.
THE GROUND SQUIRRELS OF CALI-
FORNIA.
Anyone interested in the life history or
the control of the ground squirrel should
obtain a copy of the November-December
number of the Monthly Bulletin of the
State Horticultural Commission which is
available free of charge. This bulletin
contains thoroughly up-to-date and un-
questionably authoritative information on
the ground squirrels of California and
their control, compiled by leading state
and federal investigators. In the leading-
article each of the 18 different varieties
of ground squirrels known to inhabit the
state are treated, and nine of these are
figured in color. It is pointed out that
only four of these varieties are of special
economic importance.
THE FOOD OF MALLARD DUCKS.
A recent bulletin (No. 720) of the
United States Department of Agriculture
treats of the food habits of the mallard
ducks of the United States. Mr. W. L.
McAtee, the author, devotes eight pages
to an enumeration of the different kinds
of food taken by the mallard, the informa-
tion being based on the examination of
1725 gizzards. The enormous quantities
of seeds taken by the mallard duck is
evidenced by two stomachs. One con-
tained about 28,160 seeds of a bulrush,
8700 of a sedge, 35,840 of primrose wil-
low, and 2560 duck weeds, a total of more
than 75,200. Another stomach contained
no fewer than 102,400 seeds of primrose
willow besides a number of other items
in smaller numbers. "The seeds in this
stomach if sowed ouc in a place and a foot
apart each way would suffice for two and
one-half acres of ground."
About one-tenth of the food of the
mallard is derived from the animal king-
dom and nine-tenths from (be vegetable.
A large proportion of (be vegetable food
is made up of the seeds of sedges with
those of grasses ranking next in import-
ance. About 2.34 per cent of the food of
the birds examined was made up of acorns.
The animal food consists of mollusks, in-
sects, fishes and crustaceans in order of
importance.
Such a detailed report of the food of
one of our best game birds is not only
valuable in proving the economic status of
the bird itself, but should be of help in
providing attractive food for wild birds
and suitable food for mallards on the
game farm.
WILD BIRDS AND LEGISLATION.
Apparently other countries than the
United States have suffered from the re-
sult of hasty and ill-considered legislation
relative to wild birds. In a recent paper
by Doctor Collinge, the foremost economic
ornithologist of Great Britain, he points
out some of the more important statutes
passed by Parliament and their ultimate
effects upon wild bird life.* The dominant
idea throughout early acts of Parliament
seems to have been that birds must be re-
served and preserved for the king and his
retinue, or such favored individuals to
whom he pleased to grant licenses.
Practically all of the acts are character-
ized by selfishness and an utter disregard
of the interests of agriculture or horti-
culture. Among the curious acts are one
making it a felony, punishable by death,
for a person to wrongfully take the eggs
of any "falcon, goshawk, or laner, or the
birds of any falcon, goshawk, or laner or
laneret," and one providing that "any
person who shall take or attempt to take
any wild bird by means of a hook or other
similar instrument shall be guilty of an
offense."
In the summary Dr. Collinge states that
a dispassionate and unprejudiced consid-
eration of the facts leads to the following
conclusions :
1. That in the past the question of wild
bird protection and destruction has never
received really serious consideration. The
objects sought in most of the acts of
Parliament upon the subject have been
largely of a selfish nature and not for the
good of l he count i'v.
Wild Birds and Legislation, by Walter K.
Collinge. Imir. Land Agents See.. 1917, pp.
278-285.
88
CALIFORNIA KIM! VND CAME.
l'. Thai the majority of these acts have
been ill-considered and often hastily pre-
pared; many of them have been repealed
and others frequently amended or
modified.
."!. That no attempt has been made by
those who advocate the protection of wild
birds, to understand the problem pre-
sented by wild bird life. Blindly, and
often strongly prejudiced, they advocate
protection for all birds, and protection
only.
4. That such an attitude is calling forth
a deep resentment from those who have
to live by the products of the soil, many
of whom having waited in vain for repres-
sive measures, have now taken to destroy-
ing wholesale all bird life.
5. That tin irresponsible advocacy of
uniform protection is indirectly contribut-
ing mor< than anything efe< to tin wanton
destruction of many of our most useful
birds. "Some of the very greatest friends
that our nation has are being destroyed
without mercy * * * a defensive force
upon which most of our prosperity de-
pends."
G. That the immediate need of the pres-
ent is for a wide and comprehensive act
that will give protection to all non-injur-
ous or beneficial birds, and provide
adequate repressive measures for those
species which have become too numerous
and destructive.
The same condition seems to exist al-
most everywhere. Realization of the
chaotic condition of the game laws due to
hasty, ill-considered and constantly chang-
ing legislation is not lacking, but the
initiative to clean things up and to base
game legislation on scientific fact rather
than on selfish motive rarely exists.
H. C. Bryant.
FLY LARVAE SUCK BLOOD OF NEST-
LING BIRDS.
A recent publication of the 0*niversit3
of California points out that the nestlings
of many of our common song-birds are
Infested with the larvae of a il.\ which
Micks the blood.* 'The fly which is respon
sible is very much like the common house-
By, bul is of a metallic blue color. This
il\ lays its eggs in a newly-occupied nest.
and soon the larvae which hatch from the
P itli, l). !•;.. A muscid larva uf the San
Francisco Bay region which sucks the blood of
nestling birds. Univ. of Calif. Publ. Zool., 19,
191-200.
ittacb themselves to the young birds.
Deserted nests usually contain the pupae.
Among the common birds whose nests and
nestlings were found infested were: the
Nuttall sparrow. California purple (inch.
California linnet, green-backed goldfinch,
willow goldfinch, and the California brown
towhee. The author of the paper con-
cludes that from 5 to 10 per cent of the
parasitized nestlings die from loss of
blood.
This discovery doubtless helps to ex-
plain the mortality among nestling birds
so often noted in the bay region.
IMPORTATION OF QUAIL
MEXICO.
FROM
The joint regulations governing the im-
portation of quail from Mexico, issued by
the Treasury Department and the Depart-
ment of Agriculture under date of Novem-
ber 13, 1916, were in full force and effect
the past season, the entry of quail beinu
permitted from February 15 to April 10,
inclusive, and on March 8, 1918, Laredo,
Texas, was designated as a port of entry
in addition to Eagle Pass, Texas, and
New York City. Co-operation was con-
tinued with the Bureau of Animal In-
dustry in having a thorough inspection of
the birds made during the ten days'
quarantine.
The first permit was issued February
20, 1918, and the last, April 4. The nun;
ber of quail for which permits were issued
was 10,500, and the number released from
quarantine only 5,205, as compared with
permits issued for 4-_V.i73, and the release
of 32,814 in 1917.
The notably large decrease in the num-
ber of quail actually imported during the
past year is accounted for by the scarcity
of birds in northern Mexico due to
drought, and the refusal of large ranch
owners to permit the trapping of quail on
property owned and controlled by them.
Also it is evident that state game officials
were reluctant the past year to purchase
Mexican quail for propagation because of
the severe losses of birds imported during
the season of 1917.
Of the 5,205 birds actually released
from quarantine only L6 were found de-id
during the ten days quarantine period, and
no case of quail disease was discovered.
So far as reports received by the depart
in. nt indicate, there were few losses of
birds in shipping. The change of dates
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
89
for the importation of Mexican quail —
beginning at a later period, February L5,
instead of in the fall, as in 1916 has
proved benelicial by preventing the birds
from reaching the northern states during
severe winter weather. — Report of Chief
of Bureau of Biological Survey, 1918,
p. 17.
FEDERAL MIGRATORY BIRD LAW.
Owing to the prevention of spring
shooting during the last few years, under
the federal migratory bird law, a great
increase in migratory wild fowl has been
reported practically throughout the entire
United States. The reports state that
more birds were killed during the fall of
1917 than in any similar season for many
years. With the need of increasing food
resources, this increase in game birds, as
a result of a federal conservation law,
was a practical and opportune return.
Continued protection of our wild fowl
during the spring will unquestionably con-
tinue to increase the returns in food and
sport from this source each year.
For administrative purposes under the
migratory bird law the United States is
divided into 13 districts, under the super-
vision of 12 inspectors, who, with the as-
sistance of 182 federal wardens, enforce
the regulations, in the various states.
During the year the commissions of 47
federal wardens were terminated and
49 new wardens were appointed.
The inspectors and federal wardens re-
ported 313 violations of the regulations,
which with those of previous years make
a total of 1,132 cases on file. All but 29 of
these cases, which have been disposed of
in court, have been withheld pending the
decision of the United States Supreme
Court in the case of the United States v.
shauver, involving the constitutionality of
the law. Defects in the law, particularly
in that it did not make the possession of
birds during the closed season unlawful,
and did not confer on inspectors and
wardens the power of arrest and search,
made it possible for many violators to es-
cape. A further difficulty in enforcement
was encountered in the limited number of
inspectors, each with an unduly large dis-
trict. Reports, however, show that
violations were more sporadic and fewer
birds were killed unlawfully than in pre-
vious years.
Voluminous information has been re-
ceiver! from state game commissions and
others showing that there is an ever-
increasing number of waterfowl and
shorebirds in tnosl of the states; further-
more, that wild fowl have become un-
usually tame in spring because they are
not molested at that season ; and that
many thousands are breeding in localities
where they had not nested for many years.
The consensus of opinion attributes
these greatly improved conditions to the
general observance of the federal prohibi-
tion against spring shooting which has
been brought about through the good will
of sportsmen and by the increased activi-
ties of this bureau, with closer co-operation
of state game authorities.
The friendly attitude of the state game
commissions toward the federal migratory
bird law has been shown in many ways,
particularly in their initiative whereby
the state and federal regulations have been
brought into harmony. Twenty-three
states now have laws making the open
seasons on migratory wild fowl similar to
those under the federal regulations.
Amendments of the regulations were pro-
mulgated October 15, 1917, which assisted
in unifying federal and state game laws,
thus simplifying their administration.
A bill to give effect to the treaty
between the United States and Great
Britain for the protection of birds which
migrate between this country and Canada
passed the Senate July 30, 1917. The
Senate bill, with amendments, passed the
House June 6, 191S, and was then re-
ferred to a conference committee. The
conference report was adopted by the
House June 28, and by the Senate June
29, and the bill was signed by the Presi-
dent and became effective July 3, 1918.
Nation-wide interest was manifested in
the passage of this legislation, which was
secured through the united efforts of
state game commissions, sportsmen, farm-
ers, and others interested in the conserva-
tion of wild life. The new law contains
many excellent provisions necessary for
its effective enforcement, and it will be
possible to obtain much more satisfactory
results under it than have been possible
under the original migratory bird law.
Canada has already passed an enabling
act and promulgated regulations for en-
forcing the terms of the treaty. — Report
of Chief of Bureau of Biological Survey,
191S, pp. 17-19.
90
CALIPOENl \ PISH LND GAME.
LONG RUN OF A TAGGED SALMON.
The United States Bureau of Fisheries
has received From John P. Babcock, of
the Fisheries Department of British Col-
umbia, record of the capture in the upper
Fraser River of a sockeyc salmon bearing
on its tail a button that had been inserted
in marking experiments carried on by the
bureau on Puget Sound.
The fish, dip-netted by an Indian at
Soda Creek Canyon, British Columbia, on
A i must 1G, 1918, had been taken at Vil-
lage Point, Lumni Island, Washington,
on July 19, 1918. Soda Creek is approx-
imately 400 miles from the mouth of the
Fraser River, and Village Point is about
70 miles from the same place. Therefore,
assuming that the fish moved by the most
direct route, the average rate of travel
was nearly 17 miles a day.
NIGHT HERONS GAME IN LOUISIANA.
California \\;is for some time noted .-is
the only slat.- in the Union which per
mitted the bunting <>l' ibis. Louisiana
now holds the distinction of being the
only state where the night heron is con-
sidered a game bird. According to the
19H.-1N lih-nnial Report of the Depart-
ment of Conservation of Louisiana, the
night heron is often utilized as food
and the law provides for an open season
from November 1 to February 15 with a
bag limit of 1~> birds. Both the black-
crowned night heron and the yellow-
crowned are found in the state, and both
are popularly known as "Gros-becs." The
young while in immature plumage arc
particularly sought after by hunters and
that is why when served sautes a Voignon
it is considered a dish "fit for the gods."
**************************************
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J mer?
*
CALIFORNIA TROUT.
What kind of a trout did I catch last sum
*
An answer to this and like questions will be J
* found in the July number of CALIFORNIA *
* FISH AND GAME which will be a TROUT *
* *
J NUMBER. The colored plates will make I
* i
£ identification of trout easy. Watch for the *
* TROUT NUMBER. i
CALIFORNIA PISH A.\TD GAME. 91
FACTS OF CURRENT INTEREST.
The first case made under the Federal Migratory Bird' Treaty Act
resulted in the conviction of four violators and a sentence of $100.00
fine or 60 days imprisonment.
trf?* s^* t&*
The work of the deputies in the duck country has been greatly sim-
plified the past year. Fear of the federal law has resulted in few
violations.
5^* t^* t^*
Whistling swans were abundant in western Stanislaus and Merced
counties during the latter part of the open season, but left about the
first of February. Several parties who could not forego the excite-
ment of taking a shot at these beautiful birds were apprehended by
deputies, and severely fined.
?<?* t&* ^*
The Sacramento Orphanage and Farm, the Sacramento County Hos-
pital, and the Registrar of Charities, have recently been the recipients
of 631 ducks confiscated by deputies during the open season on water-
fowl.
((?• ^* t<?*
The attempt of market hunters to make shipments of ducks to
parties in San Francisco whom the shippers did not know was frus-
trated by deputies of the commission. The old stunt of shipping
under fictitious names is not so easily worked as it once was.
•^* &p* ^*
Ring-necked pheasants have become so numerous in Inyo County
that residents are demanding an open season.
^* t^* ^*
Large catches of herring have been made this spring and this fish
has been selling as low as four cents a pound, retail. Even at this
price the demand is not sufficient to prevent tons of herring going to
the fertilizer works.
(^* (^* <>£&
The new hatchery on Fall Creek, a tributary of the Klamath River,
has been turned over to the Fish and Game Commission by the Cali-
fornia-Oregon Power Company and it is now in full operation.
(^* c^* (<?*
J. C. Bruce of Wawona, who was recently appointed state mountain
lion hunter, killed three of the animals on his first day's hunt in
Tuolumne County. Mr. Bruce made his record near South Fork
Camp and was assisted by his trained varmint dogs. He will remain
in Tuolumne County a month and then go to Shasta County to con-
tinue the work.
(^* t^* (*?*
The salmon catch in 1918 was unusually large, exceeding 12,800,000
pounds.
:'L>
C M.II'oKNI A PISH \NI> Q \Mi:.
HATCHERY NOTES.
W. H. SHEBLEY, Editor.
Mount Shasta Hatchery.
Approximately ten million quinnat sal-
mon eggs have been shipped to the Mount
Shasta Hatchery from the United States
Bureau of Fisheries station on the Sacra-
mento River tributaries and from the
Klamath River Station, which was oper-
ated this year by the California Fish and
Game Commission. The eggs have all
I ii hatched out and the fry will be dis-
tributed in the upper reaches of the Sac-
ramento and Klamath rivers as soon as
they are of suitable size. A considerable
number will be held in the three large
salmon-rearing ponds at the hatchery over
the summer months, and released after
the first fall rains.
Loch Leven and eastern brook trout egg
collecting operations at the Mount Shasta
Hatchery were very successful this sea-
son. There are 1,300,000 eastern brook
and .1,000,000 Loch Leven eggs and fry
on hand at the station at this date.
The rainbow egg-collecting season is a
lil tie late this year, there being only
(■>'.),< (00 eggs of this species on hand at the
hatchery on March 1.
Mount Whitney Hatchery.
A supply of eastern brook and Loch
Leven trout eggs have been shipped from
the Mount Shasta Hatchery to the Mount
Whitney Hatchery and the fry resulting
will be reared and distributed, together
with the other species of trout fry handled
at this hatchery this season, in the waters
of southern California, Tulare and Kern
counties.
Work on the improvement of the
grounds at the Mount Whitney Hatchery
is progressing nicely, much of the pre-
liminary grading and filling-in work hav-
ing been completed.
Mount Tallac Hatchery.
Arrangements are being made to open
(he Mount Tallac Hatchery about the
middle of March, and an effort will be
made to take the usual number of black-
spotted trout eggs this season.
Fort Seward Hatchery.
Quinnat salmon eggs to the number of
1.000,000 have been shipped to the Fort
Seward Hatchery, and the fry are being
reared for distribution in the Eel River
and tributaries, Mad River, and tribu-
taries of Humboldt Bay. The usual
number of steelhead troul eggs will be
shipped in Fori Seward Hatchery this
season for distribution in streams of the
north coast counties.
Almanor Hatchery.
Egg colled ing operations at the Almanor
Hatchery were commenced the middle of
February. The run of rainbow trout in
that section is late this season, and to
date no eggs have been taken.
Domingo Springs Hatchery.
This hatchery will be opened up the
middle of March and it is expected that
the usual take of rainbow trout eggs will
be obtained from this station.
Snow Mountain Hatchery.
On February 1 a crew was sent to
open up the Snow Mountain Egg-collect-
ing Station and Ukiah Hatchery. Prac-
tically all the eggs taken this season at
Snow Mountain will be transported by
auto truck to Ukiah and "eyed" at that
station, as there are better facilities for
handling the work at the latter place.
Bear Lake Hatchery.
Arrangements are being made to open
up the Bear Lake Hatchery during the
fore part of March, and the crew is all
ready to proceed as soon as it is possible
to get into Big Bear Valley.
Brookdale Hatchery.
Egg-collecting operations were com-
menced ai the Scott Creek Station during
the fore part of February, and while the
run is a little late, as in other sections
of the state, nearly a half million steel-
head trout eggs have been taken to date.
They are being immediately transported
to the Brookdale Hatchery, where they
are being "eyed." The usual number of
trout fry will be hatched at Brookdale
Hatchery for distribution in the streams
of Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties.
An additional supply of trout fry will be
retained at the Brookdale Hatchery and
held in the rearing ponds for distribution
during the late summer months in the
streams of San Mateo and Marin counties.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
93
Fall Creek Hatchery.
Fall Creek Hatchery, which was con-
structed by the California-Oregon Power
Company, and turned over to the Cali-
fornia Fish and Game Commission in lieu
of the construction of a fish ladder over the
Copco Dam, is in active operation at the
present time.
Egg-collecting operations at the auxili-
ary stations located on Bogus Creek and
('amp Creek were commenced during the
middle of February, and to date a total
of GOO, 000 eggs have been taken.
A little over a million quinnat salmon
eggs were shipped to the Fall Creek
Hatchery from the Mount Shasta Hatch-
ery, and the fry resulting from this ship-
ment will be reared and planted in the
Klamath River as soon as they have
reached the proper age.
Yosemite Experimental Hatchery.
Troughs and hslieultural parapher-
nalia have been constructed for the Yo-
semite Experimental Hatchery and plans
made to operate early this spring to de-
termine the suitability of the water for
hatchery purposes on a large scale in the
Yosemite Valley.
Fish Distribution.
In preparation for the season's fish dis-
tribution work, Fish Distribution Car No.
01 has been placed in the car shops at
Sacramento for extensive repairs. Ar-
rangements are being made for a very
early distribution of trout fry this season.
COMMERCIAL FISHERY NOTES.
N. B. SCOFIELD, Editor.
Biological Stations Want Protection.
Much of our dependable information
regarding marine life comes as the re-
sult of carefully planned experiments at
the various biological stations along the
coast. Oftentimes marine plants or ani-
mals are taken from their native habitat
and planted near the station where they
can be watched and studied. Valuable
experiments which have been started have
sometimes been made worthless because
of the removal of specimens by thought-
less people. To avoid recurrences of this
kind the various stations are asking for
a law prohibiting the catching or remov-
ing of marine plants or animals within
one mile of any marine biological station.
In view of the facts as stated above such
a law seems reasonable.
*
~w'::**
mJSM ■ MM
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KJ BV ^^
*JPJBBPBP ^KwSBBBjPJ W Jmk ■ <H
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Fig. 35. Unloading sardines at Monterey, California. Photograph by Carriel.
94
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
Proposed Change of Shrimp Law Would
Menace Fish Life.
Attempts are again being made to mod-
ify the present shrimp law to allow shrimp
fishing in the northern part of San Fran-
cisco Bay. Shrimp fishing is now limited
to the south hay in order to prevent the
destruction of valuable food fish. In
order that the Fish and Game Commission
might be in possession of facts to oppose
the change several hauls of a shrimp net
have been made near McNear's Point.
Many young striped bass and other young
fishes were taken in the hauls and these
will be preserved in the form of evidence.
Launch "Albacore" Attempts to Aid
Fishermen.
Canneries al San Diego, although well
supplied with large sardines, have been
short of small-sized ones, which are in
great demand. The Fish and Game Com-
mission launch "Albacore" recently spent
some time attempting to locate schools of
small sardines. The launch had little
better success than the regular fishing
boats. Where the small fish are located
is still a mystery.
New Cannery Established at Ensenada.
The Mexican Industrial Development
Company is building a new cannery al
Ensenada, Mexico. This company plans
to can albacore, crawfish, turtle, and
tuna. They will also ship fresh fish to
San I»iego.
Japanese Trawler in Nets of Law.
One of the first arrests for dragging
trawl nets within the three-mile limit that
has been made since the food administra-
tion's rulings lapsed at the first of the
year was recently made in southern Cali-
fornia by Deputy II. B. Nidever. Al-
though the Japanese crew aboard the fish-
ing boat "California" of San Pedro cul
away their net on finding that they were
pursued, they were, nevertheless, rounded
up. After a three and a half hour search
the specially-designed salvaging gear of
the launch recovered the abandoned trawl
net. Evidence of the destructive feature
of the trawl net was apparent in the large
number of fish of many different varieties
found in the net. It is because of the
large hauls possible with such a net that
its use is prohibited in shallow waters.
NOTES FROM THE LONG BEACH LABORATORY.
By WILL F. THOMPSON and ELMER HIGGINS.
Among the rare fish which have come
into the laboratory and have not been
recorded in "Caliioi;\i a Fish and
Game," is a specimen of what we may
term "square-tail" for lack of a common
name. It is scientifically known as Tetra-
gonuru8 at fieri Kisso. The individual is
mounted, fourteen and a half inches long,
and somewhat badly preserved because of
frequent handling. The exact locality
can not be discovered, the fisherman who
owns the tish having forgotten it. but it
was near Catalina. This is the first
record of the species in the North Pacific.
It was taken I WO 3 ears ago or more.
It is characterized by two sharp ridges
on each side of the tail, which is deeply
forked. These ridges are formed by (Jie
hard, rough scales, and appear capable of
giving a severe injury. The scales over
tin" whole body are very hard, with line
striations on them, and .seem to be fas-
tened together in oblique rows running
across the body, so that one might lie able
to tear them off in strips. The mouth is
small, and the fins feeble in appearance,
while the teeth show plainly that the
species is not capable of attacking large
prey, fur they are small and comb-like
although numerous.
Although there are very early records
of its presence in the Mediterranean, yet
it is even there a very rare fish. It was
probably known as early as 1554, for
Rondelet, a writer of one of the verj
earliest natural histories, published a
crude figure, calling it Mugil niger, which
may well have been this species. Aldro-
vandi, a later writer, called it Corvus
niloticus. Willoughby^ in 1G86, also de-
scribed ii. I'.ui the first author giving a
description of what is without doubt this
fish was Uisso. in 1810. Since the time
of RlSSO, the fish lias been taken several
limes in the Mediterranean and near the
Madeira Islands. Other specimens have
been taken near Woods Hole, Massa-
chusetts, and one lias been taken in Aug-
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
95
tralia. The specimen here mentioned is
the first from our coast line, indeed the
first from the North Pacific. We have
also a number of specimens which are
very small, up to an inch and a half in
length, which we have taken in the small
meshed nets used by the boat "Albacore,"
and which are very probably this species.
If so, the species must be very abundant
instead of very rare, and its rarity must
be ascribed to the fact that the fishermen
do not take it with any of their gear.
It is said, by the European writers who
have chronicled its appearance, that it
is at times very poisonous. It is thought
to feed on jellyfish and such animals, and
to approach the coast in the fall in order
to spawn. When it is taken it is usually
very inactive and feeble in its movements,
probably because it is far from its own
native habitat, which is thought to be the
very deep sea. — W. F.T.
During the work of the "Albacore"
there have been taken several very odd
forms of fish. Notable among them is a
fish with stalked eyes. It seems to be the
same, species as one which has been taken
in the Indian Ocean, and which has been
called Stylophthalmus paradoxus. The
eye stalks are very long, being one and a
quarter times the length of the head. The
eyes are set on the end of these long
slender stalks, and give a very peculiar
appearance to the fish. One must be at a
loss to know the use to which such eyes
could be put. The fish itself is but two
and a half inches long and as transparent
as a jellyfish, with black dots along the
whole of its very slender and delicate
body.— W. F. T.
The fish known as the "King of the
Salmon" in textbooks dealing with fish,
a member of the genus Trachypterus, is
supposedly very rare. But in the explora-
tions of the "Albacore" numerous young-
have been taken. It would seem that it
is another of those fish which are not
taken by (he fishermen, and an instance
in which it. is obvious that (he common
belief thai a lish is rare because Hie fisher-
men do not take it, is wrong.
It is undoubtedly true that it is not
possible to obtain accurate samples of the
life in the ocean, either by commercial or
scientific fishing, when the adult fishes
are concerned. There are assuredly
species which are never taken by any
form of gear save when tbey are disabled
or when they accidentally leave their hab-
itats. It must be just as true that species
which are abundant at times are capable
of hiding themselves or avoiding the avail-
able apparatus used for fishing so com-
pletely as to give the impression that the
species has left the region. The acci-
dental discovery of such cases should
render us very cautious in our conclusions
regarding the relative abundance of a
species in a region, or the migrations
which they undertake. — W. F. T.
A species of sanddab hitherto supposed
to be confined to Mexican waters has been
taken by the "Albacore" in considerable
numbers a few miles south of Oceanside
and also by fishermen in the region of San
Diego. This species, Githarichthys scan-
thostigma, rather closely resembles the
sand dab of the San Francisco markets,
but is a wider, plumper fish, equal if not
superior in quality to its northern rela-
tive. It may prove very important com-
mercially.— E. H. ■
Another interesting specimen taken by
the "Albacore" in one of her scientific col-
lecting trips is that of a flying fish, new
to these waters. The specimen, of the
species Exonautes rondelctii, was taken
some 150 miles off San Diego ; and
although the species is of wide range in
tropical seas, it has heretofore been
recorded on this coast only from Acapulco,
Mexico, 1700 miles to the south.
Southern California is supposed to yield
but one species of flying fish — the one so
well known to the sportsmen-anglers of
Catalina Island ; and whether the new
fish is a permanent resident hitherto un-
distinguished from the common species,
which it closely resembles, or another
visitant from the south is still a doubtful
question. — E. H.
During February the "Albacore" landed
Mr. Horace Linton on San Nicholas, a
bleak and desolate island off the southern
California coast, for the purpose of mak-
ing some investigations on Hie abalone.
Mr. Linton is a man over sixty years old.
96
CALIFORNIA I'ISJI AND GAME.
Inn he intends to live on the island alone
for three months and carry on his obser-
vations. He expects to look for abalones
which he marked and "planted" there six
years ago and also to mark many more.
He believes that the supply can be in-
creased by intelligent thinning out and
transplanting, bul whether or not he suc-
ceeds in raising the supply to an extent
which will be of commercial value, hi.s
observations may throw some light on the
habits of this most desirable mollusk.
E. II.
The noting of unusual species in south-
ern California seems to have impressed
many people with the opinion that the
year 191S has been a very unusual year.
It is very probable that it is such a year.
but it. is here desired to call attention to
the fact that this is the first year during
which the Long Beach laboratory of the
Fish and (iame Commission has been
actively watching for unusual species, and
that aside from the observations which
have been contributed to "Caufobnia
Fish and Game" from it. there have
been verj few rare species noted, from
that vicinity. The popular saying in
southern California that "every year is an
unusual year in California" comes to
mind in this connection, and one must of
necessity be very cautious in concluding
thai last year was any more unusual than
the preceding years have been. \Y. F. T.
During the past four months the "Alba-
core" has had the opportunity to take
several trips for scientific purposes. On
November 26 and 27 one was made to
Catalina Island and return to haul for
young lish and eggs; November .">(> to
December 7. a trip was made to I'oint
< 'oncepcion and return to obtain Hat lish
by bottom trawling; December S to H>.
the trip to Catalina Island was repeated:
I 'ecember ]l to f4. the coasl from San
Pedro to San Diego was prospected for
flatfish; February .">. I and 5, a trip was
made to San Nicholas Island with -Mr.
Linton, to haul also foi young lish and
eggs over deep water; and February •",
and 7 were consumed iii a trip to Newport
to do bott trawling in the bay. The
ne\i trip for scientific purposes should
begin about the first of .March. These
trips have been very largely for the pur-
pose of exploration, and beginning with
the .March trip, it is hoped to take regular
trips over a definite route, in order to
follow the development and drift of the
pelagic young and the eggs, and to observe
carefully three chosen flatfish grounds.
The work in the laboratory has been
along lines followed for some time past.
The correlation between the tempera-
ture, or weather, and the catch of
albacore has been carefully analyzed for
the year 1915, and a very high degree
found. It will be remembered thai some
work has also been published for the year
L916 — for instance in the PACE [C
Fisherman for June, \'.)]S. and in a
previous number of "Califobnia Fish
AM) GAME." The data for 1917 is
now undergoing a similar analysis.
The work on the natural history of
the albacore is also steadily progressing
along other lines, but until the ob-
servations to be made this summer are
complete, il is nol likely that a final report
will be made. A preliminary report on
several subjects will probably be made
soon. In regard to the sardine it may be
mentioned that examinations have 1 a
made of the state of maturity at various
times, ami the progress observed to be the
same as was carefully followed hist year.
Our thanks are due the Zoology Depart-
ment of Stanford University for the privi-
lege of using the library and collection of
fishes belonging to that institution, and
more particularly to Dr. C. H. Gilbert for
his personal advice and assistance to Mr.
Iliggins during his recent visit there.
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
97
CONSERVATION IN OTHER STATES.
WARDENS DO DETECTIVE WORK IN
NEW YORK.
The New York Conservation Commis-
sion lias been detailing game protectors
upon secret service work in the Adiron-
dacks. They operate under concealed
identity, in the manner of detectives, in
every branch of police activity. The work
that they did and the results accomplished
are believed to be more extensive than iu
any similar task ever before undertaken
in the cause of game protection. The re-
ports turned in by these men gave the
Conservation Commission the necessary
knowledge and power, for the first time in
the history of game protection in New
York State, to deal adequately with the
condition of lawlessness iu the deer
forests.
ILLINOIS SPORTSMEN DISSATISFIED.
The Illinois Sportsman, the official or-
gan of the Illinois Sportmen's League,
continues to rap the migratory bird law
and accuse the Biological Survey of un-
fair treatment to the sportsmen of the
Middle West. According to a recent num-
ber of the paper the lack of ducks during
t he past open season is due to the work-
ing of the present federal law which does
not allow early spring shooting, but does
allow, according to this paper, the slaugh-
ter of a large number of birds in Texas
and in other states. The paper also tries
to point out that the dismissal of the ap-
peal to the United States Supreme Court
for a decision on the constitutionality of
the former migratory bird law leaves the
Shauver case the supreme law of the land,
and questions the immunity of the treaty
over review in the courts. It will be re-
membered that in the case of the United
States vs. Shauver, Judge Trieber held
that migratory game when iu the confines
of a state belongs to the state and not to
(he public of the United States.
If the sportsmen of the Middle West
are actually receiving unfair treatment, it
is high time that their case is investi-
gated ; but if, on the other hand, they are
working selfishly for their own profit and
overlooking the general welfare, agitation
of this sort should be frowned upon by
every one interested in wild life. We are
glad that California has so loyally de-
fended the new law which apparently is
doing wonders for the preservation of our
waterfowl.
WASHINGTON COMMISSION MAIN-
TAINS PERMANENT EXHIBIT.
The Washington Fish and Game Com-
mission maintains a permanent exhibit in
the city of Seattle. Aquaria containing
many varieties of fish, models of fish lad-
ders, fish screens, preserved specimens of
many varieties of fish and shellfish, and an
exhibit of fish products form the larger
part of the exhibit. Some mounted elk
and game birds display the game re-
sources of the state. The offices of the
commission are in the same building, and
the hundreds of visitors find it easy to
have their questions answered.
WASHINGTON WILL OPEN THE SEA-
SON ON ELK.
Of the seven or eight thousand elk on
the Olympic Peninsula in the state of
Washington, nearly 50 per cent are bulls.
In order to reduce this number an open
s?ason during the mouth of November has
been recommended to the legislature.
Nonresident hunters will be required to
hire licensed guides at $5.00 a day, and the
license fee will be $25.00 or $50.00. In
order that only a limited kill may be
made only one animal will be allowed each
individual and all the meat must be
utilized.
VERMONT PLANS QUARTERLY
BULLETIN.
According to their last biennial report
the Department of Fisheries and Game
of Vermont advocates the publication of
a semiannual or quarterly bulletin for
circulation among the members of sports-
men's leagues, and others interested
throughout the state. This bulletin should
give items of interest from the work of
the department, and from the wider field
of interstate and international activities,
in this way moulding and directing pub-
lic sentiment along the most progressive
lines.
Vermont in starting such a bulletin will
be following the lead of California and
other states which several years ago be-
came convinced of the desirability of such
a means of publicity and education.
98
C \UKoK.\l.\ I'IMI \\'l> (iA.MIv
LIFE HISTORY NOTES.
ELK IN SHASTA COUNTY.
John M. Punnett, a civil engineer oi
San Francisco, who has recently returned
from the Pit River, Shasta County,
where he has been in camp with a survey
party, reports that in the latter part of
November, 1918, a small herd of elk were
seen on the mountain side on the north
bank of the Pit River. They were ob-
served by all the members of the party
consisting of five men. Owing to the
speed at which the herd was traveling, the
distance between it and the observers and
the steep, wooded, brushy character of the
country it was impossible to be absolutely
certain of the number of animals, but
the concensus of opinion was that the
herd consisted of one bull and either four
or five cows.
Some cattle men who were driving
stock out of that part of the country
stated that during the past year or so
they had repeatedly seen what was pre-
sumably the same herd. There is good
evidence that the herd ranges on the
southerly slopes of the Brock Mountain.
between the summit and the Pit River.
M. Hall McAllister.
DEER HUNTING POOR IN MONO
COUNTY.
We have no knowledge of any deer hav-
ing been killed in Mono County during
the 1917 season. The season, as changed
by the redisricting of California, gives
the residents of this county very little
chance to kill a deer during open season.
The deer range very high in almost inac-
cessible localities during the month of
September, not working down until the
season closes. — W. M. Maule.
DEER INCREASING IN TRINITY GAME
REFUGE.
In the ten years that I have been trav-
eling at different times over the southern
and western part of the game refuge
(1-D) I have never seen so many deer.
The numerous deer tracks rather gave
the impression of a band of sheep winter-
ing there. Hunters complained last hunt-
ing season that, as soon as the shooting
commenced, all the deer knew the refuge
and ran over the line and stayed there.
I believe there is some truth in this, from
my own observations, but not so much as
they would have the general public be-
lieve. — G. O. Laws.
GROUSE IN THE SEQUOIA NATIONAL
FOREST.
Sierra grouse are found from the 5,000-
foot contour to the 11,000 in the Sequoia
National Forest. They nest principally
at the lower elevations between May 15
and June l.r>, laying from 8 to 14 eggs.
The average brood hatched is about 10.
Until the young are fully feathered they
feed on and in the vicinity of small
meadows, eating principally grass, s Is.
grubs and berries. When the young are
able to fly they usually migrate to the
higher elevations and live principally in
thickets and fir timber. When there they
feed principally on berries and fir and
pine needles. A peculiar thing about
them is that they go to high elevations to
winter and evidently live entirely on pine
and fir needle.. FRANK 1'. CUNNING-
HAM.
RIVER OTTER PLAYS ON MOONLIGHT
NIGHTS.
Lake Leonard, situated in the moun-
tains of Mendocino County at an eleva-
tion of about two thousand feet, is a
small natural lake with no visible outlet.
The past summer on moonlight nights an
animal was frequently heard splashing in
this lake. Observation between the
hours of 2 and 6 a.m. on December 22
disclosed an animal swimming about and
playing in the water like a sea lion, sud-
denly bobbing up, giving huge splashes,
playing about a bit, then disappearing
entirely for a time. When most boisterous
it uttered a sharp little scream or made
a noise that sounded like a long-eared
dog shaking itself on coming out of the
water; Ii appeared larger than a large
dog, and could swim very rapidly. No
slides have been noticed along the shore,
but the animal's actions left no doubt that
it was a Pacific river otter (Lutra cana-
densis pacifica). — Una Boyle.
VALLEY QUAIL WITH EGG IN
DECEMBER.
When cleaning some valley quail se-
cured near Jolon, Monterey County, De-
cember 21. 1918, 1 was surprised to find
a female containing a well developed egg.
Unfortunately, the egg was broken in
cleaning, but its presence is nevertheless
a lad, as can be substantiated by others
to whom it was shown. The eggshell was
of a yellowish color, and was situated in
the oviduct just ready to be deposited. —
Edward L. Bosqui.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
99
WILD LIFE IN RELATION TO AGRICULTURE.
BLACKBIRDS AND RICE.
Blackbirds are a serious menace lo rice
culture, particularly as an agency in the
distribution of water grass seeds. While
blackbirds in large flocks frequently de-
stroy large areas of rice during the ma-
turing period, they also congregate along
the sloughs where the indigenous millets
are found, the seeds of which mature some
weeks in advance of rice, and of which
the blackbirds consume large quantities.
When blackbirds arise rapidly from a
slough it has been observed that they
carry with them heads and seeds which
are dropped into the fields over which
they pass. — W. O. Jacobson.
DUCKS DESTROY GARDEN PESTS.
Theodore Kytka, the famous handwrit-
ing expert of San Francisco, has for many
years successfully reared wild mallard
ducks in his back yard. Finding them of
value as destroyers of pests he has re-
cently given a number of the birds to
friends in order that they may clean the
gardens of snails, slugs, and other garden
pests.
PHEASANTS DAMAGE CROPS IN INYO
COUNTY.
After much observation and many dis-
cussions with ranchers in the Owens Val-
ley I am of the opinion, and would earn-
estly advocate, that either an open season
be allowed for the introduced pheasant,
or that it be left unprotected entirely. It
is becoming a pest here, and the farmers
who raise grain or small fruits welcome
this bird about the same as they do the
English sparrow and California linnet
(two great nuisances). I quote one of
the ranger's reports : "The pheasants are
increasing rapidly in the valley and live
on the farmers' crops in the summer time,
doing them considerable damage." One
of the fruit growers here showed me a few
boxes of grapes which he intended to ship,
but the bunches had been thinned con-
siderably owing to damage by birds. He
stated that the robin and a small gray
bird (probably the linnet) did a lot of
damage, and that the pheasant was a very
wicked bird, hiding under the bushes and
eating his grapes whole. One of the
ranchers near town tells me that he has
seen small patches of corn entirely de-
stroyed by pheasants, the birds eating out
the grain just after the plant has
sprouted. — E. L. Herzinger.
MOLE EATS ANGLEWORMS.
The stomach of a mole (Scapanus lati-
manus latimanus) killed on September 23,
1916, at Hayward, California, was filled
with angleworms cut into short pieces,
one-quarter to one-half inch in length.
This evidence, combined with the fact that
moles kept in captivity devour large quan-
tities of earthworms, indicates that this
animal feeds largely upon worms and in-
sects found beneath the surface of the
ground. — W. N. Dirks.
100
CALIFORNJ \ l-'ISII AND GAME.
Mexico.
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CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
101
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1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 f 1 l' 1 1 -* ~+
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10,058
21
950,238
7
83
185
1,086
47
503,400
45,011
2,943
937
23,097
2,483,571
7,886
150,119
137
2,149,575
513
163,727
2,765
205,964
13
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20,989
1,574
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223,500
4,403
28,7a5
3,565
94,200
312,293
5,444
257
135
14,055
751,193
634
8,086
Striped bass .
Buck shad .. .
Shad
Roe shad
Skip jaek _ ___
Sturgeon
Sardine . . . .
Skat'
Surf fish
Sculpin .... ... __
S"a trout
Sheepshead
Sword flsh . _
Tom cod
Trout (farm)
Trout (steelhead)
Tuna
Turbot
Whitebait
Yellowtail _.. _
Miscellaneous . .
Totals
Crustaceans-
Crab (doz.)
Spiny lobster _
Shrimp _ ...
Ecrevisse ..
Mobusks—
Squid .. ..
Cuttlefish
01am (Pismo) ...
i am (co.kle) ..
Chun (softshell)
Qlam (mixed)
Oyst r (native), No.
*Oyster (shell), No...
Ssa snails
Mussels
Reptiles
102
CALIFORN] \ FISH \M> G \ .M K
STATEMENT OF EXPEN DITU R ES— Year 1918.
I i of expense
nber
Genera] administration ; $1,62- n
i. - arch, publicity and education (Kami) 219 4!j
Printing _'
Fish • xiiiiiits
Game exhibits
Gams farm 348 20
mountain lion bounties
Lithographing hunting licenses : IK Ifi
l.it hographing angling licenses
Hunting license comm'ssions 2,80
gling license commissions 1,11
v.'nk t fishing license commissions 150
210 00
421 2i)
.
210 00
77 CO
I- $4,823 2S
San Francisco District $5
Sacramento District
Los Angeles District
Launch patrol
Prosecutions (fish and gams)
< Irawflsh inspection
Winti r game feeding
Accident and death claims
124 04
155 05
$13,802 $13,755 18
Hatchery administration --
Mt. Shasta Hatchery
Klamath Station
Mt. Whitney Hatchery
Cottonwood Lakes station
'I alio' Hatchery
Tallac Hatchery
Ft. Seward Hatchery i
','. ' River Station
Ikiali Hatchery
si.ou Mountain station
Brookdale Hatchery
Scotl Creek station
Feather River Hatchery
Almanor Hatch ry
Domingo Springs Hatchery
Clear Greek Hatchery
I -I Lake Hatchery
North Creek Station
Wawona Hatchery
Yos mit" Hatchery
Pish distribution
Fish transportation
Sit mi, lisliu ay ami ft at r pollution.
Special field Inv stigation
$578 70
8,531 26
-- i= 24
2,844 33
1,397 5)
1,090 77
222 47
23 17
l«; 85
5 00
622 65
14 30
. i
I ! .
31 00
L22 15
30 00
10 00
SI 84
155 59
2,179 10
37 50
- 70
5,986 92
760 10
769 10
3,849 58
,!
18 54
2,404 05
2.2v i 21
2,354 22
■
l" 61
2 234 : -
42 60
107 75
100 01
"1- 3!
200 00
si I 78
$74
10 28
:, 00
7 )4
443 07
5 0!)
. S 93
721 90
-- 32
2.72 19
120 55
3 00
I'll 13
3 00
l!)l -7
1 1 part in ill ( 'in rial Fish i i -
Department of Engine: ring
Launch "Albacon " ._
Yossmite Hatchery
7 71
2.063 02
-
3,140 15
15 70
2,73
$38,072 if. $2 ,! i- 67 $31,640 67
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
103
VIOLATIONS OF FISH AND GAME LAWS.
December 1, 1918. to March 1, 1919.
Offense
Game.
Hunting without a license
Making false statement on application
Deer— close season— killing or possession
Female deer, spike bucks, fawns— killing or possession
Quail— close season— killing or possession
Excess bag limit
Ducks— close season — killing or possession
Excess bag limit
Shooting ducks from power boat in motion '.
Cottontail and brush rabbits— close season— killing or pos-
session
Grouse— close season— killing or possession
Rail — close season — killing or possession
Swan— killing or possession
Xongame birds— killing or possession
Shore birds— close season— killing or possession
Night shooting
Trepassing on posted grounds
Trapping without license
Number of
ai rests
27
1
11
5
Total game violations.
Fish.
Angling without license
Fishing for profit without license
Clams— undersize
Alialones — close season — undersize. excess limit
spiny lobsters — close season — taking or possession
Undersize, oversize
Trout— close season— taking or possession, excess limit-
Trout— taking other than by hook and line
Dynamiting fish
Failure to produce license on demand
Grand total fish and game violations.
1
2
2
4
1
1
1
4
22
3
14
2
2
103
5
3
3
34
6
6
3
1
1
62
165
Fines
imposed
$495 00
25 00
335 00
100 00
25 00
90 00
75 00
110 00
50 00
25 00
25 00
75 CO
456 00
75 00
250 CO
40 00
40 00
$2,291 CO
$95 00
50 00
75 00
325 00
140 00
180 00
25 00
200 00
$1,090 00
$3,381 00
SEIZURES— FISH AND GAME AND ILLEGALLY USED FISHING APPARATUS.
December 1, 1918. to March 1, 1919.
(lame.
Deer meat 219 pounds
Ducks 476
Shore birds 17
Wild pheasants 2
Miscellaneous game 20
Beaver skins 4
Mink skins 3
Fish.
Striped bass 58 pounds
Trout 1,825 pounds
Crabs 42
Pismo clams h):i •
Lobsters 1,313
Abalones ■ ---- 693
Halibut - - 2,693
Illegal nets 1 1
Searches.
Illegal fish and game 9
104
c \l.iF(ii;.\i \ nsii \.\D G \\ii:.
NUMBER OF DEER KILLED IN VARIOUS COUNTIES DURING THE OPEN
SEASON 1917.
District No. 1.
Alpine '. 12
Amador 50
Butte —
Calaveras 66
Del Norte
El Dorado 60
Fresno 125
Humboldl .'!<;
Inyo 72
Kern
Kings
Lassen 150
Madera —
Mariposa —
Merced 2\
Modoc L64
Mono ."lii
Nevada 150
Placer :; ;
Plumas 200
Sacramento 51
San Joaquin
Shasta 330
Sierra
Siskiyou : Ms
Stanislaus
Sutter ___ —
Tehama 253
Trinity 56 I
Tulare 300
Tuolumne 250
Yi ba
Total 3.012
District No. 2.
Colusa 150
(Jlenn ^21
Lake 123
Marin 162
Mendocino 140
Solano 140
Sonoma
Yolo
Napa 110
Total 1,352
District No. 3.
Alameda
Contra Costa
Monterey 155
San Benito 121
San Francisco
San Luis Obispo 342
San Mateo 150
Santa Clara 300
Santa Cruz 69
Total 1,137
District No. 4.
Imperial
Los Angeles '_':iv-
Orange
Riverside 52
San Diego 30
San Bernardino 95
Santa Barbara l-~<
Ventura 438
T< tal 1,248
Miscellaneous 105
Total for year 1917 6,854
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California Fish and Game
"CONSERVATION OF WILD LIFE THROUGH EDUCATION"
Volume 5 SACRAMENTO, JULY, 1919 Number 3
CONTENTS.
Page
THE GOLDEN TROUT (colored plate) Frontispiece
CALIFORNIA TROUT B. W. Evermann and II. C. Bryant 105
THE STEEL-HEAD TROUT (colored plate) Facing- page 112
THE RAINBOW TROUT (colored plate)! Facing- page 114
THE EASTERN BROOK TROUT (colored plate) Facing page 130
SUMMER ON THE CALIFORNIA TROUT STREAMS-Robcrt Page Lincoln 136
PARASITES WHICH AFFECT THE FOOD VALUE OF RABBITS—
E. Ralph Dc Ong 142
OUT FISHIN' (a poem) Edward A. Guest 144
EDITORIALS 145
FACTS OF CURRENT INTEREST 150
HATCHERY NOTES 151
COMMERCIAL FISHERY NOTES 154
Notes from the State Fisheries Laboratory 156
CONSERVATION IN OTHER STATES 159
LIFE HISTORY NOTES 100
REPORTS—
Canned, Cured and Manufactured Fishery Products, 1918 162
Fishery products, 1918 164
California Fishery Products — January, February and March, 1919 166
CALIFORNIA TROUT*
By BARTON WARREN EVERMANN and HAROLD C. BRYANT.
INTRODUCTION.
The trout of whatever kind all belong to the Salmonidae or salmon
family. Besides the true trout, this family contains also the salmons,
the charrs, the whitefish, the lake herrings, and that curious fish of
the far north, the inconnu. The Salmonidae are confined to the north-
ern hemisphere and chiefly north of the fortieth parallel where they
are nearly everywhere abundant wherever suitable waters are found.
Some of the species, especially the larger ones, are marine and anad-
romous, living and growing in the sea, and entering fresh waters only
for spawning purposes; still others live in running brooks, entering
lakes or the sea as occasion serves, but not habitually doing so ; still
♦Although containing some new information, this paper is largely a compilation
of material from published sources.
46418
106 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
others are lake fishes, approaching the shores or entering brooks in the
spawning season, at other times retiring to waters of considerable
depths. Sonic species arc active, voracious, and gamey, while others
are comparatively defenseless and rarely or never lake the hook.
Of all the families of fishes there is none more interesting than the
Salmonidae, from whatever point of view they may be considered. To
the biologist the family is of surpassing interesi because of the remark-
able life histories and habits of many of the species; to the angler, whal
tish has appealed more strongly than salmon and trout because of
their game qualities and their beauty? to the epicure, there is none
more delicious or more persistently sought; to the lover of the beautiful
as exhibited in animate forms, what appeals more strongly than the
silvery sheen, roseate or golden hues, and the beautiful form of the
salmon, the brook trout or the golden trout; to the fish culturist, the
Salmonidse are of the greatest interest and importance, more species
of this family being propagated artificially than of all other species
combined ; and to the commercial fisherman, this family of fishes is the
most, important in all the world.
The true trout all belong to the genus Salmo and are found only in
the northern parts of Asia, Europe and North America; in Europe
they extend as far south as the Pyrenees, and in America to Lower
California and Durango and eastward as far as the Black Hills and
Colorado.
The name "trout," a word of French origin, is in Europe applied
only to species with black spots, while in America it is more loosely used
and is applied not only to the true trout (those with black spots), but
also to the charrs (or those with red or orange spots). In western
North America are many species of true trout, some of them differing
widely in size and color, while others resemble each other so closely as
to make positive identification difficult. The Salmonidaa are of com-
paratively recent origin, none of the species occurring as fossils except
in recent deposits, and this doubtless accounts for the instability of
their specific characters.
How to Distinguish Trout from Salmon.
Trout.
1. Most species remain in fresh water,
never going- to sea; do not die after
once spawning.
2. Skeleton hard.
3. Anal fin with 12 or fewer rays.
4. Gillrakers, 20 or fewer.
5. Pyloric caeca few, 40 to 65.
6. Branchiostegals, 10 to 12.
7. Caudal peduncle deep.
Salmon.
1. Live habitually in the sea, entering
fresh water only at spawning time;
spawn once then die.
2. Skeleton porous and soft.
3. Anal fin with 13 to 20 rays.
4. Gillrakers, 20 to 40.
5. Pyloric ca*ca numerous, 75 to 180.
6. Branchiostegals, 13 to 19
7. Caudal peduncle constricted.
The commercial fisherman distinguishes between salmon and trout
by noting whether the fish is easily held up by the tail. The constricted
portion in front of the tail (caudal peduncle) makes il easy to hold a
salmon by the tail, but that of a trout is so nearly the size of the tail
1 1 ii that it is held up with difficulty.
The native trout of western North America may be regarded as falling
naturally into three more or less well-defined series, which are popularly
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 107
known as the Cutthroat Series, the Steelhead Series, and the Rainbow
Series.
The species of the Cutthroat Series are characterized by small scales,
150 to 200 in a cross-series, a large deep-red or scarlet dash on each
side of the throat, a large mouth, the maxillary more than half length
of head, and small hyoid teeth. The most useful diagnostic character
is the red dash or mark on each side of the throat between the dentary
bones of the lower jaw. This mark is nearly always present and is
usually quite distinct.
There are many species of the Cutthroat Series. They inhabit the
streams and lakes from Humboldt County, California, northward to
southeast Alaska and eastward through all of the northwestern states
to the headwaters of the Missouri, the Platte, the Arkansas and the
Rio Grande. At least one species is found in the headwaters of the
Colorado. They are particularly abundant in the coastal streams and
lakes of Oregon and Washington. In California, they appear to be
confined chiefly to the northwest counties and are nowhere abundant.
In the Steelhead Series the scales are somewhat larger, the number
in a cross-series being usually about 150, but varying from 130 to 180.
There is no red dash on the lower jaw ; the body is rather stout, mouth
moderate, the maxillary about half length of head, hyoid teeth wanting.
Color silvery. Size large. Sea-run species.
In California, the steelhead is limited to coastwise streams and is
anadromous. To the northward, it extends further inland, ascending
the Columbia and its tributaries to Shoshone Falls in Snake River and
to the headwaters of Salmon River in Idaho. To the northward it is
found as far as Kodiak Island. In certain lakes of Washington and
British Columbia are found several local forms which have been
described as distinct species.
In the Rainbow Series the scales are typically still larger (except
in the golden trouts), the number in a cross-series being normally 130,
but varying from 115 to 180 ; usually no red on the throat ; a red or
rosy lateral band; body stout; mouth small, the maxillary short, 2 to
2.5 in head; no hyoid teeth. Size small.
The rainbow forms are chiefly confined to the streams of California
and Oregon. The typical rainbow (Salmo iridcus) was originally
described by Dr. William P. Gibbons of San Francisco in the Proceed-
ings of the California Academy of Sciences for 1855, from specimens
obtained in San Leandro Creek, Alameda County. The rainbow
occurs less abundantly in Oregon and Washington and as far north as
Naha Stream and Klawak River, Alaska.
Besides these three series of true trouts, we have the charrs of the
genera Salvelinus and Crisiivomcr. The "Dolly Varden" is the only
native charr in California. The introduced Eastern brook trout is a
near relative, and is, like it, a charr. The charrs are separated from the
true trout by the presence of red or orange-colored spots on the sides.
The word "charr" means "red" or "blood," and since members of the
genus Salvelinus are usually marked with red spots or are red beneath,
the group is well named.
In addition to the native trout, there are several species which have
been introduced into California streams from Europe. Chief among
these are the brown trout from central Europe and the Loch Leven
trout from Scotland.
ins
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
Cutthroat Series.
The native lake trout in the larger Lakes of the Sierras and one of
the stream trouts of northern and northwestern California are cut-
throats. The species now recognized are:
Cutthroat Trout (Salmo clarkii), in Pit River, Eel River and oilier
streams in Humboldt and Del Norte counties.
Tahoe Trout (Salmo henshawi), in Lake Tahoe, Dormer, Webber,
and Independence lakes and tributary streams. Included under lids
name are several tront which have been described as distinct species.
Royal Silver Trout (Salmo regalis), in Lake Tahoe.
Fig. 36. Cutthroat trout (Salmo clarhii).
Charrs.
The Dolly Varden (Salvdinus parkei) is the only eharr native to
California streams. Its distribution in this stale is limited to the
McCloud River. The introduced Eastern brook trout (Salueliwus
fontindlis) and the Mackinaw Trout (Cristivomer namaycush) are the
only other charrs found here.
Rainbow Series.
Most of the native trout found in California belong to this series.
The following eight species are here recognized as belonging to the
Rainbow Series.
Shasta Rainbow (Salmo shasta), in the upper Sacramento and
McCloud rivers.
Noshee or Stone Trout (Salmo stonei), in the McCloud River.
Gilbert Rainbow (Salmo gilberti), in the Kings and Kern rivers.
South Fork of Kern Golden Trout (Salmo agua-bonita . native only
to the South Pork of the Kern, and from Cottonwood Creek- and the
Cottonwood Lakes into which it has been introduced.
Golden Trout or Roosevelt Trout (Salmo roosevelti), native only to
Volcano Creek.
Soda Creek or Little Kern Trout (Sal mo wkitei), native to the
Little Kern and other western tributaries of Kern River.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 109
San Gorgonio Trout (Salmo evermanni), known only from the
streams about San Gorgonio Peak, southern California.
Nelson Trout (Salmo nelsoni), known only from the San Pedro
Martir Mountains of Lower California.
There is a trout, apparently of the Rainbow Series, in the Klamath
River which fish culturists believe to be different from any of the
above, which has not yet been described. There is still another in
Burney Creek, Shasta County, which also remains to be described.
Introduced Trout.
As a result of hatchery operations the following non-native trouts
are to be found in California streams :
Brown Trout (Salmo fario), a native of central Europe.
Loch Leven Trout (Salmo trutta levenensis) , a native of Scotland.
Eastern Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) , a native of the Atlantic
Coast streams.
Mackinaw Trout (Cristovomer namaycush) , a native of the larger
lakes of the northeastern United States and Canada.
Size and Coloration.
Size seems to depend upon food supply and extent of water. Resi-
dents of small mountain streams and pools seldom attain the size of
individuals inhabiting lakes or rivers where there is an abundant food
supply.
Water appears to have some influence on the coloration of trout.
Brackish or salt water usually gives them a silvery color with few or
no spots. Possibly the substrata constitute the factor most involved
in coloration. Profusely spotted trout are generally found in clear
rapid rivers or alpine pools; in large lakes with a peaty bottom, fish
often assume an almost uniform blackish coloration.
Sexual differences are not always apparent in trout except in the
breeding season, at which time the female is usually a deeper, heavier
fish and the male a more slender one. However, the male is sometimes
the brighter in color.
Young trout are all similarly barred with the parr-marks and are
difficult to identify.
Trout Angling.
The usual style of fly fishing consists in wading the stream and
making casts downstream in likely places — at the foot of riffles, at the
edges of stumps, logs and brush, and beneath overhanging bushes and
banks. On the contrary, the more refined, dry-fly angler casts up-
stream, presenting his fly in such a manner that it will float over a
rising fish. In order to have the flies float, they must be dry. They
are oiled before using, and false casts are made between real casts
to remove the surplus moisture.
Some fishermen drag the flies over the water at the end of each
cast, believing that the motion resembles that of an insect endeavoring
110
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
to escape from the water. Sometimes flies are tied with head Inward
llir hook-barb so that, on being drawn over the water, the resistance
of their legs and wings will cause them to flutter as if alive.
The dry-fly angler declares that the more attractive method is to
allow the flies to float quietly, and to enable them to remain on the
surface. Usually local dealers can supply the best information on the
proper flies to use.
When streams are high, better results are obtained by the use of
baits such as prepared salmon eggs or grasshoppers, earthworms and
helgramites. In clearer water spinners may also be used with good
effect.
F'ig. 37. Tahoe trout (Salmo henshawi").
Trolling is the method usually employed by fishermen and anglers in
catching trout in the larger lakes. Similar equipment is used by
anglers in taking the so-called steelhead at river mouths. But these
methods are not practiced by the accomplished angler.
"Along the lower courses of the rivers and on the lakes, especially
off rocky points where the rapidly shelving bottom brings the deep
water near shore, a crude method of bait casting is successfully
employed in taking large trout. The large trout seldom rise to the
artificial fly except at times in the high Sierras. The same species
when living in the rivers and in their rapid and cool tributaries furnish
excellent sport for the angler. All recommend small flies, 12 to 16, and
not in great variety. Many of the smaller streams are so closely lined
with dense brush as to make fly fishing quite out of the question.
Here the angler should provide himself with a short bait rod, use
worms and grasshoppers. ' ' — Snyder.
As has been pointed out in many an article, the prime rules of fly
fishing are:
1. Fish in streams where trout are found. Those streams not easily
accessible are always best, for they are not depleted.
2. Move cautiously and noiselessly in order not to frighten the fish.
3. Drop the fly on the water "as if it hated to get wet" or, in other
words, simulate the natural dropping of an insect on the water.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. Ill
KEY TO CALIFORNIA SPECIES OF TROUT.
a. Species anadromous, entering coastal streams for spawning- purposes; color silvery;
aa. Species not anadromous; size smaller.
size large Steelhead (Salmo gairdneri). Page 112
b. Scales typically large (except in the Golden trouts), about 130 in a cross-series
(varying from 120 to 180); little or no red on throat; usually a rosy or yellow-
ish lateral band; mouth small, maxillary 2 to 2.5 in head; no hyoid teeth; size
small.
c. No extensive lemon yellow on sides below lateral line.
d. Body elongate; color rosy or silvery, especially on side; spots small
Rainbow Trout (Salmo irideus). Page 112
dd. Body rather deep.
e. A reddish lateral band.
f. Black spots largely restricted to the back, few below median line.
g. Vomerine teeth in a single zig-zag series
McCloud River Trout (Salmo shasta). Page 115
gg. Vomerine teeth in two irregular series
Noshee Trout (Salmo stonei). Page 116
ff. Entire body and all fins profusely black-spotted
Kern River Trout (Salmo gilberti). Page 118
fff. Heavily and uniformly spotted; fawn brown on sides
: San Gorgonio Trout (Salmo evermanni). Page 117
ee. A greenish lateral band
Eagle Lake Trout (Salmo aquilarum). Page 116
cc. Extensive lemon yellow or orange on sides and belly.
h. Back and upper two-thirds of sides covered rather closely with
small black spots; lower third of side, except on caudal
peduncle, without spots Golden Trout of the
Little Kern, or Soda Creek Trout (Salmo whitei). Page 121
hh. Back and upper one- third of side sparsely black spotted; lower
two-thirds of side, except on caudal peduncle, entirely without
spots - Golden
Trout South Fork of Kern (Salmo agua-bonita). Page 123
hhh. Back, head, and entire side, except on caudal peduncle, entirely
without spots; a few spots on the caudal peduncle
Roosevelt Trout (Salmo roosevelti). Page 124
bb. Scales small, usually about 150-200 in crosswise series; red marks under dentary
bones always present; mouth large, the maxillary 1.6 to 2.25 in head; hyoid
teeth present; irregularly and profusely scattered.
i. Black spots encroaching somewhat on belly
Cutthroat Trout (Salmo clarkii). Page 127
ii. Black spots sparsely scattered
Tahoe Trout (Salmo henshawi). Page 127
iii. No black spots; back bluish or greenish
, Royal Silver Trout (Salmo regalis). Page 129
lil.li. Scales so small as to be almost invisible, 200-250 in lateral series; no red on
throat.
j. Sides with red SDOts.
k. Back unspotted, strongly marbled with dark olive or
Eastern" Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). Page 130
kk. Back not marbled with olive or black; but spotted with
red or orange
Dolly Varden Trout (Salvelinus parkei). Page 129
jj. Back and sides with gray spots
Mackinaw Trout (Cristivomer namaycush). Page 133
bbbb. Scales very large, 11S-130 in lateral series; introduced species.
1. Adipose fin large, its width much more than half its
length Brown Trout (Salmo fario). Page 131
11. Adipose fin small, its width one-half its length
Loch Leven Trout (Salmo trutta levenensis). Page 132
112 CALIFORNIA FISH AND (iAMK.
NATIVE SPECIES.
Steelhead Series.
STEELHEAD.
Salmo gairdneri Richardson.
Other names: Steelhead Trout; Steelhead Salmon; Salmon Trout; Hardhead.
Description: Head in length to base of tail fin 4.5 to 5; depth 4..r, ; eye 4.5 in
head; dorsal 11; anal 11 or 12; branchiostegals 11 or 12; scales usually about
30-150-28, the cross-series varying from 130 to 180; pyloric caeca 42; gill-
rakers, 8 + 12; vertebrae 38+20. Body rather stout, the caudal peduncle thick;
head rather short and slender, only about twice length of maxillary; eye small;
teeth small, those on vomer in two long, alternating series which are about as
long as the palatine series; no hyoid teeth. Tail wide, squarely truncate in the
adult, emarginate in the young. Color olive-green above, silvery on sides and
belly; head, back, and dorsal and caudal fins more or less closely covered with
small black spots. During the breeding season, side with a broad rosy or
flesh-colored lateral band, deep rosy on the cheek, this often remaining through
the year; fins not red; no red on lower jaw.
Marks for field identification: Large size; small head; large scales; bright
silvery color; absence of red on lower jaw.
Distribution in California: The steelhead enters coastwise streams from
Ventura River northward, ascending to their headwaters for spawning purposes
and then returning to the sea.
The steelhead is more or less anadromous in its habits, it being
migratory like the salmon, spending much of its time in salt water,
and ascending freshwater streams at spawning time. It enters prac-
tically all the coastal streams of California from Ventura County on
the south to the Oregon line; also from there to Skagway and Sitka.
Many of the streams on the California coast are famous for their
steelhead; special mention may be made of Ventura River, the Santa
Ynez, Santa Maria, those entering Monterey Bay, and all the streams
north of San Francisco, particularly the Russian, the Klamath, and
the Eel.
As a game fish the steelhead is a favorite with the anglers. Its game
qualities, together with its large size, make this one of the fishes mosl
soughl after by the followers of good old Isaak Walton. When in fresh
water it will not only take the trolling spoon, but it will rise readily
to the fly.
The steelhead is an excellent food fish, and its large size and
abundance make it a fish of considerable commercial value. It is an
important fish in the fish cultural operations of California and of
other Pacific Coast states and the federal government. It has been
introduced into Lake Superior and is now an abundant and much
prized game fish in that lake and its tributary streams.
The fact that most ichthyologists and many anglers regard steelheads
simply as sea-run individuals of rainbow trout has not escaped our
minds, and we ourselves are inclined to accept that view. Nevertheless
we know that in some places, they are entirely distinct and easily
distinguishable. At any rate, Ave deem it best for our present purposes
to treat the steelhead as a distinct species.
RAINBOW TROUT.
Salmo irideus Gibbons.
Other names: Mountain Trout; Speckled Trout; Brook Trout; California
Trout. Sea -run form: Steelhead; Steelhead Salmon; Salmon Trout; Salmo
rirularis, in part; Salmo gairdneri, in part.
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Description: Head 3.8; depth about 4; eye 4.83 in head, 1.4 in snout; snout 3.6;
D. 10; A. 11; scales 24-130-20, about 70 series in front of dorsal, counting along
median line, or 60 if rows along upper side are counted; branchiostegals 11;
gillrakers 8 + 13, rather long and slender. Head pointed, mouth, rather large,
maxillary extending to posterior margin of eye, 1.8 in head, with about 20 teeth;
preorbital very narrow, the maxillary almost touching the orbit; several large
teeth along side of tongue; no hyoid teeth; teeth on vomer in zig-zag series;
origin of dorsal at middle of length; origin of anal midway between that of
dorsal and base of caudal; caudal broad, nearly truncate. Color, on the back a
deep dark-blue ultramarine of a peculiar transparency, dotted with small round
black spots about the size of a pin head; side abruptly brighter, with many
scales silvery; lower parts white; sides, top of head, dorsal, and caudal fins
covered with very small spots; pectorals and ventrals nearly colorless, without
spots; adipose fin with two spots; no red on lower jaw.
Marks for field identification: Rainbow trout usually have a great many
spots, which are more or less obscured by a silvery sheen in the sea-run
examples. Average specimens are from 4 to 12 inches in length and weigh as
much as 6 or 7 pounds, but average 3 or 4. Sea-run examples sometimes
weigh 25 pounds. Prom the cutthroat trout the rainbow may be known by its
larger scales, brighter coloration, and by the absence of red on the throat.
The comparatively large scales (120-150) distinguish the true rainbow from
the species found in the McCloud and Kern rivers.
Distribution: Native in all coastal streams and most streams of the interior,
especially those of the western slope of the Sierras. Introduced in many lakes
and streams of the state formerly barren of fish life.
The rainbow runs upstream in early spring to spawn, leaping over
waterfalls and entering the small streams forming the headwaters.
Here the eggs are deposited in the sand and the young are hatched out.
Fig. 3S. Young steelhead trout. All young trout have black bars on the sides,
which arc known as parr marks.
By far the largest output of the state hatcheries is composed of
rainbow trout, and there is good reason, for this is considered the
best game fish of all and it is most highly prized by anglers. The
rainbow often leaves the water in its eagerness to take a fly. In fact,
so readily does it take a fly that there is seldom need to resort to bait
or other lures.
This trout has thriven almost everywhere, having been introduced
into New Zealand, Japan, Europe, and the eastern United States.
The rainbow varies in coloring according to age, sex, and location.
Those individuals which are able to reach the sea spend part of each
year there, returning to the freshwater stream a larger and more
silvery-colored fish commonly called steelhead. Spawning fish travel
far up the coastal streams and spawn high up in the small tributaries.
Their habits in this regard are more like those of the salmon than those
2— 46ns
114 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
of a trout. Unlike the salmon, however, the sledhead does not as a
rule die after once spawning.
Specimens returning from the sea arc usually silvery in color, but
spotting soon appears in the Freshwater stream. Because of its large
size and excellent flavor the sea-run form is a splendid food fish. It is
marketed in large quantities during the open season; as a game fish
prized by anglers who troll in the bays and river mouths along the
northern coast.
"In beauty of color, gracefulness of form and movement, sprightliness
when in the water, reckless dash with which it springs from the water
to meet the descending fly ere it strikes the surface, and the mad and
repeated leaps from the water when hooked, the rainbow trout must
ever hold a very high rank. The gamest fish we have ever seen was a
16-inch rainbow taken on a fly in a small spring branch tributary of
Williamson River in southern Oregon. It was in a broad and deep
pool of exceedingly clear water. As the angler from behind a clump
of willows made the cast the trout bounded from the water and met
the fly in the air a foot or more above the surface ; missing it he dropped
upon the water only to turn about and strike viciously a second time at
the fly just as it touched the surface; though he again missed the fly
the hook caught him in the lower jaw from the outside, and then began
a fight which would delight the heart of any angler. His first effort
was to reach the bottom of the pool, then, doubling upon the line, he
made three jumps from the water in quick succession, clearing the
surface in each instance from 1 to 4 feet, and every time doing his
utmost to free himself from the hook by shaking his head as vigorously
as a dog shakes a rat. Then he would rush wildly about in the large
pool, now attempting to go down over the riffle below the pool, now
trying the opposite direction, and often striving to hide under one or
Fig. 39. Rainbow trout taken in Manzanita Lake, near Red Bluff, Tehama
County, California.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 115
the other of the banks. It was easy to handle the fish when the dash
was made up or down stream or for the opposite side, but when he
turned about and made a rush for the protection of the overhanging
bank upon which the angler stood, it was not easy to keep the line
taut. Movements such as these were frequently repeated and two
more leaps were made. But finally he was worn out after as honest a
fight as trout ever made.
"The rainbow takes the fly so readily that there is no reason for
resorting to grasshoppers, salmon eggs, or ether bait. It is a fish whose
gameness will satisfy the most exacting of expert anglers and whose
readiness to take any proper lure will please the most impatient of
amateurs." (Evermann.)
Spawning takes place in winter and early spring, varying with tem-
perature and locality. The bulk of the eggs are usually taken in
February, March, and April, although spawning continues through
May in the mountain districts. The average yield from each female
is about 900 eggs. A few of the females spawn when three years old,
but about one-half of them begin at four years. The egg is from one-
fifth to two-ninths of an inch in diameter; it has a pink color when
first taken, becoming darker before hatching. The rainbow feeds on
worms, insect larvae, and salmon eggs. In streams in which the salmon
and rainbow exist together, the rainbow is more destructive to the
salmon eggs than any other species except the Dolly Varden.
McCLOUD RIVER TROUT.
Salmo shasta Jordan.
Other names: Shasta Trout; Shasta Rainbow. Salmo gairdncri shasta; Salmo
irideus shasta.
Description: Head 4; depth 3.8; eye 5; D. 11; A. 11; scales 20 to 24-145-20,
about 65 before the dorsal. Body comparatively short and deep, compressed,
varying considerably, and much more elongate in males than in females; head
short, convex, obtusely ridged above; mouth smaller than in most species of
trout, the rather broad maxillary scarcely reaching beyond the eye, except in
old males; eye large, about one-fifth length of head; vomerine teeth in two
irregular series; dorsal fin moderate; caudal fin distinctly though not strongly
forked, more deeply incised than in the typical cutthroat. Color, bluish above,
the sides silvery; everywhere above profusely but irregularly spotted, the
spots extending on the sides at least to the lateral line, and covering the vertical
fins; top of head well spotted; fins usually not red; much red or rosy on cheeks
and opercles; belly partly red in males; side with a broad but more or less
interrupted red lateral band, brightest in males. (Jordan and Evermann.)
Marks for field identification: Differs from other rainbow trout, Avith the
exception of that in the Klamath River, in its larger size, smaller mouth and
larger eyes. Scales are intermediate in size between cutthroat and sea-run
rainbow (steelhead), about 145 in transverse series. Caudal fin more deeply
incised than in typical cutthroat.
Distribution: McCloud River and streams of the Sierras from Mount Shasta
southward at least to Calaveras County.
This rainbow lives in water with a comparatively high temperature
if it is plentiful and running with a strong current ; but in sluggish
water, even when the temperature is considerably lower, no species will
do well. This species appears to inhabit the rapids more largely than
the slow-moving water. The spawning season in California extends
from early February to May. Males are good breeders at two years
old, but the females rarely produce eggs until the third season. It may
lack a little in the wild gaminess of the typical rainbow, but that is
116
< \ur<»u\l.\ PISH AND GAME.
made good by its larger size. It is largely an insed feeder and. there-
fore, a favorite of the fly fisherman.
Tins is the rainbow which has been most widely used in fish cultural
operations and lias been more widely distributed than any other variety;
NOSHEE TROUT.
Salmo stonei Jordan.
Other names: Nissuee Trout; Stone's Trout; Nissui Trout; Salmo irideus
stonei.
Description: Depth 4; A. 11; eye 4.5; maxillary about 2; pectoral 1.3; scales
llo to 155, about 82 before the dorsal, where they are small and embedded;
teeth fewer and smaller than in the Shasta trout, those on the vomer in a
single zig-zag series. Color, upper parts plain greenish; spots few and confined
chiefly to the posterior part of body; spots small and sparse on dorsal, adipose
and caudal fins; a red lateral band usually distinct; cheeks and opercles with
red; no red on throat. (Jordan and Evermann)
Marks for field identification: Much larger than typical rainbow, reaching a
weight of 10 to 12 pounds; teeth are fewer and smaller than those of typical
rainbow.
Distribution: Upper Sacramento Basin, especially in the McCloud River above
Baird.
Voracious. Little is known about this trout.
Fig. 40. Trout spawning. The female ran lie seen at the left digging up the
sand preparatory to depositing eggs. The male is shown at the right. Photograph
bj .1. il. Gyger, taken on Orchard Creek, San Bernardino Mountains, April 25, L916.
EAGLE LAKE TROUT.
Salmo aquilarum Snyder.
Other names: Salmo clarkii, in part.
Description: Head 4.2 in length to base of caudal; depth 4.2; depth of caudal
peduncle 9.8; eye 7.5 in head; interorbital space 3; snout 3.5; maxillary 1.9;
height of dorsal 6.5 in length; adipose fin 12.5; length of caudal 4.8; pectoral 5.6;
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
117
ventral 7.5; height of anal 6.9; scales in lateral series 136. Body deep; caudal
peduncle robust; head rather pointed; maxillary broad and long:, extending far
beyond posterior border of eye; edge of opercle 3.8 in head. Branchiostegals 11.
Gillrakers 18, rather thick at base, pointed at tips, and decidedly sickle-shaped.
Vomerine teeth in three series in front, the middle ones extending backward ;
teeth of palatines, mamillaries, and mandibles in a single series; glossohyal with
teeth; basi-branchials without teeth. Scales large and deeply embedded; pores
in lateral line 120; series of scales above lateral line, counting upward and for-
ward to a point just before dorsal, 29. Scales of nape minute and closely
crowded as are those of throat and abdomen. Axillary scales of ventral small,
equal in length to vertical diameter of eye, sharply pointed. Dorsal rays 11,
edge of fine concave; adipose dorsal very large, broad and thick; caudal broad
and strong, the posterior edge slightly concave, the lower lobe a little longer
than the upper; anal ray 11, edge of fin somewhat concave; pectorals strong
and rather pointed; ventrals obtusely pointed.
Marks for field identification: Distinguished from other trouts of the Sierras
by the robust body with a deep caudal peduncle and large and strong fins,
conspicuous adipose fin, large scales, and the red color of cheeks and coppery
red of under parts. The flesh is deep red, very firm and fatty, far superior to
that of the Tahoe Trout.
Distribution: Eagle Lake and its tributary, Pine Creek.
The animal spawning migration occurs in May, when apparently
the entire trout population of the lake attempts to move up Pine
Creek. It is said that anglers do not succeed in catching trout in Eagle
Lake, their failure being attributed to either a scarcity of fish or an
abundance of food. (Snyder.)
Fig. 41. San Gorgonio trout ( Salmo evermanni). Found only in the upper Santa
Ana River, Mount San Gorgonio, southern California.
SAN GORGONIO TROUT.
Salmo evermanni Jordan & Grinnell.
Other names: Evermann Trout: San Bernardino Rainbow Trout.
Description: Length of type, an adult male (as measured when first caught),
11.63 inches; head measured along side 2.75 inches. Head 3.63 in length to base
of caudal, the jaws being somewhat produced; depth of body 4.7; eye 6.5 in
head; maxillary 1.75 in head; dorsal with 10 rays, anal with 10; 34 scales
between base of dorsal and lateral line, 167 oblique rows crossing lateral line,
and 33 scales between lateral line and vent. Snout (from eye) 3.3 in head;
anal 2 in head; ventral 2.2 in head; pectoral 1.37 in head; dorsal 1.57 in head.
Caudal distinctly emarginate, or lunate. Vomerine teeth in two straight rows;
hyoid teeth present, though buried in mucus; Maxillary extending well beyond
eye, so that the mouth is relatively large. In the female, the head is shorter
and the maxillary 1.8 in head. Coloration, very dark fawn-brown, the spots
unusually large and covering the whole length of the body, none of the brilliant
hues of Salmo agua-oonita, roosevelti or whitei, nor oven the crimson of irideus.
Ground fawn-color along sides; varying toward seal brown dorsally; a large
patch of same color on cheek; lower parts lighter (fresh tints unknown, but
no red in throat region shown in the specimens) ; black spotting conspicuous,
the spots evenly distributed, very large, on sides posteriorly the size of pupil
118
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
or larger, smaller on top of head; 25 on dorsal fin, mostly In four rows; caudal
fin nearly as distinctly spotted as sides, with spots more closely set. Younger
individuals are somewhat lighter, but yet considerably darker than iridcus of
the same size, and the other characteristics seem to be constant.
Marks for field identification: Differs from the rainbow in small size and
slightly different coloration. As compared with Salmo iritlais. Salmo evermanni
is slenderer, especially dorso-ventrally; the head is longer, the snout sharper,
and mouth larger; the scales are very much smaller and more numerous, not
overlapping; the colors are dull and very dark, and the spotting is heavy.
Distribution: Upper Santa Ana River in the San Bernardino Mountains of
southern California.
Habits similar to other rainbows. It is probable that the San
Bernardino trout is the older species in the region where found, and
owes its preservation as a distinct species, and perhaps the accentuation
of its characters, to isolation afforded by the barrier which prevents
the invasion of the rainbow trout
remote history of the stream, the
become more effective, so that the
trout was originally able to ascend
habitat. (Jordan and Grinnell.)
from the lower stream, In the
falls have doubtless shifted and
ancestral stock of San Gorgon io
to its present remote and limited
Fig. 42. Eagle Lake trout (Salmo aquilarum). Found only in Eagle Lake and
tributary streams.
KERN RIVER TROUT.
Salmo gilberti Jordan.
Other names: Gilbert Trout; Kern River Rainbow Trout; Salmo iridem
gilberti.
Description: Head 4 in length to base of caudal; depth 3.6; eye 5 in head;
snout 4.3; maxillary 1.6; mandible 1.3; preorbital 20; scales small, about 165 in
lateral line; dorsal fin with 14 rays; anal 12. Body stout, moderately com-
pressed, deepest slightly in front of dorsal; head long, conic, snout pointed;
mouth large, maxillary long and narrow, reaching more than an eye's diameter
beyond the eye; mandible slightly curved; teeth on lower jaw rather strong,
wide-set, in a single series, those on maxillary strongest; caudal peduncle stout,
its least depth equal to snout and eye. Fins all well developed; origin of dorsal
midway between tip of snout and base of tail, the longest ray nearly two in head,
base of fin slightly greater than height; caudal broad, truncate, the lobes equal,
exceeding height of dorsal; base of anal equaling height of dorsal; origin of
ventrals somewhat posterior to that of dorsal and much nearer base of caudal
than tip of snout, longest ventral ray equal to longest dorsal ray; longest
pectoral ray exceeding by one-fourth the height of dorsal.
Color in life, head, body, and fins everywhere profusely and rather uniformly
covered with small black spots, those on body stellate, those on fins oblong,
those on head roundish and more sparse; inner half of ventrals with the anterior
rays white at tip; adipose dorsal olivaceous with three or four black spots; side
broadly rich rosy red, broadest and brightest near middle, least distinct on
caudal peduncle; lower half of side slightly pink and pale bluish; belly with
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 119
slight irregular wash of old gold on dirty-white ground color; back and upper
part of side olivaceous with fine yellow, orange, or lemon specks; cheeks and
opercles rich rosy; little or no red on throat, no dash on membrane between
rami of lower jaw; few spots on side of head; top of head olive green, well
covered with round black spots.
This description is from an example (male) 18.25 inches long, weighing 3.5
pounds, taken by the senior author July 19, 1904, in Kern River about one-half
mile above Kern Lake.
Marks for field identification: Profusely and closely spotted over the entire
body, head, and on all the fins, the belly not so richly colored. It is similar to
the McCloud River trout, but has smaller scales, about 165 in a transverse
series. There is usually a distinct whitish tipping to the dorsal, ventral and
anal fins.
Distribution: Kern, and probably Kings, Merced and other rivers of the
southern Sierras. This species is abundant in Kern Lake and in the river for
some miles below the lake, but of this we have no personal knowledge, as no
collecting has been done below the lake. As a rule, the fish taken from the
river are more deeply and brightly colored and decidedly more gamey than
those from the lake. During the spawning season early in the spring the fish
are found chiefly in the river, but after the spawning has been completed they
tend to run down into the lake, where they become less active and less highly
colored. Large examples from the lake are, as a rule, more slender than those
from the river, probably on account of the fact that those from the lake are all
spent fish.
The Kern River trout is a beautiful fish, well built and symmetrical,
and very rich in coloration when in prime condition. As a game fish
it will stand easily among the best, but, as already stated, in the river it
greatly excels those of its kind in the lake. It usually takes the fiy quite
freely, and will, of course, take all sorts of live or cut bait. We have
taken these trout "with the artificial fly, with grasshoppers (which
they greatly preferred), and with pieces of fish or other meat. The
large example from which the colored plate was made was first tried
with a gray hackle, to which he rose once and then paid no more
attention to it. A larger, plain hook and a good-sized grasshopper
were substituted, with better results. Scarcely had the lure touched
the water when he rose and struck most viciously, only to miss it, then
turn and strike more viciously than before. This time the hook caught
inside the mouth just under the middle of maxillary, and then began
a fight that would delight a better angler than I. He first circled about
in a wide curve, then jumped twice, clearing the water beautifully each
time ; circled again, went to the bottom in water ten feet deep, came to
the surface and jumped again, after which no more leaps were made,
but he continued dashing about until finally brought to net." (Ever-
mann.)
THE GOLDEN TROUT OF CALIFORNIA.
The golden trout of California are, so far as known, found only in
the headwaters of the Kern River, all in the vicinity of Mount Whitney.
To be sure, through the activities of the California Fish and Game
Commission and other agencies, their original distribution has been
somewhat extended by transplanting.
Four species of trout are now recognized as native to the upper Kern
River basin, namely: the Kern River trout or Gilbert trout (Salmo
gilberti), the Soda Creek or White's golden trout (Salmo ivhitei), the
South Fork of Kern golden trout (Salmo agua-bonita), and the Roose-
velt trout or golden trout of Volcano Creek (Salmo roosevelii). All
except the Gilbert trout are of the golden trout type.
120 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
All four of these species belong to the Rainbow Series, the species of
which ;is a whole may be distinguished, with greater or Less difficulty,
from those of the Steelhead Series or sea-run rainbows on the one
hand by the usually brighter colors, and on the other hand, from the
Cutthroal Scries by the absence of a red or scarlel dash on the throal
and the entire absence of hyoid teel a.
The three species of golden troul differ as a group from the other
recognized species of the Rainbow Scries in having decidedlj smaller
scales and a very brillianl coloral ion.
When the first troul came to the beautiful streams of the southern
High Sierra no one certainly knows; bu1 it must have been Long, Long
ago, as men count time, when melting ice filled the Valley of Death and
the terrible deserts of Panamint and Amargosa with sweet waters.
Long before that time trout had found their way into the Rio Colorado
and when the ice came it was not hard for them to push westward to
certain headwaters of the San Joaquin. Among the first to come were
some that took up their borne in the Great Kern, a wild, strange river,
whose sources are among the highest of California's great mountains
and whose course for many miles is almost meridional by the compass
through a great canyon hundreds of feel de<'p and marvelous in its
stupendous grandeur and beauty. In this river the trout were five to
roam about as they liked. Sometimes they would go far down the
stream and even out into that wonderful Tulare Lake, then much larger
and much colder than it has ever been since. Then in early spring
they would go the other way, even entering the tributary streams and
penetrating to the little rivulets that trickle from the flanks of the
great mountains and the banks of snow that never melt.
The waters in all these streams were char and cold, and food was
abundant. Some of the streams that came in from the east and others
from the west already had formed considerable falls in their course
above which the trout were not able to go. In some of the tributaries.
such barriers were met with in the beginning and those streams are
barren of fish to this day. In others, the invasion from the main
stream began and was consummated before the falls became impassable,
and troul are now found in them, although falls which fishes can not
surmount have since been formed in many of them. Among tributary
streams of this character which may be mentioned are Soda Creek,
Coyote Creek, and the Little Kern on the west and Volcano Creek and
South Pork of Kern River on the east. In the first three, the wearing
down of the stream-bed and the formation of impassable falls prevented
any subsequent invasions from the main river, isolated those colonies
of trout which had pushed toward the headwaters, and prevented any
further mixing of creek fish with river fish. Bui in Volcano Creek
the conditions were exceptional and complicated. This stream derived
its fish originally from Kern River, as did the other streams mentioned;
impassable falls subsequently formed and the fish of the creek became
shut off from those of the river. Then an unique factor was introduced.
A period of volcanic activity ensued, during which the west half of the
Toowa Valley was more or less tilled with lava, volcanic tufa, and other
igneous material, the lower half of Volcano Creek was for a time wiped
out of existence, and every living thing in its waters below the tunnel
killed. The only iishes of Volcano Creek that escaped this catastrophe
were those individuals which had migrated Well toward the headwaters
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 121
of the stream above the influence of the lava flow. But this creek was
permanently shut off from any further invasions of trout from the
river; and when its waters again began to flow to the Kern, the falls
then formed were even greater barriers than before, and the trout of
Volcano Creek became more thoroughly isolated.
The environment of Volcano Creek is very different from that of
Kern River; it is that of a small stream, with clean gravelly granite
bed in its upper and yellowish or blackish lava and yellowish tufa in its
lower course, and with water clear, pure, cold, and turbulent. Con-
trasted with this is Kern River, a large stream, many yards wide and
many feet deep, with current often sluggish and bed of fine sand or
mud in many places.
These different environments were sure in time to modify and
differentiate the fishes of the two streams. The law of cause and
effect applies here as elsewhere in nature, and with equal force ; different
causes acting upon even the same thing will produce different results.
But geographical isolation (raumliche Sonderung) is the great
primary factor in the production of new species. It is the potent
agent which holds apart the two groups of individuals, preventing inter-
mingling and confining each to the influences of its own peculiar
environment.
In the production of new species in nature, it is not essential that the
environments be greatly unlike, or unlike at all, if the groups of indi-
viduals being acted upon can be kept from interbreeding.
And thus the trout in Kern River and those in Volcano Creek went
on developing, each group in its own way, the two becoming more and
more unlike and acquiring structural and other characters by means
of which the two forms may be readily distinguished. The trout of
Volcano Creek has taken on characters not possessed by the trout of any
other stream — very different indeed from those of the Kern River
trout. These characters have become fixed, as is evidenced by the
fact that they are essentially uniform among all the individuals of this
creek. The Volcano Creek trout is therefore a different species from
that found in Kern River.
As a result of the formation of impassable falls in the South Fork of
the Kern, in the Little Kern, in Coyote Creek, and perhaps still other
tributaries of the Kern, other colonies of trout that had invaded the
headwaters of these streams became isolated, and in time they also
became specifically distinguishable from those of the main Kern and
all other streams, so that we now have, as already stated, four distinct
species in the Kern River basin. They are the three species of Golden
Trout, and the Kern River Trout which is the parent species from
which the various species of golden trout have been independently
derived.
LITTLE KERN GOLDEN TROUT.
Salmo whitei Evermann.
Other names: Coyote Creek Golden Trout; Soda Creek Golden Trout; White's
Golden Trout.
Description: Head 3.22 in length; depth 3.68; eye 4.54 in head; snout 3.33;
maxillary 1.72; mandible 1.66; interorbital 3.57; longest dorsal ray 2.08; longest
anal ray 2.17; pectoral 1.66; ventral 2.17; caudal lobes 1.61. Body rather stour,
moderately compressed; head conic; mouth large, oblique, jaws subequal;
maxillary long and slender, reaching much beyond the eye; teeth on jaws,
3—48118
122 CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
tongue and palatines well developed; caudal peduncle deep, its least depth about
equal to distance from tip of snout to middle of eye. Fins well developed; origin
of dorsal somewhat nearer tip of snout than base of caudal fin; insertion of
ventral about under middle of dorsal fin. Scales small, but noticeably larger
than in the Volcano Creek trout.
Color in life, back and upper part of side light olive; side and back profusely
covered with small roundish black spots, these extending on top of head, vertical
tins, and on side below lateral line; side with 10 large roundish parr-marks and
a broadish median band of light-brick or terra-cotta red: lower part of side
light lemon-yellow with a number of bluish-black blotches, chiefly anteriorly,
somewhat larger than similar ones on back; belly from tip of lower jaw at anal
tin rich orange-red or cadmium, richest between pectoral and ventral fins, this
band the full width of the belly; no red dash on throat; suborbital pale rosy or
purplish; cheek brassy, with a large dark blotch; opercle rosy orange, olivaceous
above; dorsal fin with about five rows of small round black spots and a black
border except anteriorly, where the rays are tipped with a light-rosy border;
pectoral light yellowish; ventral and anal reddish, with broad white edge;
caudal profusely spotted with black like the dorsal fin. In spirits all the bright
colors fade, but the black spots remain distinct. These spots are largest on the
caudal peduncle, over which they are evenly distributed. They are also pretty
evenly distributed over the entire side and top of head; the space along the
lateral line, however, has fewer spots. Those below the lateral line extend more
than halfway to the belly and are somewhat smaller than those above. About
14 spots show on side of head.
There is not much variation in color, as shown by examination of many
examples. In all, the black spots completely cover the caudal peduncle and the
entire length of side from median line of back to some distance below the lateral
line; the top and sides of the head are always spotted. The middle line of the
side and the belly are always richly colored, the parr-marks always present, and
the dorsal, anal, and ventral fins bright-edged. No conspicuous red dash was
observed on the lower jaw in any of the specimens from South Fork of Kaweah,
Soda Creek, or Wet Meadow Creek, but among those from Coyote Creek were
some showing considerable color.
Marks for field identification: The presence of small black spots on top of
head and all but the lower one-third of the side distinguishes this golden trout
from the two other species of golden trout.
Distribution: Soda Creek; Coyote Creek; Wet Meadow Creek; Little Kern
River. The headwaters of the South Fork of the Kaweah were originally with-
out trout but were stocked with fish from Soda Creek at Quinn's Horse Camp,
and this species may, therefore, very properly be called the Soda Creek Trout.
This fish is known to reach a Length of about Ion inches. It
takes the fly readily, and is a good fighter. Though less brilliant in
color than the golden troul of Volcano Creek, it is in every respect a
beautiful and attractive fish.
The following interesting account of the trout of the small streams
of the Sigh Sierras, by II. W. Henshaw, and written many years ago,
applies chiefly to this species:
' This is the common brook trout of the small mountain st renins of
the Pacific slope, and up to an altitude of 9,000 feet it is the rare
exception to find a suitable stream that is not well stocked with it.
Upon many of them these trout are found in very great abundance, each
pool and rapid numbering its tinny denizens by the score. They may
be taken in any sort of weather, at any hour of the day, by almost any
kind of bait. During the heat of the day they frequent almost entirely
the deeper pools, lying under overshadowing rocks or in the shade of
some convenient log. In early morning or late afternoon they come
out and run more into the shallows and rapids, under which circum-
stances they bite best and afford the finest sport. Like the average
brook trout the species rarely attains any considerable size, ranging
from four to eight or more inches in length. The character of the
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 123
bottom and water itself has much to do with color and I remember to
have fished in a small rivulet on one of the subalpine meadows not far
from Mount Whitney, whose sluggish waters flowed over a bottom of
dark mud, in which the color of the trout simulated very closely its
hue ; they had lost nearly all the flashing irridescent tints characterizing
the same species caught but a few hours before in another stream, and
had become dull and somber-hued. Accompanying this change of
color was a correspondingly noticeable difference in the habits and
motions, and the several dozen trout caught that evening for supper
were taken out by the hook with the display of very little more
gaminess than would be noticed in so many horned pout. On the
contrary, in the clear rapid current of the mountain stream, a flash of
sunlight is scarcely quicker than the gleam of gold and silver, seen for a
single instant, as the whirling waters are cut by one of the trout as he
makes a rush from his lurking place for some chance morsel which is
being borne past him. The Western trout are rarely as shy as their
relatives of Eastern waters, and because of their numbers and conse-
quent scarcity of food are apt to be less fastidious ; yet even when most
abundant due caution must be used if one would be successful, and not
every one can catch trout even in the West. With the proper care in
concealing one's self a pool may be almost decimated ere the alarm
will be taken, and I have seen fifteen fair sized trout taken from a
single small pool in quick succession."
This beautiful trout was named in honor of Stewart Edward White
who suggested to President Roosevelt the investigation which resulted
in its discovery.
SOUTH FORK OF KERN GOLDEN TROUT.
Salmo agua-bonita Jordan.
Other names: Mount Whitney Golden Trout; Golden Trout; Agua-bonita
Golden Trout; Salpio irideus agua-bonita.
Description: Head 3.68 in length; depth 3.85; eye 4.4 in head; snout 4.4;
maxillary 2.09; mandible 2.00; interorbital 3.66; longest dorsal ray 2.09; base of
dorsal 1.8; longest anal ray 1.69; pectoral 1.63; ventral 2.00; caudal lobes 1.46;
base of anal 2.1. Body stout, moderately elongate; head short, snout blunt;
mouth moderate, maxillary extending somewhat beyond orbit, relatively broader
than in the Kern River trout; teeth on jaws, maxillary, palatines, and vomer
well developed; fins moderate; caudal peduncle compressed, its least depth
equal to distance from tip of snout to posterior edge of pupil; scales relatively
large.
Color in life, back and upper part of side light olivaceous; entire body above
lateral line, including head, sparsely covered with rather large roundish black
spots, those extending below lateral line on caudal peduncle; spots on side
anterior to dorsal fin usually few; usually a few spots on median line of back
between origin of dorsal and head; snout and top of head usually with a few
spots; 2 or 3 spots sometimes on side of head; middle of side with a somewhat
distinct rosy band, plainest at middle; parr-marks always present; side below
lateral line light golden yellow; belly scarlet, brightest from ventral halfway to
isthmus; under side of head, except jaw, reddish orange; cheek light golden
yellow anteriorly, rosy or coppery posteriorly; dorsal and anal fins profusely
spotted, the other fins with no spots, the anal dusky; adipose fin with edge
black, and 2 small black spots; anterior dorsal ray tipped with reddish orange;
ventrals and anal red, tipped with orange white; pectoral bronze. The above
description chiefly from a specimen 7.75 inches long.
An examination of numerous examples shows some slight variations in the
colors. The parr-marks are sometimes less regular, and the exact shade of the
bright lateral band and the color of the belly vary somewhat. These, however,
are simply differences in intensity rather than in pattern.
124 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
Marks for field identification: In this species the extent of the spotting on the
body is the besl diagnostic character. The South Fork of Kern trout are almost
invariably well spotted, not only on the caudal peduncle but also along the side
above the lateral line, at least as far forward as the front of the dorsal fin.
There arc also usually a few spots on the anterior part of side and along median
line of back between dorsal and head; snout and top of head spotted, and usually
a few spots on side of head; but there are no spots below the lateral line except
on the caudal peduncle.
Distribution: South Fork of Kern River from which it has been introduced
into the Cottonwood Lakes and Cottonwood Creek, and doubtless other streams.
This species was originally described by Dr. David Starr Jordan in
1893. His description was based on three small specimens conveyed to
him by Mr. W. II. Shockley of San Francisco to whom they had been
sent by Mr. George T. .Mills, state fish commissioner of Nevada, who
in turn had received them from Mr. A. C. Harvey of Lone Pine, Inyo
County, California. A memorandum accompanying the specimens
si at I'd that they had been ''taken by -Mr. Harvey of Lone Pine, Cali-
fornia, in a stream called by him 'Whitney Creek' (more correctly
Volcano Creek), on the west side of the Sierras near Mount Whitney.''
It has since developed that these specimens did not come from Whitney
(Volcano) Creek, but from Cottonwood Creek, a stream on the east
side of the mountains and tributary to Owens Lake. Cottonwood Creek
was stocked in 1876 by .Messrs. A. C. Stevens, S. V. Stevens, and
Thomas George with trout obtained by them in Mulky Creek, a small
tributary of the South Fork of the Kern in Mulky Meadows, about 3£
to 4 miles from Cottonwood Creek. It is therefore evident that the
specimens upon which Dr. Jordan based his description of Salmo agua-
bonita were descendants of tin1 trout from Mulky Creek transplanted
into Cottonwood Creek in 1876 and are therefore the same species as
that of the South Fork of the Kern. A comparison of specimens taken
in the latter stream in 1904 with the type and cotype of Salmo <t<in<i-
boiiila shows them to be specifically identical.
ROOSEVELT TROUT.
Salmo roosevelti Evermann.
Other names: Volcano Creek Golden Trout; Golden Trout of Golden Trout
Creek; Golden Trout; Golden Trout of Volcano Creek.
Description: Head 3.5 in length to base of caudal tin; depth 4; eye 5.6 in
head; snout 3.4; maxillary 1.8; longest anal ray 1.9; pectoral 1.8; ventral 2.1;
caudal lobes 1.8; base of dorsal 1.9; base of anal 2.6; least depth of caudal
peduncle 2.6. Body stout, moderately compressed; head conic, rather long;
snout long; jaws subequal, mouth large, somewhat oblique; maxillary long and
narrow but slightly curved, extending much beyond orbit; teeth well developed
mandible, maxillary, palatines, Eronl of vomer, and on front of tongue, the latter
in two rows; caudal peduncle very stout. Pins all strong and well developed;
origin of dorsal midway between tip of snoul and base of caudal peduncle; base
of ventrals under middle of dorsal; caudal broad, strong, little notched when
fully spread; anal with its free edge somewhat falcate. Scales exceedingly
small, smaller than in any other known species of trout, nonimbricated, and
scarcely showing unless dry; there are about 50 in an oblique series from front
of dmsal downward and backward to the base of the ventrals; there are about
200 scales in the lateral line, 140 to 150 of them having pores.
Color in life, back, top of head, and upper part of side very light yellowish
olive; middle of the side from gill-opening to adipose fin with a broad bright
rosy band, the greatest width of which is about equal to greatest diameter of
orbit; side below lateral line bright golden yellow, fading below into yellowish
white; belly with a broad cadmium or deep orange-red band from throat to anal
tin, the color deepest between pectoral and ventral; some red on belly between
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 125
origin of anal and base of caudal; about 10 roundish or vertically oblong parr-
marks on middle of side, upon which apparently the rosy lateral band is super-
imposed; 3 of these parr-marks are on the caudal peduncle posterior to the
adipose fin, 2 between the adipose and dorsal fins, 2 under the dorsal, and 3
anterior to it; between the first and second large parr-marks and somewhat
below them is a small round spot of the same color, and there is a similar one
between the fifth and sixth spots; cheeks and opercles bright rosy, edged pos-
teriorly and below with yellowish, an olivaceous blotch on upper part of cheek
and a small black spot on upper part of opercle; region about eye olivaceous
yellow, especially below; lower jaw rosy, with some yellowish, membrane
between rami of lower jaw whitish, without rosy wash, tip of lower jaw
olivaceous; mouth on sides and below tongue orange, whitish elsewhere; side of
caudal peduncle with about 30 small roundish black spots, these most numerous
on posterior half, there being only 3 anterior to the adipose dorsal fin; rest of
body entirely without spots; dorsal fin with about 6 irregular series of small
roundish black spots, those toward the distal portion largest and blackest;
general color of dorsal fin light olivaceous yellow, the tips of the anterior rays
with a broad margin of whitish orange; adipose dorsal olivaceous, narrowly
bordered with black, and with 2 small round black spots; caudal fin profusely
spotted with black, the spots arranged irregularly in about 8 or 10 vertical rows;
those at the base blackest and roundest, those on the distal edge somewhat
linear, those on the outer edges of the lobes extending forward onto the dorsal
and ventral lines of the caudal peduncle; general color of caudal fin yellowish
and olivaceous, the lower lobe somewhat rosy; pectoral red, somewhat lighter
than lateral band; ventral reddish, the anterior rays edged with white; anal
reddish with a little orange, the anterior half or two-thirds broadly edged with
white.
There is not much variation in color, except such as is probably due to
difference in age; the rosy lateral band, the parr-marks, and the broad rich
cadmium band on the belly are characteristic. The variation in the black spots
is inconsiderable. In the 29 specimens which the senior author has examined
critically 15 do not show any spots whatever anterior to the adipose fin, and
only 2 of the remaining 14 show any spots anterior to the dorsal fin, and these
are obscure and few in number. In one large specimen there are but 12 to 14
spots on the caudal peduncle; in another somewhat smaller example there are
but 6 spots. The dorsal, anal, and ventral fins are invariably edged with color.
The head in the males is longer and more pointed; the maxillary is also longer
than in the females.
When well spread the caudal fin is usually slightly lunate or slightly notched,
but in some examples it is almost truncate or square. In alcohol all of the
bright colors soon fade, the parr-marks, black spots, and pale edges to the dorsal,
anal, and ventral fins persisting. The general color of the body then becomes
a dirty yellowish white or in some specimens brownish. In some cases the
parr-marks almost wholly disappear.
Marks for field identification: The rich rosy lateral band showing through
the large distinct bluish-black parr-marks, the rich lemon-yellow of the lower
half of the side, the intensely rich cadmium of the belly, and the entire absence
of black spots on the body except on the caudal peduncle, readily distinguish
the Roosevelt trout from all other species.
Distribution: The golden trout is native to Volcano Creek alone, and occurs
throughout the entire length of that stream. It is found at all places from above
the tunnel to below the lowermost of the series of falls near the mouth, and in
all suitable places from the tunnel to the headwaters above Volcano Meadows,
where the elevation is more than 10,000 feet.
Trout are abundant in Volcano Creek ; every pool at the foot of a fall
or below a cascade or rapid is sure to contain a number of them, and
they may be seen on the riffles and under the protecting banks.
Although the fish runs down Volcano Creek even to below the lowest
falls, it apparently does not venture out into Kern River ; no examples
were seen there. It is a creek fish and appears to keep within the
peculiar environment of the small stream. They are most numerous
above the tunnel, probably because fewer tourists visit that portion of
126 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
the stream. The fish there, however, arc usually small. The largest,
finest examples arc round between the natural bridge and the lower
fads.
As a game fish the golden trout is one of the best. It will rise to
any kind of Lure, including the artificial fly, and at any time of day. A
No. 10 fly is large enough, perhaps too large; No. 12 or even smaller
is much better. In the morning and again in the evening, it will lake
the fly with a rush and make a good fight, jumping when permitted
to do so; during the middle of the day it rises more deliberately and
may sometimes be tempted only with grasshoppers. It is a fish that
does not give up soon but continues the fight. Its unusual breadth of
fins and strength of caudal peduncle, together with the turbulent water
in which it dwells, enable it to make a figh.1 equalling that offered by
many a larger trout.
Although now abundant the golden trout can not long remain so
unless afforded some protection. The attractiveness of the Kern River
region because of its scenic beauty is sure to appeal more and more to
tourists every year. Practically the entire length of Volcano Creek
is easily accessible from the trail from the east side of the divide. As
a matter of fact, one can in one day travel the entire length of the
creek and have time to stop frequently to drop a fly into the pools
which he passes. The trout are readily found and easily captured, as
they are so voracious and rise to the lure so readily.
The great beauty of the Roosevelt trout lies in the richness of its
colors and in its trimness of form: the brilliancy and richness of its
coloration is not equaled in any other known species of trout. The
delicate golden olive of the head, back, and upper part of the side, the
clear golden yellow along and below the lateral line, overlaid b}T a
delicate rosy lateral band, and the marvelously rich cadmium of the
under parts, fully entitle this to be known above all others as the
golden trout. Except on the caudal peduncle, the body is entirely
without the black spots characteristic of the rainbow trout series. One
can appreciate to some extent the great beauty of this fish by examining
the splendid painting by Hudson.
In form it is no less beautiful; its lines are perfect, the fins large
and well proportioned, and the caudal peduncle strong; all fitting it
admirably for life in the turbulent waters in which it dwells. It is a
small fi.sii, however. It is probable that it never attains a greater
Length than 14 inches or a weight of more than a pound in Volcano
Creek. In the Cottonwood Lakes it is said to reach a weight of five
pounds.
The scales are smaller than in any other known species of trout.
They are so small, indeed, as to have caused so good an observer as
Stewart Edward White to declare that this trout has no scales at all.
This is an error in observation that is not uncommon; even James
Russell Lowell, excellent naturalist that he was, wrote:
•( >ne trout scale in the scales I lay
(If trout had scales), and it will outweigh
The wrong side of the balances."
But all trout have scales, albeit often very small and not easily seen
except by him who knows fishes, and the golden trout scales are the
smallest of them all.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 127
This, the most beautiful trout in all the world, was named in honor
of Theodore Roosevelt, the naturalist, who, as President of the United
States, ordered the investigation which resulted in its discovery as a
new species.
Cutthroat Series.
CUTTHROAT TROUT.
Salmo clarkii Richardson.
Other names: Black-spotted Trout; Columbia River Trout; Clark Trout;
Red-throated Trout.
Description: Head 4; depth 4; D. 10; A. 10; caeca 43; scales small, in 150 to 170
cross-series. Body elongate, compressed; head rather short; mouth moderate,
the maxillary not reaching far beyond the eye; vomerine teeth as usual set in an
irregular zig-zag series, teeth on the hyoid bone normally present, but often
obsolete in old examples; dorsal fin rather low; caudal fin slightly forked (more
so in young). Color, silvery olivaceous, often dark steel color; back, upper
part of side and caudal peduncle profusely covered with rounded black spots of
varying sizes and shapes, these spots often on the head, and sometimes
extending on the belly; dorsal, adipose, and caudal fins covered with similar
spots about as large as the nostril; inner edge of the mandible with a deep-red
blotch, which is a diagnostic mark; middle of side usually with a diffuse pale
rosy wash, sometimes quite bright, and extending on side of head; under parts
silvery white. The red blotches or washing on the membrane joining the dentary
bones of the lower jaw are usually constant, probably always present in the
adult, and constitute a most important character. (Jordan and Evermann)
Marks for field identification: Red marks on throat; very small scales, there
being about 150 in a row from head to tail; back profusely spotted; teeth present
on hyoid bone at base of tongue.
Distribution in California: Pit River and tributaries, Eel River, coastal
streams of northwestern California, Goose Lake.
Spawns in spring. Decidedly a deepwater fish, except during
spawning season when it seeks shallower waters. Cutthroats do not
rise as readily to a fly as other trout, but more often take a sunken fly ;
nor do they seek swift water as the rainbow. As a rule, this species
does not rank with others in its gameness. Apparently, the cutthroat
in this state is not as prolific as the rainbow; at least this species is
not nearly so abundant as the rainbow. The cutthroat spawns in the
spring and early summer, ascending to the headwaters of streams or
depositing eggs in shallow water or on sand bars in the lakes. Lake
cutthroats invariably reach a larger size than stream fish. Specimens
in the Klamath Lakes have reached a weight of seventeen pounds.
TAHOE TROUT.
Salmo henshawi Gill & Jordan.
Other names: Black-spotted Trout; Silver Trout; Redflsh; Tommy; Black
Trout; Salmo tahoensis; Salmo purpuratus henshawi; Salmo mykiss (in part);
Salmo mykiss henshawi; Salmo clarkii henshawi.
Description: Head 3.75; depth 4; D. 11; A. 12; scales 27 to 37-160 to 184-27
to 37, usually about 170 in a longitudinal series; body robust, elongate, greatest
depth about one-fourth of total length without tail; caudal peduncle about two-
fifths length of head; head long, conical, slender, not extending far behind eye;
two long series of vomerine teeth; caudal short and distinctly forked; dark
olive-green above, covered almost entirely with large black spots; males a dark
yellowish -olive color, with metallic reflections, the dark color being the same
128 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
from the back to the ventral surface; a broad, pinkish, Indefinite stripe about 10
scales wide on the side, each scale included in t hi -= stripe and also in a broad
area above and below slightly edged with light yellow; opercle, preopercle, snb-
opercle. and a triangular spot above the axil of pectoral, scarlet or yellowish
scarlet; under surface of lower jaw with two parallel stripes of red; red also
visible on the tongue and on the shoulder-girdle; brownish -black spots distrib-
uted over the entire body; females usually more lightly colored, and the colors
seeming to have more metallic luster.
Marks for field identification: The dark olive body with many bold black spots
widely scattered almost uniformly over its entire surface, and the red marks on
the throat distinguish the Tahoe trout. Sometimes it has a silvery luster.
Although plainly belonging to the cutthroat series, having the same red dashes
under the throat, long head, small scales and teeth on the tongue, it is never-
theless, browner or yellower in color, and has larger scattered spots which cover
the whole fish.
Distribution: Lake Tahoe and its tributary streams and lakes, upper portions
of the Truckee River, Donner, Webber, and Independence lakes; introduced in
lakes of Siskiyou County, and Bear Lake, San Bernardino County, and in the
Stanislaus and the Mokelumne rivers on the western slope of the Sierras.
Anglers usually point out the following different kinds of trout in
Lake Tahoe and the Truckee River:
Tahoe Trout, dark in color with large spots.
Silver Trout, silvery in color, with small, elongate spots, body
deep and heavy.
Redfish, brilliant in color, with red cheeks.
Tommy, small, relatively large spotted fish, spawning later
than the redfish.
Royal Silver Trout, deep blue above and silvery on sides with
few or no spots. (Salmo rcgalis.)
Even though known to fishermen, these forms with the exception of
the royal silver trout are here all classed as Tahoe trout, until further
information is available.
There has been a great deal of speculation over the identity of the
redfish, a large brightly-eolored fish with a red cheek spot, which runs
up the Truckee River early in spring, the migration ceasing in March.
By many this is regarded a.s entirely distinct from the Tahoe trout.
With the conclusion of this run of fish there appears a run of smaller
fish known to the anglers as tommies. This second migration usually
occurs in April and is about over by May 1. The tommy is a smaller
and relatively large spotted fish. Whether these two forms which
have separate spawning seasons are one and the same fish is yet to be
determined, but at present they are given the same name. (Snyder.)
Frequently, a very light-colored silvery example of Tahoe trout is
taken, its sides having a bright metallic luster and smaller and more
elongate spots. This is usually known as the silver trout, and is said
to frequent the greater depths. It attains a very large size, one
having been caught which weighed 29 pounds. This form was described
by Jordan and Kvermann as Sahno tahoensis and may be, as they
thought, a distinct species.
During a portion of the year the Tahoe trout lives in deep water,
and can be caught, if at all, only on long lines. Early in the spring
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 129
and in the summer they are to be found in relatively shallow water.
It may be that food supply accounts for this migration from deep to
shallow water, as spawning minnows seem to be the attractive food
when the trout is in shallow water. The greater number of this species
are taken by trolling with a spoon. (Snyder.)
The Tahoe trout appears to feed largely on minnows but black ants
and other insects are taken in quantity.
ROYAL SILVER TROUT.
Salmo regalis Snyder.
Other names: Greenback; Grayback.
Description: A fresh specimen is characterized by a deep steel blue on the
dorsal surface which color extends downward on the sides to about the sixth
row of scales above the lateral line, where it abruptly blends into a silvery hue.
The silver dulls ventrally, while the chin, throat, and abdomen are white. The
cheek is marked by a faint red or yellow spot glowing faintly through the silver,
but this is the only red or yellow color on the fish. The dorsal and caudal fins
are the only portions of the body marked by dark spots, but even these are
inconspicuous. It has about 144 to 150 lateral series of scales, 29 to 31 above
the lateral line, 11 to 13 branchiostegals, and 19 to 21 gillrakers. No external
sex differences can be observed. (Snyder)
Marks for field identification: The Royal Silver trout, easily confused with
silvery specimens of the common Tahoe trout (Salmo henshawi), differs from
the latter in its decidedly silvery sides, blue back, shorter head, shorter and
more rounded snout, smaller maxillary, large scales, narrow and more pointed
fins, perfectly smooth basi-branchials which are without teeth, and fewer
gillrakers. The absence of spots is also characteristic.
Distribution: Known only from the Lake Tahoe basin.
Little is known about its habits, but apparently it does not spawn in
streams tributary to Lake Tahoe, as does the Tahoe trout. Feeds
largely on insects, but doubtless also takes minnows, as it has been
caught on a spinner.
Native Charrs.
DOLLY VARDEN TROUT.
Salvelinus parkei (Suckley).
Other names: Malma; Salmon Trout (Alaska and Montana); Bull Trout
(Idaho); Western Charr; Oregon Charr; Salvelinus malma (in part).
Description: Head 3.5 to 3.75; depth 4.8 to 6; eye 6.5 to 7; snout 3 to 4;
maxillary 1.7 to 3; D. 11; A. 9; scales 39-240-36; pyloric caeca large, 45 to 50;
gillrakers about 8 to 12. Body rather slender, the back somewhat elevated, less
compressed than in Salvelinus fontinalis; head large, snout broad, flattened
above; mouth large, the maxillary reaching past the eye; fins short, the caudal
slightly forked or almost truncate. General color, olivaceous, the sides with
round red or orange spots nearly as large as the eye, the back with similar but
smaller spots, and without reticulations, a feature of coloration which at once
distinguishes this from all other American trout; lower fins colored much as in
S. fontinalis, dusky with a pale stripe in front, followed by a darker one.
(Jordan and Evermann.)
Marks for field identification: Distinguished from true trout and from other
charrs by the lack of reticulations or mottling in its color pattern. Large orange
or red spots on the back as well as sides, and the lack of blackish marblings
on the upper fins, distinguish it from the Eastern Brook trout. It may weigh,
when mature, anywhere from six ounces to twelve pounds. The little ones are
brightest in color.
Distribution: The only stream in California in which the Dolly Varden trout
is known to be a native is the McCloud River.
4—46418
130 CALIFORNIA FISII AND GAME.
The Dolly Varden is more voracious than the true trout. In Alaska
si reams il devours millions of salmon eggs, as well as young salmon
and this tish is the greatest enemy the salmon breeder finds, ({amy and
vigorous, it makes a fair game fish, taking a baited hook freely. They
also rise readily to the artificial fly. Their food is principally minnows.
In California, the Dolly Varden is largely nonmigratory. It lies on
the bottom and waits for food to come to it. then grabs it like a mad
bulldog. When caught it will often actually attempt to defend itself
by biting. Moreover, it will live longer out of water than other trouts.
When this fish was taken by scientists in the RlcCloud River, the
resemblance to a dress goods with spots called Dolly Varden and which
was then the rage, led to its being given this name by the lady members
of the party, and "Dolly Varden" it has been ever since.
Fig. IP,. Dolly Varden trout (.SalveKnus parkei). A charr, not a true trout, found
in this state only in the McCloud River.
Introduced Species.
EASTERN BROOK TROUT.
Salmo fontinalis ( M itch ill).
Other names: Brook Trout; Speckled Trout; Fontinalis.
Description: Head 4.5; D. 10; A. 9; scales 37-230-30; gillrakers about 6 + 11;
body oblong, moderately compressed, not much elevated; head large, but not
very Ions', the snout bluntish, the interorbital space rather broad; mouth hirst',
the maxillary reaching beyond orbit; eye large, somewhat above axis of body:
caudal fin slightly lunate in the adult, forked in the young; adipose I'm small:
pectoral and ventral fins not especially elongate. Color, back more or less
mottled, marbled, or barred with dark olive or black, without spots; red spots
on side rather smaller than the pupil; dorsal and caudal fins mottled with
darker; lower fins dusky, with a pale, usually orange, band anteriorly, followed
by a darker one; belly in the male often more or less red. (Jordan and
Evermann.)
Marks for field identification: Small imbedded scales making the tish appear
scaleless; mottled or marbled color pattern of back with no spots, and red lower
fins fringed with white, are the best distinguishing features.
Distribution: Tahoe region, Sierran lakes and streams; planted in most
streams from Siskiyou to San Diego County, with the exception of the coastal
streams. This fish now has the widest distribution, in California, of any
introduced species.
Eastern brook front abound chiefly in cold, slow-running meadow
brooks; but they thrive in all pure cold waters which contain sufficient
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CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 131
air, including lakes and ponds. Never, in California, are they found
in fast-rushing mountain streams. This fish is wary, and great skill
is required in catching it. The outstanding peculiarity of its habits
is evidenced by the fact that a person acquainted with its haunts can
go out and catch a string of Eastern brook in a comparatively short
time, while others, with better tackle and equal skill, will fish a whole
day for them in vain. The largest brook trout are found in the deep,
wide pools in the warmer waters ; the smallest ones are found in the cold,
narrow mountain rivulets near their source. Eastern brook trout do
not keep well nor ship well, probably on account of the fat. They spawn
high up in the tributary streams and so early (October to January)
that eggs for hatchery purposes are almost impossible to obtain. This
trout is a nest-builder. "Cavities are made in gravel, the nest is
shaped with the tail. * * * After the eggs are deposited they are
covered with gravel. The egg is about one-fifth of an inch in diameter,
and varies in color from pale lemon to orange red. The average yield
of the female is from 400 to 600. The period of hatching will depend
on the temperature, ranging from 165 days in water of 37 degrees to
32 days in water of 54 degrees. The yolk sack is absorbed in from
30 to 80 days, and after its absorption the young fish begins to feed.
The rate of growth will, of course, depend on the amount of food
consumed. In artificial culture yearlings, according to Mr. Ains-
worflrs estimate, will average 2 ounces; fish of two years, 4 ounces; of
three years, 8 ounces, and of four years, 1 pound." (Bean.;
History. The California Fish Commission purchased 6,000 Eastern
brook trout in 1872, and distributed them equally in the North Fork
of the American River, in the headwaters of Alameda Creek, and in
the San Andreas reservoir, near San Francisco. In 1875, a large ship-
ment of eggs, 60,000, was received from New Hampshire and succeed-
ing shipments in 1877, 1878, and 1879. Beginning in 1890, large
numbers have been hatched and distributed each year. More recently,
eggs for the hatcheries have been secured from the Marlette- Carson
hatchery in Nevada.
BROWN TROUT.
Salmo fario Linnaeus.
Other names: von Behr Trout; European Brown Trout.
Description: D. 13-14; A. 10-11; P. 13; V. 9. Scales 25-20-30; pyloric caeca
38-51; vertebras 57-58. Body short and stout, its greatest depth being- contained
about four times in the length without the caudal. The caudal peduncle is short
and deep, its depth equal to two-fifths of the length of the head. Length of
head is one-fourth of total length without caudal. Dorsal fin is nearer to tip
of snout than to root of tail; longest ray of this fin equals the distance from
the eye to the end of the opercle. Ventral is under the posterior part of the
dorsal; its length is about one-half that of the head. The adipose dorsal is
over the end of the anal base. Pectoral nearly one -sixth of length without the
caudal. In the male the jaws are produced and very old ones have a hook.
The maxilla extends to the hind margin of the eye. On head, body and dorsal
fin are numerous red and black spots, the latter circular or X- shaped and some
of them with a pale border; yellowish margin usually present on the front of
the dorsal and anal and the outer part of the ventral. The dark spots are few
in number below the lateral line. The ground color of the body is brownish or
brownish black, varying with food and locality. (Bean.)
Marks for field identification: The back and sides of this trout are decidedly
brown; the back is covered with black spots and the sides with red spots. The
belly is silvery white or brownish. This trout is not easily confused with others.
132 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
Distribution: A pure strain is to be found in the Yosemite Valley region;
streams of northern Humboldt ami L akc County. Hybrids, the result of a cross
with the Loch Leven, arc found in many other streams in the state.
The brown trout lives in clear, cold, rapid streams and a1 the mouths
of streams tributary to lakes. It grows to be of large size; maturing
at about 8 inches in length. In its movements it is swift, and it leaps
over obstructions like the salmon. It feeds usually in the morning and
evening, is more active during evening and night, and often lies quietly
in deep pools or in the shadow of overhanging hushes and trees for hours
at a time. Insects and their larvae, worms, mollusks, and small fishes
Fig. 44. Brown trout (Sahno farin) introduced into California about 1895.
Now distributed widely in our state.
form its food, and, like its relative, the rainbow trout, it is fond of the
eggs of fishes. Spawning begins in October and continues to January.
Eggs are deposited in crevices between stones, under projecting roots
of trees, and sometimes in nests excavated by the spawning fishes. The
parents cover the eggs to some extent with gravel. (Bean.)
History. Several plants of brown trout were made by the United
States Bureau of Fisheries previous to 1895, but in that year 135,000
were reared at the Sisson hatchery. With the exception of those held
in the breeding ponds these fish were planted in the lakes and streams of
the high Sierras.
LOCH LEVEN TROUT.
Salmo trutta levenensis Walker.
Other names: Salmo levenensis; Scotch Trout.
Description: D. 13; A. 12; P. 14; V. 9. Scales 24 to 28—118 to 130—26-30;
pyloric caeca 47-90; vertebra? 56-59. Body slender and elongate, its greatest
depth contained four and one-fourth to four and one-half times in total length
without caudal. Caudal peduncle slender, its least depth three-eighths of the
greatest depth of the body, and equal to length of snout and eye combined.
Head rather short and conical, its length two-ninths to one-fifth of the total
length without caudal. The snout is one-fourth or slightly more than one-fourth
as long as the head. The interorbital space is somewhat convex, its width
equal to three-fifths of the length of postorbital part of head The eye is of
moderate size, its long diameter contained five and one-half to six times in
the length of the head, and equalling about twice the greatest width of the
maxilla. Maxilla reaches to or slightly beyond the hind margin of the eye.
Teeth rather strong, those in the intermaxillary and mandible the largest, tri-
angular head of vomer with two or three in a transverse series at its base,
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 133
teeth on the shaft of the vomer usually in a single, partially zig-zag, persistent
series. Mandible without a hook and little produced even in breeding males.
Dorsal origin distant from tip of snout about as far as end of dorsal base from
base of caudal; the dorsal fin higher than long, its longest ray equal to longest
ray of anal fin. The anal fin is much higher than long, its distance from the
base of the ventral equaling length of the head. The ventral origin is nearly
under the middle of the dorsal, the fin being as long as the postorbital part of
the head. Pectoral equals length of head without the snout. Adipose fin very
small, its width one-half its length, which is about equal to eye. Caudal fin
emarginate unless fully extended, when it becomes truncate, the outer rays
about one-seventh of total length, including caudal. (Bean)
Marks for field identification: The true Loch Leven trout is a slimmer fish
than the brown trout, and the adipose fin is smaller. Furthermore, it is fully
spotted and lacks the brown color of the brown trout. The sides are silvery
with a varying number of X-shaped black spots or rounded brown or black
spots.
Distribution: Webber Lake in Sierra County has pure original stock. Com-
mon to California streams: Feather River, Tahoe region, and Siskiyou County
lakes and streams, but usually crossed with brown trout.
The spawning season may begin in October and continues till
January. According to W. H. Shebley, the egg is slightly smaller
(260 to a fluid ounce) than the egg of a rainbow (220 to a fluid ounce)
but larger than that of an Eastern brook (345 and 400 to fluid ounce).
Fig. 45. Loch Leven trout (Salmo levenensis) . A native of Scotland. Introduced
into California in 1894, and now a common fish in Sierra streams, but often crossed
with the brown trout.
This trout is largely nonmigratory in its native habitat. It takes
the artificial fly readily. The food of this species includes fresh-water
mollusks, crustaceans, worms, and small fish.
History. Twenty thousand Loch Leven trout egtis were received at
the Sisson hatchery in 1894. Since that time plants have been made
annually from the fry reared at this hatchery. Most of the fish in the
breeding ponds at present are hybrids secured by crossing with the
brown trout. Hybridization between these two species is very common.
MACKINAW TROUT.
Cristivomer namaycush (Walbaum).
Other names: Great Lakes Trout; Cristivomer; airiong the Canadian Indians
called the "namaycush."
Description: Head 4.25; depth 4; eye 4.5; Br. 11 or 12; D. 11; A. 11; scales 185
to 205; maxillary 2; interorbital 4. Body long; head very long, its upper surface
flattened; mouth very large, the maxillary extending much beyond the eye, the
134 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
head and jaws proportionately lengthened .-1)11] pointed; caudal fin well forked;
adipose tin small; teeth very strong. General coloration, dark gray, sometimes
pale, sometimes almost black, everywhere with rounded pale spots which are
often reddish tinged; head usually vermiculate above; dorsal and caudal
p< 1 1 sulate with darker.
Marks for field identification: Largesl ot all trouts and known by its cream-
colored or grayish spots instead of red spots as in the true charrs. The dorsal
and caudal tins arc marked.
Distribution: Introduced in Lake Tahoe, Fallen Leaf and Donner lakes, where
it is occasionally caught.
Omnivorous in its feeding habits; it has a ravenous appetite, greedily
devouring ;ill kinds of fishes possessing sofl fins. It is even said thai
jackknives, corncobs and other equally indigestible articles have 1 a
found in its stomach. It spawns on reefs and lives in deep water at
other times. The spawning season begins late in September, and
spawning continues until December.
The Mackinaw trout reaches a much larger size than a charr, speci-
mens of from 1") to 20 pounds weight being not uncommon, while it
Fig. 4t',. Mackinaw troul (Cristivomer namaycush). A large trout native in the
Great Lakes. Now occasionally taken in the Tahoe region, where it was introduced
in 1894.
occasionally attains a weight of 50 to 80 pounds in the Great Lakes.
As a food fish it ranks high, although it may be regarded as somewhat
inferior to the brook trout or the whitefish. Compared with other
salmonoids, the Greal bakes troul is a sluggish, heavy, and ravenous
fish. "According to Herbert, a coarse, heavy, stiff rod. and a powerful
oiled hempen flaxen line on a winch, with a heavy sinker; a cod-hook
hailed with any kind of flesh, fish, or fowl — is the most successful, if
not the most orthodox or scientific mode of capturing him. His greal
size and immense strength alone give him the value as a fish of game;
hut when hooked he pulls strongly and fights hard, though he is a
boring, deep fighter, and seldom if ever leaps out of the water, like the
true salmon or brook trout." (Jordan.)
History. Pirsl brought to California in 1894, the Mackinaw trout
was propagated at the Sisson hatchery, and Hie following year 65,000
were planted in Lake Tahoe. In succeeding years additional plants
were made in the Truckee hasin. This fish has not thrived as well as
other introduced species.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
135
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
Evermann, Barton Warreii.
1906. The golden trout of the southern High Sierras. U. S. Bur. of Fisheries
Bull. 25, pp. 3-51, 16 pis., 1 map.
Eigenmann, Carl H.
1890. The food fishes of the California fresh waters. Biennial Rpt. Cal.
State Bd. of Fish Comm. for 1888-90, pp. 53-67.
Jordan, David Starr.
1892. Salmon and trout of the Pacific Coast. Rep. Cal. State Fish Comm.,
1892, 44-58.
1893. Reprinted in ibid.
1904. Pacific species of salmon and trout. Eighteenth Bienn. Rpt. Cal. Fish
and Game Comm., for year 1903-04, pp. 75-97.
1905. A guide to the study of fishes. (Henry Holt & Co., New York.) Vol. 2,
599 pp., 506 figs, in text.
1906. The trout and salmon of the Pacific coast. Nineteenth Bienn. Rpt.,
Cal. Fish and Game Comm. for years 1905-1906, pp. 77-112, many figs,
in text.
1915. Fishes of the Pacific coast. In Nature and Science on the Pacific
Coast (Paul Elder & Co., S. F.) pp. 115-123, pi. 15. 302 pp., 29 pis., 19
figs, in text, 14 maps.
Jordan, David Starr and Evermann, Barton Warren.
1896-1900. Fishes of North and Middle America, in four volumes, U. S. Nat.
Mus. Bull., 47, pp. ct. 3313, pis. cccxci.
1905. American food and game fishes. (Doubleday, Page & Co., N. Y.) xl,
572, many plates and figs.
McCarthy, Eugene.
1913. Familiar fish, their habits and capture. A patched book on fresh-
water game fish. (D. Appleton & Co., N. Y.) xii, 216, figs, in text.
Snyder, J. O.
1917. The fishes of the Lehontan system of Nevada and northeastern Cali-
fornia. Bull. U. S. Bur. of Fisheries, 35 pp. 1-86, 9 figs, in text, 1 map.
Stone, Livingston.
1877. Domesticated trout. How to breed and grow them. (3d ed. Univ.
Press; Welch, Bigelow & Co., Cambridge, Mass.) xiv, 367 figures in
text.
Shebley, AY. H.
1917. History of the introduction of food and game fishes into the waters of
California. Cal. Fish and Game, 3, pp. 1-12, 2 figs, in text.
Fig. 47. Planting fish in the High Sierras.
136 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
SUMMER ON THE CALIFORNIA TROUT STREAMS.
By ROBERT PAGE LINCOLN, Associate Editor of "Rod and Gun in Canada."
Trout fishing California has in plenty, with the added attraction of
picturesqueness afforded by cool valleys, and overlooked by towering
mountains. There is a wide variety to choose from; and that the sporl
is of the very best is annually attested by the experiences of thousands
of the sons of Walton who hie them away for a try at the big fellows.
They generally come back with what they went for, and some memories.
too, that are enlivened with brigb.1 lights that are prone to linger long
in the consciousness; on the other hand, it is doubtful if such memories
ever pass out of one's hoard of recollections.
It is the pride of California to know that it has a native trout that
has gone down to fame, and has taken up its home in practically every
quarter of the world. Just how many of the people of the Sunny State
are aware of this I do not know, but that brilliant elan, the California
league of fly-rod men, are in understanding of it. The fish I have
reference to is the rainbow trout (Sal mo irideus), the most noble finny
fighter that ever seized an artificial fly and made a leaping, dazzling
flight through the waters. In the Eastern section of the country men
speak volumes about the speckled brook trout, though each and every
one of them end up, at some time or another, by telling of the fighl
that the rainbow trout puts up when captured. As an introduction
into other waters, the native Californian, rainbow trout, has proven
himself well able to take care of himself and to perpetuate his kind for
the benefit of anglers. The rainbow trout is now found in the waters
of the British Isles, in France, Germany and Russia. Exceptionally
good rainbow trout fishing is to be had in the many rivers of South
Africa. Anglers have written enthusiastically of fishing for Sahim
irideus in the streams of New Zealand. In our own country the rain-
bow trout has had a wide distribution. Knee deep in the waters of
Michigan and Wisconsin streams I have played this fighter — the pride
of California; reared at the foot of the snow-capped mountains, in the
heart of the Sierras. In the rage that swept the Eastern States over
speckled brook trout' fishing, a condition has arisen where practically
every stream has been sapped of its spotted beauties. "Where to turn
for a replenisher? The rainbow trout is always the happy solution.
There is not a properly-fitted trout stream that will not do for the
rainbow trout. It grows fast. It fights well.
But it seems that only in the shadow of their beloved mountain home
(as in the Sierras) do the rainbow trout give a befitting example of
their sprightly dash and pugnaciousness. One who has tested the
fighting leap and flight of a rainbow trout, in. its own particular
native waters, in the mountains, and has tested a lish of the same
species in Eastern waters at once knows the difference. Still flowing,
often quite warm, and often discolored streams (which the rainbow
trout has been introduced into in the Mast) produce a slow-moving
fish with little fight in him. Such lish speedily degenerate into gluttons,
and keep themselves in the pools. Many of thase hulking fellows
finally get to hugging the bottom and rarely come to the surface to
take a fly.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 137
How different the mountain rainbow ! Unused to warm water, like
the brook trout, he demands the sweet, cold water. By reason of the
swiftness of the mountain stream he has a vigorous "kick" to his tail.
His fins are superlatively .strong for breasting those crystal currents.
When he takes your artificial fly he does not lazily rise to the surface
to suck it in, but snaps it. A moment later he will turn a double or
triple somersault and the fight is on. 'Ware of that light tackle! He
is a match for you. Back and forth he will race from one edge of the
stream to the other. He is cunning, too, and knows every log and
obstruction in the stream. He will (if you do not watch out) snag
your leader on a convenient boulder and there will be nothing left but
the fragrant memory of what might have been. The mountain rainbow
is a high flyer, with the guarantee of gameness linked with his name.
It recalls the brilliant words of Charles Frederick Holder: "How
that rainbow came at me ; how it went repeatedly into the air ; how I
nearly fell overboard, are matters of personal history, and need not be
dwelt upon; but for the first few seconds that living rainbow, which
went pirouetting over the little river on its tail, throwing impossible
aerial swings and leaps, filled a space in my imagination. Again and
again the rainbow leaped, a silvery radiance flashing in the sunlight,
dropping back to dash about the boat, to come in with a rush, faster
than I could reel. * * *
"You have, perhaps, never seen a big rainbow fresh from the icy
pools of its choice. Know, then, that this fish, this seven-pounder which
I held upon the scales, was a thing of beauty, a joy forever beyond
dispute. Its back was well sprinkled with ocelot-like black spots; the
color a deep green, the lower surface silver, while over all seemed
drawn a filmy gauze of old-rose fabric, of inexpressible delicacy and
beauty, which was intensified along the median line in a band of pink
and rose and other tints that produced all the colors of the rainbow,
for truth, and gave this radiant creature rank among the birds of
brilliant plumage."
Holder wrote of the large rainbow trout to be taken in the lakes and
streams of northern California and southern Oregon. How skillful
was this great California angling writer in telling" the beauty of fishes,
and the fascination in taking them? No one has equalled his efforts
at word painting with black upon white.
When one speaks of rainbow trout in California one instinctively
thinks of the Kern River, which finds its birth in the high Sierras. The
waters from Mount Whitney pour into that beautiful stream, :a great,
clear, green, swift stream, among the granite rocks, its waters slipping
along like oil; a river with rippling shallows and deep, cold eddies,
the perfect home of the trout." The Kern River is famed among
anglers the world over. When anglers meet it is always: "Have you
ever fished the Kern, of California?" If you have fished the Kern
you are the center of a curious throng of interested listeners. Especi-
ally does the Kern River interest anglers in that some of the tributaries
from Mount Whitney contain a trout that is one of the gentle wonders
of this planet. I refer to the so-called golden trout. Professor Gilbert
brought out the first specimens of this fish for identification. David
Starr Jordan designated the fish Salmo gilberti. That was some
twenty years ago. The fish was brought from Soda Springs on the
138 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
south fork of the Kern River. Later the isolated golden trout of
Volcano Creek were designated as a species apart from the others, the
scientific term being given them ' Salnm <i<in<i-l)<>iiil<t . ::: This name was
derived from the waterfall thai separates the Volcano Creek from the
rest of the world — that is. as far as coming ami going concerns this
trout. There are scientifically, three species of the so-called golden
mint iii the .Mount Whitney waters; overcast in gold, the fins tinted
in the purest- orange with a nicely brushed-in orange colored stripe
along the median line. The golden trout are an off-shoot of the rain-
how trout; merely that changed environments have wrought a subtle
transformation in their coloration, for the pigment cells of a trout are
very sensitive to taking on a new coloration. If a stream bottom be of
sand and gravel, and very bright, the fish attains to a silvery coloration.
The golden tiuiil owe their coloration to the color of the bottom of the
stream they live in. "The rocks over which these streams flow," says
Jordan, "are of bright granite and quartzite, gray and red. It is
supposed that the color is protective, for the fish are colored like the
hot torn. To a bird looking into the stream, the deception is perfect.
It is supposed (though no one knows) that the colors have heen attained
through natural selection. The redder the fish, the better its chance
to escape the fish hawk and eagle. If this is not the cause of the color,
ne can guess any other, and to escape its enemies through resem-
blance to natural objects is not a trait of the fish alone, hut of hundreds
of other creatures in these and other mountains. But whatever the
cause, nothing in nature is more beautiful or more graceful than a
golden trout, alive in these clear, icy, sun-lit waters."
The golden trout are trout of the high altitudes. Such trout rarely
grow to length and breadth and weight. One rarely catches a true
golden trout much over three-quarters of a pound in weight. They
rarely go over twelve inches in length: a ten-incher may he taken as a
large one. They attain to maturity at a length of about eight inches.
Sadly, they are unwise, being so far removed from man, and they take
the fly with a dash and at the first east that leads many a fish hog to
catch ten times more than he should. Quieter stretches of water (as
where it flows through the meadows) provide good fishing. The trout
angler will find joy in taking a x<'V\ few of these exceptional fishes and
enjoy 1he thought that he is in a region thai, for beauty, if is hard to
equal.
Unknown to many, the size of the stream, the river or the lake that
a rainbow troul is found in has its effect upon the size of the fish.
The reason of this is two-fold: first, the size of the stream: second, the
smaller amount of food that it produces. It is for this reason thai the
rainbow trout often mature when they are six inches in length, in the
streams of Hie high altitudes. They will ravenously seize the artificial
fly, believing it food, for there is a scarcity of it. and therefore its
attractiveness is instantaneous. In the slightly larger streams the
rainbow trout attain to weights of about two or three pounds. In still
deeper streams and huge pools four-pounders are not uncommon. The
Kern, the Kings and the Merced rivers are representative rainbow
*It was later learned thai Hi'' specimens to which It. Jordan gave the name 8almo
agua-bowita really came from Cottonw 1 Creek, into which they hail In ■en introduced
from South Fork of Kern River, ami that the trout of Volcano Creek is a very different
species, which Dr. Evermann named salute roosevelti. See pages 124-125.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. ' 139
streams. In the lakes (as in Kern Lake) the rainbow trout reaches to
a weight of eight pounds. In the Klamath Lakes rainbow trout have
been taken as high as twenty-five pounds in weight. The ocean-running
rainbows are large; they arc salmon-like fellows. They feed heavily in
the ocean and thus attain often gigantic weights. In the ocean their
beautiful fresh-water coloration fades and they become silvery in
coloration. They generally come up to the const rivers in the month
of March to spawn.
Summer on the California trout streams is one of joy unending and
success in due measure. Nevertheless, it is strange what a falling off
occurs in the number of anglers who visit the streams in the latter part
of July and August. Opening days are always attended by outward
moving delegations of anglers; and the streams are thickly peopled.
Later on. however, they dwindle down to twos and threes — and the
streams are left to themselves. A certain number of these sons of
Walton know that the best fishing occurs when the heats of summer
lower on the earth, for it is then the mountain waters yield up their
fairest specimens. Those secluded pools are then veritable treasure-
places and bear a careful looking into; it takes skill and the correct
lure, but the wise angler is never wanting in fitting perfectly into the
situation. Live bait, spinners and artificial flies are used. The live-
bait man knows that the grasshopper is a telling lure what time the
July sun is gilding the heavens and is never to be found near to the
waters then without a box of them. How to use them on the hook
without impaling them? Simply procure some of the smallest druggist
rubber snaps. Take a sufficient number of turns of the rubber around
the hock, bend and then insert the hopper in the loop. Helgramite are
attached to the hook in the same manner and they will still be as alive
as ever. The druggist rubber snap is a bait-saver, and no mistake.
One may catch fifty trout (if it so be) on a helgramite, attached to the
hook with a snap, and at the end of the day's fishing it will be as active
as ever. The larvaes of the Dobson fly (which is the helgramite ) are
only too well known to the live-bait fisher. They are those wicked-
looking creatures one finds in the streams upon turning up stones.
They have a series of pincers on each side, though they are more savauc
in appearance than in actual combat. It has been said that when all
else in the line of bait fails, the helgramite, the grasshopper and the
angleworm will win.
And there is method in the skillful use of the angleworm, too. In
fact there is an art, in itself, to "working for trout,'' as it is called.
Your chuek-and-chance-it, live-bait fisherman will hook on a great gob
of worms; will start it at the head of a pool and will let it tumble,
haphazard down with the current, rolling over the bottom of the
stream. Some rainbows may see it, and take it, no doubt, but not the
fish you are looking for. The true sportsmanlike method of worming
for trout consists in connecting a bare hook to a spinner — a No. 1 or 2
spinner will do nicely. To this bare hook the worm is attached so that
it will trail in the water. Instead of driving the hook throughout the
worm, it is hooked just under ils skin. It requires some little art to
cast this — in fact, it is nol a cast at all, but is allowed to play out in
the water. The spinner will whirl, throwing off a silvery ray, and the
long, trailing worm will have a snaky, wavering motion in the water
140 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
that proves instantly attractive. Move this into some suspicious-
looking mountain pool and if there is a large rainbow trout there he
will be interested in sampling your offering, he it feeding time or no.
It is hard, in the tinny world, to refuse an angleworm that trails so
subtly and enticingly in the water.
However, the safest and most certain method in using the angle-
worm for a lure goes as follows, and has never been known to fail at
getting the fish that strikes: A No. 10 is slipped on to a leader and is
tied to the leader one and one-half inches from the end of it. The
hook should not stand out from the leader; rather the hook shank should
lie along the leader. This done, a second lunik is tied on to the leader
at the end. to be the lead hook, the front hook, so to speak. Now the
worm is connected to this affair, the head of the worm being attached
to the back hook, while the front hook is worked into the body. To all
appearances when this is moved in the water the worm is free; this is
especially true if you are using an invisible leader, of which there is
at least one on the market. When a fish strikes this worm he will hook
up either to the first or the second hook on the leader, or both. There
is hardly a chance here of nipping off the end of the worm for the
simple reason that there is a hook in it.
It seems strange, but nevertheless a fact: Trout will strike freely
and well, it seems, at all times, on the fore-fin of a trout. Simply upon
capturing a trout sever one of the fore-fins and attach it to the hook.
Some of the largest rainbow trout in the mountains will take the fin
viciously when even the succulent grasshopper fails. This fact may
be known to some anglers, but it is as one in ten. The same is true of
a little white strip cut from the belly of one of your trout, about two
inches long and one-half inch wide at the butt end. Attach this to the
hook at its tip and play it to the current. If the current is strong.
one will need to place several split-shots on the leader to sink it. Then
let out line. Let it flow downstream. Seventy-five, one hundred, one
hundred and fifty feet, perhaps. Down it goes, moving in and out of
the pools. Suddenly a large fellow beside a boulder will seize it and
the fun begins. These methods win when the fish are weak on surface
feeding, and are closer to the bottom; and this often happens. Do not
forget the fore-fin or the belly-fin of the trout as a lure. Many are
not aware of it. but the artificial fly known as the Parmachenee -Belle,
was made in imitation of the belly-fin of a trout. Think of it; instead
of imitating an insect (as many suppose it should) it is an imitation
of the belly-fin of a trout. Could anything be more incongruous"? Yet
il was such a valuable hint thai the inventor (a great angler) made a
fly to represent it. The July and August angler in the mountain
pools should give this his careful attention.
It has been said that there are times in July and August when the
angler is not able to "rise'' a fish; that the fish do not even seem to do
any surface-feeding. Naturally, the best fishing goes on when the fish
are rising to the top for insects, as when a hatch of insects is on and
they are rising from the bottom of the stream. The higher one goes
up in the mountains the fewer, it appears, become the true stream
insects. The angler must needs use art in collaboration with some true
study to make some appreciable catches. Mountain trout may be uncer-
tain fellows. Having had poor luck (if any) with a small fly, he may
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME. 141
shift to a rather large fly (even a bass fly) and immediately rise a
large fellow and niake the best eateli of the season. The trouble with
the ill-luck of many anglers is that they give no time to experimenta-
tion. They place their luck with one variety or color of fly, or one
size of fly, and remain at that, without trying anything else. There is
another extreme to this in that many fly-fishermen are constantly
changing flies and using one but five minutes before another shift is
made. The result is that no fly is given a true tryout. Again there is
a hint learned from experience : One cast well-judged and well-placed
is worth ten indifferent casts that have been poorly placed. The differ-
ence is that the well-placed cast is the one that brings success ; the poor
casts, ill-judged, are so much waste of time. Study every nook and
cranny of the stream you are to cast over. Don't make a cast till you
have mentally made note of where a large fellow would in all likelihood
happen to be. For instance, beside that large boulder there is a patch
of still water. If you can make a cast so that your fly, or flies, will
fall on the boulder you will craftily pull them off the boulder — and in
the most natural manner they will fall to the still patch of water.
Deceived, believing the artificial flies true insects, that large and
dazzling rainbow will rise and take the offering. Or here is a semidark
place under a sedgy bank. There is a still place there. A trout
should be lurking in that nook. Or here is a log in the water. Try
your bait or fly alongside of that, seeing to, always, that your fly falls
first, not the line and leader first. Poor casting, I firmly believe, has
only one result, that being : 111 luck !
During the fore part of the season a great number of anglers go out,
but they are live-bait users almost entirely. The salmon-egg contingent,
the dyed-in-the-wool fly-fisherman calls them — and the true fly-fisherman
can be counted on to eschew the streams till the inimitable July and
August days arrive. Then he goes happily forth into the mountain
stillnesses.
There is a reason, too. The early fisherman had to contend with
high and swift water which was mostly discolored. It was the using
of live bait entirely, for the stream insects were not hatching, so that
the trout could be deceived by artificial counterparts. Now, however,
the winged life is abroad; the fly-fisherman is in his element. As the
warmer days come on, the water in the lower reaches of the rivers
disappears or becomes heated out, the fish gradually but surely make
for the upper pools, and thence follow the fly-fishermen. It is riotous
travel at times; the road is rough. Sometimes there are no roads and
one makes his own paths at will. But there is a reward among the
cools of the upper valleys and natural parks where Nature in all her
untrimmed and majestic glory contrives to make California the true
Arcadia of the disciple of Walton.
142
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
PARASITES WHICH AFFECT THE FOOD VALUE OF RABBITS.
By E. RALPH DE ONG, University of California.
A fringe of small, lead-colored bodies, the size of coarse shot, is fre-
quently seei the ears of the brush or cottontail rabbits. These are
young licks, the immature form of < I' our common species, prob-
ably the wood tick (Dermacentor occidentals). After hatching from
l he egg the young ticks wait in the grass for a passing rabbit or other
animal, attach themselves and Peed for three or four days, drop to the
ground and molt (shed their old skins), then await another chance to
feed.
The presence of these ticks lias no effect on the rabbit except a slight
loss of blood and a temporary annoyance, and as this tick has not been
Fig. 48. A young blacktailed jackrabbit, an animal often discarded for food
cause of th< pn ei C parasites. Photograph by J. Dixon. Neg. 290, Calif.
.Mus. Vert. Zool.
reported in California as a carrier of any disease it need not be con-
sidered as of any significance.
The species of fleas commonly found on rabbits in this state have not
1 ii reported as disease carriers so thai the presence of these insects
can also be disregarded.
One species of b:)1tl\ I (( ' U / ( n h ni sp. I attacks rabbits verv commonly.
The Larvae of this fly is almost black in the mature stage, about three-
fourths of an inch long and covered with tiny spines. Brush rabbits
taken in Sonoma County up to the last of July were commonly infested
with this insect. Alter the lirst of AugUSl no larva- were found, they
apparently coming to maturity at this time. They then leave the host
and bury themselves in the ground, emerging the following year as flies.
The larva' are found jusl beneath the skin along the back or breast.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 143
The only outward indication of their presence is a slight enlargement
at the affected point. No injury to the muscles was noted in any
infested specimen, the body being apparently in a normal condition.
Wounds of this kind may, however, become infected by bacteria or
become infested with some of the flesh feeding flies and in this way
produce large tumorous swellings. These latter attacks, when severe,
may produce an emaciated condition of the animal which manifestly
impairs the value of the carcass for food. But if the larvae arc
present on the body of the rabbit, without any outward or internal sign
of disease there would seem no reason for discarding the same.
Rabbits are occasionally taken in this state which show the larval
form of a common tapeworm {Coenurus serialis) which, when
eaten by the dog produces the adult tapeworm Tcewia serialis.1 The
infestation in the rabbit appears as a transparent, bladder-like swelling
which may be as large as a hen's egg or larger and is of frequent
occurrance in jackrabbits, often spoken of by hunters as ;' boils."
Scattered about on the inner surface of this bladder will be seen white
dots about half the size of a pinhead. These are the undeveloped heads
of tapeworms, each one of which is capable of developing into a mature
tapeworm if taken into the body of a carnivorous animal in a living
condition. Hence an animal eating an uncooked rabbit infested with
one of these bladder worms will develop a typical case of tapeworm.
Thorough cooking will kill the larval form so that the meat can be fed
to animals without danger. But the uncooked carcass or viscera should
not be fed to animals.
One specimen of brush rabbit had two infestations : one originating in
the thigh had grown so large as to displace the muscles, the second
formed a large swelling on the surface of the breast. Any infestation
of this kind should be regarded with suspicion and the carcass burned
or buried deeply so as to be out of reach of all carnivorous animals.
Domestic rabbits and probably the wild form are subject to a disease
called coccidiosis resulting from the attack of a sporozoa (Coccidium
ovi forme) . The symptoms are snuffles, running at the nose and diar-
rhoea. The inner walls of the intestines show reddened patches with
more or less ulceration. The liver is enlarged and the interior has
many small round abscesses filled with pus ; as the disease progresses the
carcass becomes emaciated. Animals affected with this disease should
be considered as unfit for food.
An ear mite (Otodectes cygnatis) is mentioned by Professor Herms as
sometimes being abundant enough to cause serious disease or death to
domestic rabbits.
'Determination by Professor W. B. Herms.
144 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
OUT FISHIN'.
By Edwabd A. Guest.
A feller isn't thinkin' mean — out fishin';
His thoughts axe mostly good and clean- out fishin';
He doesn't knock his fellow men,
Or harbor any grudges then ;
A feller's at his finest when — out fishin'.
The rich are comrades to the poor — out fishin';
All brothers of a common lure — out fishin';
The urchin with the pin and string
Can chum with millionaire an! king;
Vain pride is a forgotten thing — out fishin'.
A feller gets a chance to dream — out fishin';
He learns the beauties of a stream — out fishin';
An' he can wash his soul in air
That ain't foul with selfish care,
And relish plain an' simple fare — out fishin'.
A feller has no time for hate — out fishin' ;
He ain't eager to be great — out fishin';
He ain't thinkin' thoughts of self,
Or goods stacked high upon a shelf,
But he's always just himself — out fishin'.
A feller's glad to be a friend — out fishin';
A helping hand he'll always lend — out fishin';
The brotherhood of rod an' line,
An ' sky an ' stream is always fine ;
Men come real close to God's design — out fishin'
A feller isn't plottin' schemes — out fishin';
He's only busy with his dreams — out fishin';
His livery's a coat of tan;
His creed's to do the best he can;
A feller's always mostly man- out fishin'.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
145
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME
A publication devoted to the conserva-
tion of wild life and published quarterly
by the California State P'ish and Game
Commission.
Sent free to citizens of the State of Cali-
fornia. Offered in exchange for ornitho-
logical, mammological and similar period-
icals.
The articles published in California Fish
and Game are not copyrighted and may be
reproduced in other periodicals, provided
due credit is given the California Fish and
Game Commission. Editors of newspapers
and periodicals are invited to make use
of pertinent material.
All material for publication should be
sent to H. C. Bryant, Museum of Verte-
brate Zoology, Berkeley, Cal.
July 15, 1919.
"There is nothing that attracts human
nature more powerfully than the sport of
tempting the unknown with a fishing
line." — Henry Van Dyke.
VINDICATION.
Periodically, the sta'-e Fish and Game
Commission is attacked by members of the
legislature. Any state commission which
has to do with the enforcement of law is
subject to such attacks. In 1911 an in-
vestigation was ordered by the assembly.
The investigating committee, however,
gave a very favorable report as to the
activities cf the Commission. The 1919
assembly began an inquiry which also
resulted in complete vindication for the
Commission. We hope to publish in the
next number '•he full report of the Com-
mittee on Governmental Efficiency and
Economy to wh'ch a resolution by Assem-
blyman Eden was referred. While it
would seem that the resolution was
actuated by spite, the result has been ve *y
favorable to the Fish and Game Commis-
sion, for it has shown the people exactly
where the Commission stands and has
widely advertised the accomplishments of
the past few years.
NATURE STUDY LIBRARIES TO BE
FURNISHED SUMMER RESORTS.
Compact nature study libraries will be
placed at those Tahoe resorts which are
selected for the educat'onal work of the
Fish and Game Commission the coming
summer. The libraries will include books
on birds, mammals, wild flowers, trees and
kindred subjects. Donated to the state by
the California Nature Study League, they
will be deposited with the Fish and Game
Commission to be thus utilized in the
commission's educational work. These
libraries will be annually loaned to sum-
mer resorts in the future and probably
represent only the beginn'ng of a work
which will eventually cover all the summer
resorts of California. They are intended
for use at that time when people, being
on a vacation, are most receptive to study-
ing intimately the miracles of nature. In
ways such as this the Commission is
applying the motto : "Conservation through
education."
• THE 1918 CATCH OF FISH.
Among the reports of this issue
of California Fish and Game is a
complete statement of the fresh fish taken
in California during the year 1918. In
this statement there is included a record of
fish taken in Mexican waters and brought
into California through San Diego and
San Pedro, but this is not included in the
total for California.
The total catch of all varieties of fish
in California for 1918 was 250,218,041
pounds. Compared with the 201,575,953
taken in 1917, this shows an increase of
48,642,088 pounds, or a trifle over 24 per
cent. For a ready comparison of catches
of the more important fish for 1917 and
191S, the following table is g'ven :
1917 1918
Albacore 30,556.243 7,263,895
Barracuda 2,965,368 3,885 691
Bonito 889.896 2,264,164
Halibut 3,585,666 2,837.987
Herring 7,435,997 7,938,280
Mackerel 3,345,563 4,005,906
Rock fish 6,255,380 6.281,425
Sole 8,728,429 7,027,767
Salmon 11,007.442 13,026,076
Sand dabs 2,631,862 1,751.609
Striped bass 1,095,856 1,407,841
Shad (buck and roe) 5.616,110 2.:'A3.635
Sardine 104,103,331 157,652,S11
Skipjack 3.023.847
Tuna 6,240,971
Yellowtail 2,887,413 11,658,259
The figure for the albacore catch of
1917 includes the bluefin and yellowfin
tuna taken. In 1918 the albacore catch
was very short and as bluefin and yellow-
fin tuna were more plentiful, a much
larger number were taken and were for
the first time separated from the albacore
under the name "tuna." The tuna and
albacore catch combined in 191S was less
than half tin' albacore catch of the pre-
vious year.
The sardine catch shows a phenomenal
increase although southern California had
a light run of sard:nes during the latter
146
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
Fig. 49. Four new fish hatcheries. Upper left, Ft. Seward Hatchery, Ft.
Seward, California ; upper right, Kaweah Experimental Hatchery, Kaweah River,
Fresno County, Gal. : lower left, Clear Creek Hatchery, Westwood, Lassen County,
Cal. ; lower right, Doming. > Springs 1 latolu-ry, Domingo Springs, Plumas County, Cal.
part of 1918. Shad, halibut, sole and
sand dab all show a decreased catch during
1918, while bonito, barracuda, mackerel,
salmon, striped bass, skipjack and yellow-
la il all show an increased catch. Al-
though the catch of salmon on Monterey
I'.a.v was less, much heavier catches were
made at Drakes Bay Fort Bragg and on
the lower Sacramento River, which
brought the total catch for 1918 to over
two mil'ion pounds more than that of the
year 1917. There was no great fluctua-
tion in the catch of other species.
There was a decrease of 41,177 dozen in
the catch of crabs and of 41,943 pounds in
the catch of crawfish, while the catch of
shrimps shows an increase of 117,174
pounds ove the jear 1917. The mollusks
do not show any great changes over
previous years.
The Department of Commercial Fish-
eries is making every effoit to secure and
complete accurate statistics of the catches
of all fish and it can readily be seen that
a comparison of yearly catches for a num-
ber of years will aid in determining
whether any certain species is being over-
fished and depleted, or whether it is be-
coming more abundant. — N. B. S.
MAINTAIN A SUPPLY!
It can not be expected that wild life
resources, if left to themselves, will con-
t;nue to yield food and sport indefinitely.
The reason, of course, is to be found in
the encroachment of civilized man, which
not only means increased destruction, but
a diminution of food supply and nesting
sites. Under the artific;al conditions now
fostered a constant supply can be main-
tained only through carefully planned pro-
tection and propagation. By looking over
the attainments of the Commission whose
function is to perpetuate fish and game,
we are assured that the financial outlay
has been more than justified.
RAINBOW TROUT ACCLIMATIZED IN
ARGENTINA.
In 1903 at the request of the govern-
ment of Argentina the United States Bu-
reau of Fisheries donated the eggs of
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
147
several varieties of fish to the southern
republic. A 'etter recently received by
the Bureau states that thousands of East-
ern brook trout are now being caught
annually, that some mens-' e 19 inches,
and have a weight of 10 pounds. In the
mountaii range of Aconqu;ja in 27° south
latitude and in the Patagonian reg'on as
far south as 52° latitude, the rainbow
trout is doing well.
A COLLEGE OF FISHERIES ESTAB-
LISHED.
An event of great importance to those
interested in the fisheries of the United
States, and especially so to those of the
Pacific coast, has been the recent estab-
lishment of a College of Fisheries in con-
nection with the University of Washing-
ton at Seattle. The need for such a col-
the fishery products of this coast alone is
increased to over $100,000,000 ; the invest-
ment in plants, vessels, boats, fishing gear,
etc., on tins coast amounts to about
$115,000,000, while over 75,000 persons are
employed in fishing and preparing the
above products for market.
The production of raw fishery products
elsewhere in the United States amounts
annually to approximately 2,250,000,000
pounds, valued, to the fishermen, at
approximately $00,000,000. When prepared
for market these products would probably
be worth approximately $120,000,000.
The College of Fisheries just estab-
lished by the university enjoys the dis-
tinction of being the on'y one of any
consequence 'n the world outside of
Japan. In the latter country the Im-
perial Fisheries Institute at Tokio is a
TROUT FRY DISTRIBUTED IN STREAMS AND LAKES
OF CALIFORNIA DURING PAST THREE YEARS.
1916
1917 1918
Total
Rainbow 3,399,920
5,223,500 5,680,500
14,303,920
Eastern brook ___ 2,068,500
1,617,500 2,294,500
5,980,500
Loch Leven 1,620,000
1,468,000 1,633,000
4,721,000
Black spotted ___ 3,835,270
3,836,000 1,059,500
8,730,770
Steelhead 5,213,170
6,699,420 4,483,000
16,395,590
German brown 77,300
77,300
Golden trout
_ __ 384,000
384,000
Totals __ 16,214,160
18,844,420 15,534,500
50,593,080
lege has been felt for some time, and Dr.
Suzzallo, the able and progressive head of
the university, is to be congratulated upon
his action in this matter.
The commercial fisheries of the Pacific
coast are of great importance to its wel-
fare, how much so being plainly indicated
when it is stated that Washington, Alaska,
Oregon, California and Hawaii produced
last year approximately 1,000,000,000
pounds of raw fishery products valued to
the fishermen at about $25,000,000.
Seven-eighths of the wo Id's pack of
canned salmon is made on the coast, while
tuna, sardines, clams, crabs, shrimp,
mackerel, abalone, etc., are canned in
large quantities and shipped to all quar-
ters of the globe. Immense quantities of
frozen, fresh, pickled, salted and smoked
fishery products are also prepared and
shipped. When so prepared the value of
government institution and has been in
existence since 1897. S:nce then sub-
sidiary schools have been established in
various provinces of Japan.
Seattle is an ideal location for such a
college, as within its corporate limits, or
in territory immediately adjacent, are to
be found "n acfve operation practically
every style of plant used in turning the
raw fishery products into all forms of
manufactured articles both for food and
for use in the arts and sciences ; while
the great salmon, halibut, cod, and herring
fleets operating in Alaska waters have
their headquarters mainly in tlr's city,
outfitting here and bring'ng back the
products for shipment to the four corners
of the world.
The college offers four yea" courses in
fisheries technology and fish culture. The
fisheries technology courses will train men
148
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
for various lines of work in industrial
plants. OwiDg to the immensity of the
business, as noted above, there is always
a demand for trained men in the salmon
ami other canneries cold storage plants,
smokehouses, and fe-tilizer and oil plants.
Every effort will be made to make the
courses as practical as possible, and stu-
dents will make visits to the planes when-
ever possible so they may obtain first-
hand information as to the methods in
vogue. They will also leceive training in
bacteriology and chemistry, and thus will
be fitted for work in marine biological
laboratories, and in chemical and bac-
teriological laboratories, specializing in
fishery products.
The practice of fish culture ;s becoming
a very important one, and the demand for
trained men is bound to increase. Students
at the college will not only have the
benefit of :ts instruction and equipment,
but can also obta'n an abundance of prac-
tical experience along all lines of fish
cu'ture at the mary federal and state
hatcheres scattered throughout the state
of Washington.
Pond culture, or the farming of our
inland waters, will some day be an im-
portant industry, as there are many
thousands of small lakes, ponds, streams,
and marshy spots which would be utilized
in this work, and acre fo'* acre produce
greater returns than a similar area of
land devoted to agriculture.
The shellfish industry of the Pacific
coast has not thrived for some years, due
largely to faulty methods, and it is hoped
that with more modern methods taughl
there may be a revival of this Industry,
which ought today to be one of the most
important mi the coast.
It is hoped 'n '■he near future to offer
short courses 1 pract'eal fishery subjects
during the winter months when fishing
operations are quite generally suspended,
these courses to be open to those now
engaged in the fisheries and others wdio
desire knowledge' along special lines and
do nol have the time nor desire to take the
full courses.
As the un'versity is a state institution,
an especially important part of the work
of the College of Fisheries will be in
rendering assistance ami advice whenever
called upon by the state authorities, and
also to aid the commercial fishermen not
only of the slate but of the nation in
solving the many problems which beset
them, and to aid in the conservation and
perpetuation of our wonderful fishery
resources. Research work 'ong the lines
of utilization of hitherto neglected species,
and of waste products, will be carried on
and it is hoped will remit in materially
increasing the wealth of the state and
nation.
It had originally been planned to open
the college at the beginning of the fall
term in October, but so many of our
returning sold:ers expressed a desire to
take up the work at once that hurried
preparations were made and the college
opened for the spring quarter beginning
March 31, last. — John N. Cobb.
MANY LIONS KILLED.
Bounty reports for the first th-ve
months in 1019 show that an unusually
large number of mountain lions have been
killed in the state. The exact reason for
this kill is not apparent, but doubtless the
hiring of a man to give all of his time to
the destruct'on of predatory mammals has
had some effect in stimulating the destruc-
tion of the famous deer killer. The totals
for the three months are as follows :
January.
21 males at $20.00 .$420 00
24 fema'es at $30.00 720 00
$1140 00
February.
10 males at $20.00 $200 00
1G females at $30.00 4S0 00
$GS0 00
Vnrch.
■2-2 males at $20.00 $440 00
IS females at $::tu>0 540 00
$980 00
AIRPLANES TO LOCATE FISH.
Still another use for the airplane is to
be found in the recent experiments carried
on along the Atlantic coast Avhere a duly
qualified observer has been making flights
to locate schools of fish. Information so
obtained is telegraphed to the fishing
interests.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
149
FISHERY PRODUCTS LABORATORY
ESTABLISHED.
The incieased importance of the Cali-
fornia fisheries has led the United States
Bureau of Fisheries to establish an experi-
mental laboratory at San Pedro. The
laboratory is now completed and the
equipment installed. A corps of th^ee
scientists will exper'ment n methods of
preserving fish and othe w'se render serv-
ice to those engaged in cann"ng, drying or
silting fish.
THE OWNERSHIP OF WILD LIFE.
Wild life is the property of all the
people. No one attempts to deny this,
and least of all the game v'olator. From
his point of view it 's not only the prop-
erty of all the people, but it is more
particularly the property of him who can
get it. The more remote the locality
where the law is violated, the more deeply
rooted is the idea that the game is there
to be taken, regardless of law, and without
much feeling of more! obliquity. The vio-
lator has a strange feeling that some sort
of justificat'on is on his s:de, though the
law may be on the other. The point of
view is that of early colonial times, before
the state had reason to assert its owner-
ship— when, indeed, game was the prop-
erty of anyone who could shoot straight
enough. It is the point of view of an
extreme individualist.
Game is still the property of everyone.
But, whereas originally the people p'aced
no restrict:ons upon the use of that prop-
erty, they have now thrown about it safe-
guards that are vital for its continued
existence. Every c'tizen has a vested
interest in every individual bird animal
and fish, and is defrauded if the game is
taken in any way contrary to the estab-
lished rules. The point of view of the
man who respects the law, and insists
upon respect for it in others, is that of
collective ownership. His individual right
to take game is depended upon consent to
do so from others.
The feeling of collect:ve ownership is
still only partly developed. The tendency
to wink at violations still decreases as the
sense of common ownership of wild life is
strengthened. — The Conservationist, Nov.
1918, p. 173.
OUR FUR RESOURCES.
More and more we are discovering that
the annual take of furs in California is
considerable and that the money received
by the trappers amounts to a large sum.
Most of the furs are shipped to Eastern
markets, but recently it has come to our
notice that many furs are utilized by the
trappers themselves. The books of the
Eberhard Tanning Company of Santa
Clara snowed that during 1918 the follow-
ing skins were tanned by them : 11 bear,
7 lion, 4SS deer, 128 coyote, S6 raccoon,
12 badger, 17G fox, 15 opossum, 95 skunk,
121 wildcat, 429 rabbit, 53 tree squirrel,
14 mole.
A canvass of the different tanneries
would doubtless furnish some valuable
evidence as to what proportion of furs
are used for home consumption. — I. L.
Koppel.
BLACK BASS IS NOT A TRUE BASS.
Some of our readers have perhaps won-
dered why they did not find some mention
of the black bass in the article entitled
"Bass and Bass-like F'shes"' which
appeared in the Aprl nunibe". The pri-
mary reason is that the black bass is an
introduced fish in our state and further-
more, this fish is more closely related to
the sunfishes than to the true basses.
150 CALIFORNIA FISII AND GAME.
FACTS OF CURRENT INTEREST.
J. C. Bruce, the state lion hunter, has been at work in and around
the Mc Cloud River Game Refuge, District IE. In this locality he
secured three lions. This makes a total of 15 since January 1, together
with 6 wildcats. Mr. Bruce started operations in Monterey County
during May.
X. X X
The past year brought splendid returns to the fur trapper. In
several instances trappers received as high as $20 for coyotes, $8 for
wildcats, and $2.50 for muskrats.
X X" X
The Fish and Game Commission will install a permanent exhibit
in the new building at the State Fair Grounds in Sacramento. The
whole north alcove will be used to display the fish and game of the
state and the activities initiated to conserve it.
Motion pictures showing the commercial fisheries of the state are
being secured for use in educational and publicity work.
Far more definite research work on fish and game is now being
carried on by the Commission than has been undertaken heretofore.
Professor J. 0. Snyder of Leland Stanford Junior University has
been secured to undertake a scientific investigation of the quinnat
salmon.
X^ X^ Xr
A study of the furbearers and the furbearing resources of the
state is being undertaken by the Commission.
X- X-' X
One haul of a trawl net made recently off the coast of southern
California netted a ton of fish of seven different varieties.
X X- X-
Sportsmen convinced that the deer season has opened too early in
southern California succeeded in having the law changed by the
Legislature to provide for a September 15 opening, 15 days later than
formerly.
4r X X
Applications have been received requesting the setting aside of
three different areas as state game reservations. An area of 25,000
acres, one of 30,000 and one of 20,000, are situated in Santa Barbara
and Ventura counties.
XXX
Progress is being made on the attempt to negotiate treaties with the
Spanish-American republics for the protection of migratory birds.
The matter has been referred to the Department of Agriculture that
appropriate conventions may be drafted. The state department has
promised to act as soon as these drafts are received.
XXX
Paladini, the wholesale fisherman of San Francisco, was recently
arrested for trawling within the three mile limit. He deposited $250
cash bail for his appearance before Judge De La Montanya at San
Rafael. As Mr. Paladini did not appear, his bail was declared for-
feited and a bench warrant was issued and given to Constable Crane
to serve.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
151
HATCHERY NOTES.
W. H. Shebley, Editor.
BROOKDALE HATCHERY.
The take of eggs at the Scott Creek
station w:ll amount to approximately
1,700,000, of which 1,000,000 will be
hatched at the Brookdale Hatchery for
distribution in the streams in that section
of the state. Shipments of eggs have
been made to Wawona, Mt. Shasta and
Mt. Whitney hatche 'es, from which sta-
tions they will be given general distribu-
lion in suitable streams.
SNOW MOUNTAIN STATION.
The take of eggs at Snow Mountain
Station, on the Eel River, was much
greater than that at Brookdale, and will
amount to probably 4,500,000. Of the
eggs hatched at Snow Mountain 200,000
are to be planted in the upper reaches of
the Eel River near the station, and the
balance of the eggs have been shipped to
Ukiah, Yosemite, Fort Seward, Mt. Whit-
ney, Domingo Springs, Mt. Shasta, Ka-
weah and San Mateo hatcheries. From
these stations the result:ng steelhead trout
fry will be given an extensive d'stribution
under the arrangements made for carrying
on this season's operations.
MT. TALLAC HATCHERY.
The Mt. Tallac Hatchery was opened
for operations during the latter part of
March, and the work is progressing very
nicely. To date there have been nearly
2,000,000 black-spotted trout eggs taken
and we expect to reach the 3,000,000 mark
before the end of the season.
FALL CREEK HATCHERY.
The rainbow egg-collecting stations on
the Klamath River were opened for opera-
tions during the month of February.
Racks and traps were installed in Cotton-
wood Creek, near Hornbrook, and in
Camp, Bogus and Fall creeks ; and
1,750,000 rainbow trout eggs were taken
at the four stations. A portion of the
eggs were immediately shipped to Mt.
Shasta Hatchery to be eyed, and the
balance were placed in troughs at the new
Fall Creek Hatchery, where they will be
eyed for shipment to stations in other
parts of the state. We have also arranged
to hatch near'y a half nrllion rainbow
eggs at the Fall Creek Hatchery for dis-
tribution in the Klamath River this
season. A million quinnat salmon eggs
Fig. 50. Fall Creek Hatchery. A fine modern hatchery built by the California-
Oregon Power Company in lieu of a fishway over the Copco Dam. Photograph by
L. J. Stinnett.
152
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
have also been hatched al the Fall Creek
Hatchery and the resulting fry will be
distributed in the Klamath River. Ship-
ments of rainbow eggs will be made from
Fall Creek Hatchery to Ft. Seward, Alt.
Shasta and Yosemite hatcheries, from
which stations they will be given the
usual distribution.
BEAR LAKE HATCHERY.
Fish cultural operat'ons were com-
menced at the North Creek egg collecting
station during the latter pari of .March
and racks were put in both North Creek
and Metcalf Creek. The season has been
a very favorable one, and while the run
is still on, we believe that the take of
rainbow trout eggs at this station will
amount to approximately 4,500,000.
Arrangements are being made to hatch
and distribute 750,000 rainbow fry from
the North Creek Hatchery, and a like
number will be sent to the Bear Lake
Hatchery, located at Green Spot Springs,
from which stat:on they w'll be dis-
tributed in Big Bear Lake and streams of
San Bernardino County later in the
season. Arrangements are being made to
ship eyed eggs from the North Creek
station to Mt. Whitney, Mt. Shasta, Yo-
semite, Kaweah and Wawona hatcheries.
ALMANOR HATCHERY.
Almanor Hatchery was opened for
operations during the early part of March,
and during the fore part of the season
thrrc was a good run of rainbow trout.
However, it became necessary for the
Greal Western Power Company to run a
big head of water through the Almanor
spillway on accounl of the rapidly melting
snow, and this prevented the biggest part
of the run of rainbow troul from reaching
our racks. However, we will probably
receive' between 300,000 and 400,000 eggs
as the result of the season's work.
DOMINGO SPRINGS HATCHERY.
Domingo Springs Hatchery was opened
the |atter p;1ri of March and at the pres-
ent; time the run of rainbow trout in Rice
('nek is on. Very few eggs have been
taken to date, but the season promises to
be a very favorable one.
CLEAR CREEK HATCHERY.
Clear Creek Hatchery will be opened
up during the latter part of May and
rainbow trout eggs will be shipped to this
si ;ii ion from Almanor and Domingo
Springs hatcheries. The resulting fry will
be distributed in streams in the vicinity of
Wcstwood and other portions of Lassen
and Plumas counties.
MT. SHASTA HATCHERY.
The take of Loch Leven and Herman
brown trout eggs was very .successful.
.More Loch Leven trout 'ry will be dis-
tributed from Mt. Shasta Hatchery during
the coining season than ever before. The
German brown trout eggs taken are from
stock held >n the ponds at Sisson Hatchery
resulting from eggs received from the
Minnesota Fish and Game Commission
three years ago. These w'll be the first
German brown trout fry distributed in
California for a number of years. The
take of Eastern brook eggs was less than
usual, and we will have only approxi-
mately 1,000,000 fry of this species for
distribution during the coming season.
Rainbow trout eggs from the Klamath
River stations, Domingo Springs and
North Creek, and steelhead eggs from
Brookdale and Snow Mountain stations
have been shipped to the Mt. Shasta
Hatchery and the same will be hatched
and reared for distribution in streams.
MT. WHITNEY HATCHERY.
Rainbow. Loch Leven, Eastern brook,
black-spotted and steelhead eggs have been
shipped to Ml. Whitney Hatchery from
different stations in the state, and the
resulting frj will be given wide distribu-
tion in the streams of southern California
during the coming season. During the
coming month we expect to open up
Cottonwood Lake station, and if results
are as satisfactory as during the past
season we should obtain a half million or
more golden trout eggs. These would be
immediately transported to Mt. Whitney
Hatchery and hatched for distribution in
streams and lakes of the state.
WAWONA HATCHERY.
Wawona Hatchery was opened shortly
after the first of May and rainbow and
steelhead eggs are being forwarded from
other stations. The resulting fry will be
given ihe usual distribution in that
section.
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
153
Fig. 51. Bear Lake Hatchery, San Bernardino Courty, California. The output
of this hatchery stocks most of the streams of southern California. Photograph by
Berry.
EXPERIMENTAL HATCHERIES.
A hatchery has been established in the
Yosemite Valley at a site selected for the
erection of a permanent hatchery, if the
results of this season's operations are
satisfactory. Before erecting a permanent
hatchery in this section we deemed it
advisable to determine by practical experi-
ments if conditions were favorable for fish
cultural operations. Rainbow, steelhead
and black-spotted trout eggs will be
shipped to the station and if the experi-
ments are successful the resulting fry will
be distributed in streams and lakes of the
Yosemite Valley.
An experimental hatchery to determine
the suitability of the waters of the
Kaweah River for hatchery purposes has
been established on the Kaweah River,
near the town of Hammond, Tulare
County. Rainbow, steelbead and black-
spotted eggs have been shipped to this
station, and if the result'ng fry survive
they will be distributed in the waters
tributary to the Kaweah River, Tulare
County.
NEW EXPERIMENT ON HATCHING
SALMON ARTIFICIALLY.
The California Fish and Game Com-
mission is trying out a series of experi-
ments with trout eggs, to determine
whether or not salmon can economically
and scientifically be hatch 'd and reared
in cages placed in the beds of streams.
These experiments will be conducted with
eggs artificially fertilized and placed in
the beds at different stages of develop-
ment. Later in the season when salmon
eggs are available the experiment will be
continued by substituting the salmon for
trout eggs. The idea is not a new one, as
it was suggested by Professor Cloudsley
Rutter in 1899. An experiment was made
by Professor Rutter at that time, but on
account of an accident the result was not
conclusive. The Commission will now
carry on experiments to determine
whether any improvement in the propa-
gation of salmon can be made along these
lines. The experiments will be under the
supervision of the fish experts of the
Department of Fish Culture.
154
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
COMMERCIAL FISHERY NOTES.
FRESH FISH USED BY
PLANTS AT SAN PEDRO.
During the last four months millions of
pounds of fresh fish have been used in the
manufacture of fish meal and fertilizer.
The run of fish increased to such an
extent in the first part of May that the
reduction plants could not handle all the
fish brought in. The fishermen, however,
continued to bring in large catches of
sardines regardless of any idea that they
could be disposed of or handled by the
reduction plants.
On April 30, the Minnie F brought in
5S,995 pounds of barracuda, all of which
N. B. Scofield, Editor.
EDUCTION could not even be used by the reduction
plants.
The total amount of fish used to manu-
facture fish meal and fertilizer during the
months of January, February, March and
April, 1919, was as follows :
Pounds.
Sardines 15,G30,0G7
Barracuda
Rock cod _
Kingfish
Halibut —
Shark
58,995
15,254
9,290
4,400
2,712
Total 15,718,000
Fig.
Boatloads of sardines at San Pedro, May fi. 1010. All of this fish went to
the reduction works to be made into fertilizer.
went to a reduction plant. On May G
many sardine boats arrived loaded to full
capacity with sardines which later went
to reduction plants to be made into fish
meal. One of these boats had 26 tons of
sardines on board.
All the reduction plants combined have
a capacity of about 1200 tons daily. The
surplus was so great the city health
department ordered 185 tons of sardines
dumped out at sea in one day. The sar-
dines were in such a bad condition they
Up to June 1, over 32,000.000 pounds
of sardines had been utilized by the redue-
tion works. — Earl M. Nielsen.
BETTER RECORDS OF CATCH
NECESSARY.
In this issue of California Fish and
GAME will be found a statement of the
canned, cured and manufactured fishery
products of California tor the year 1918.
Although most of the packers have gladly
furnished the Commission with the infor-
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
155
mation requested, cons'de-able difficulty
has been experienced in securing the
record of packs made by a few firms
throughout the state. Because of the lack
of co-operation on the part of these few
firms there are, no doubt, a number of
discrepances in the figures, not so much
in the quantity as in the size and kind of
container. Much of the sa't fish is shown
in barrels, although much of it may have
been packed in smaller containers. The
tuna pack reported by some firms includes
individual firm and any statement or
report made up and publ!shed, or fur-
nished for publication, will be for the sole
purpose of furthering and boosting a great
California industry.
FIRST TUNA RECEIVED MAY 14.
The first yellow-finned tuna to reach
any of the San Pedro and Long Beach
canneries was received by the Van Camp
Sea Food Company on May 14. The
tender Undine brought approximately 13^
$$&$&
Fig. 53. Food fish made into fertilizer. Left, 26 tons of sardines
of barracuda.
right 58,000 lbs.
their albacore pack, therefore the tuna
pack shown is really more than the actual
pack, while the albacore pack is short.
It will be the aim of the Commission to
have the necessary blanks for the 1919
pack in the hands of ?'l packers before
the end of the year and it is hoped that
all packers will co-ope-ate with the De-
partment of Commercial Fisheries of the
Fish and Game Commission by filing a
complete and accurate report of their
operations for 1919 at the close of the
year. This will enab'e the Commission to
issue intelligent informafon on the Cali-
fornia industry which should be of great
value to all concerned. No information
is given out regarding the pack of any
tons of yellow-finned tuna (Thunnus
macropterus) from Lower California,
where the above company ;s operating a
cold storage barge and floating cannery in
conjunction with its San Pedro plant.
NORTHERN BOATS JOIN FISHING
FLEET.
Eleveu purse seine boats have arrived
at San Pedro harbor from Puget Sound
points. These boats average from 60 to
65 feet in length and are equipped with
heavy duty engines of from 45 to 85 horse-
power. They were formerly engaged in
salmon fishing, but plan to fish for tuna
in sout ern California waters. .
156
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
FISHERMEN RECEIVE 20 CENTS FOR
FIRST TUNA.
The tirst tuna {Thunnua thynnus) to
reach the local who'esale markets were
brought in by the Peter Pan, a pur e
seine boat, on May 22. The total catch
consisted of .'!717 pounds and the fish
averaged about 20 pounds each. The
fishermen found an active market for
their catch and received 20 cents per
pound in tha round.
FLOATING CANNERY BURNS.
The floating fish cannery, John G.
North, which before its conversion was
a sailing vesse1, p'y'ng between Honolulu
and San Francisco and other Pacific coast
ports, was burned to the water's edge 111"
morning of May 14 off Cap" San Lucas
on the coast of Lower California, accord-
ing i" word brought here by the fishing
launch Rex. The John <;. North was
beached, all the rew reaching the shore
safely. The loss was $50,000. The
John (}. North was operated by the Van
Camp Sea Products Company, which has
a plant at San Pedro.
NOTES FROM THE STATE FISHERIES LABORATORY.
By Will F. Thompson and Elmer Higgins
GOAT FISH TAKEN IN CALIFORNIA.
Several specimens of a "are and beau-
tiful fish hitherto unknown in southern
California waters w>re taken by the
Albacore in March, 1919. They belong
to the species I /;< n< us ihii In I its, of the
family of surmullets. The fish are small,
covered with large scares, and brilliantly
marked with crimson and yellow bands.
A pair of long fleshy barbels extending
backward from the point of the chin
makes the name of ' goat fish'' seem
appropriate.
The species is recorded as "rare" on
the coast of Mexico, and has been taken
only at Cape San Lucas, La Paz and Tres
Marias Islands at the far end o£ Lower
California. The specimens taken by the
Albacore are from Encinitas in 21
fathoms and from Long Beach in 5
fathoms.
This is another instance of a supposedly
rare fish taken by new methods of fishing.
The error in assuming that such rare fish
are migrants from Mexican waters, where
they are abundant, is apparent. — B. H.
SPINY LOBSTER LARV/E.
An interesting addition to our knowl-
edge of the life of the spiny lobster pro-
vided by the collections of the Albacore,
is another series of larvse in the phyllo-
some Stage. These specimens are similar
to the ones described and figured for the
first time in the January number of
Oaxifobnia Pish and Game and although
they were taken in February, six months
later than the first series, they show
about the same degree of development.
About two dozen were taken in surface
nets in the vicinity of Osborn bank, outer
Santa Barbara passage. — E. II.
ATTEMPT TO REAR GRUNION.
Following the discovery of the remark-
able spawning habits of the grunion or
little smelt {Leuresthea tenuis), the storj
of which by Will F. Thompson has just
been published as Fish Bulletin No. •">. an
attempt was made in a small way to rear
the young grunion through the larval
Stages to the adult condition. The young
were hatched from eggs taken from the
beach and were placed in jars of sea
water. Running water was not used, but
the water was changed daily and food
was added daily from tow-net collections
taken from the end of the Long Beach
pier.
The larvse lived thus at about room
temperature with a maximum range of
10° F. for eleven days, when the last one
died. The fish, of course, had not lost
their larval character in Ibis time, but
interesting and valuable observations were
made on their early development, and on
their food and feeding habits. The experi-
ment also yielded experience which will be
valuable in the rearing of the young of
other food fishes- an undertaking which
may be carried out with adequate equip-
ment in the new laboratory. -E. II.
•California State Fisheries Laboratory,
lion No. 9.
Contriliu-
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
157
LIFE HISTORY OF FLAT-FISH.
The investigation of the l!fe histories of
various flat-fishes of southern California
has been progressing satisfactorily. Four-
teen species of flat-fish, Pleuronectidae and
SolcidEe, have been taken to date by the
bottom nets of the Albacore and notes on
their distribution and movements recorded.
Material for the study of the .development
of several species has also been taken and
is awaiting careful study. Among this
material is a complete ser'es in the
development of the sand dab from the
youngest larva scarcely 5 mm. long to the
spawning adult. Very young stages or
partial series have also been taken of the
big-mouthed flounder (Hippoglossina sto-
mata), the sharp-raged flounder or turbot
(Pleiironichthys vcrticalis), the lemon
sole {Parophrys vetulus) , the long-finned
flounder (Xystreurys liolepis), two species
of sand dab (Citharichthys stigmaeus and
C xanthostigma) , the diamond flounder
(Hysopsetta guttulata), the tongue sole
or San Diego sole (Hymphurus atri-
oaudus), and the California halibut
(Paralichthys calif omicus) .
The study of the California halibut has
proceeded further than the rest and in-
cludes observations on the age and rate
of growth, comparative sizes ard numbers
of the sexes, seasonal movements and
migrations between banks, spawning
period and egg-production, and early
development. — E. H.
PORPOISE CAPTURED.
A unique experience in shooting big
game was enjoyed by the naturalist aboard
the Albacore when he killed a large
porpoise, probably of the species Lagcn-
orhynchus obliquidens, on April 19, 1919.
A school of about a dozen individuals
was sighted about 35 miles' west of Point
Vicenti cruising on a course diagonal to
that of the launch but at such speed that
the launch was soon overtaken. The
porpoises paused, circled about the boat
several times, leaping and playing, and
then resumed their original course. A
lucky shot from a high powered rifle,
however, caught one of the big fellows
fairly in the body as he was leaping, and
the rest vanished instantly. Death, which
came after only a hundred yards or so of
mad leaps and plunges, left the animal
Boating, head up, when he was easily
gaffed and hauled on board with block
and tackle.
Tlir specimen was an adult male seven
ami one-half feet long and weighed about
\'<>\w hundred pounds. The skin was black
on the back, head, and fins, white on the
sides and belly and of satin smoothness
without signs of bristles or hair as might
have been expected, the porpoise being a
mammal and not a fish. The skin was
uniformly underlaid w'th a layer of
dense hard blubber fully one inch in
thickness, as was discovered when the
an'mal was butchered.
Although the mouth is small and prac-
ticaly toothless, the porpoise is evidently
a carnivorous animal, as the cardiac
stomach contained six recently swallowed
sardines of unusually large size — -about
one foot in length. In addition, the
stomach contained about a pint of par-
tially digested material and a quantity of
fish scales.
The flesh of the porpoise is very tender,
resembling beef in texture but is very
dark in color. The flavor is delicate but
quite different from any other meat. The
body is so thick that the tenderloin sup-
plied a great number of steaks and pot
roasts of excellent qual:ty except for the
lack of streaks of fat so desirable in beef.
The liver was large, closely resembling
that of pork liver in flavor, and the heart
baked en casserole was indistinguishable
from that of beef. On the wdiole, the
porpoise would be a valuable food animal
if the public palate could be educated to
the unusual. — E. H.
HALIBUT EATS LARGE ROCK.
The gray cods are famous aM the world
over for taking into their stomachs what
the fishermen term "ballast," in the shape
of stones of various sizes. These are con-
sidered necessary to enable the cod to
maintain an even keel during the storms
which rage on the surface of the sea
above them. But it is not as generally
known that the halibut (Hippoglossus)
does the same thing. Due to the kindness
of Dr. P. Kermode, director of the Pro-
vincial Museum at Victoria, B. C, I am
able to reproduce the following letter from
a prominent fisherman of Vancouver,
B. C. :
158
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
"Mr. Walter Wh'te, for many years
employed as a halibut fisherman on the
vessels of this company, and latterly as a
mate on our S. S. Kingsway, brought to
the office this morning a rock weighing
about two and a half pounds. White
states that he personally took this rock
from the stomach of a halibut weighing
about GO pounds, during August, 1918.
The S. S Kingsway was fishing off
Bonilla Island at the time, in thirty-five
fathoms of water."
The explanation of this lies in the fact
that the halibut are famous eaters of
small things as well as large things, and
they pick from the ground and from the
rocks and kelp all sorts of animals,
including sea anemones, clam siphons,
worms, etc., and in the process of doing
so they frequently take in things which
were not intended to find a lodging in the
stomach of a fish. It is due to reckless
eating, not to foresight in taking in
"ballast."— W. F. T.
YOUNG OF THE LADYFISH
DISCOVERED.
In the April, 1919, issue of California
Fish and Game note was made of the
abundance of the young of a supposedly
rare species, the so-called "king of the
salmon." We have another similar case
to record here, the young of the ladyfish,
Albula wipes, having been taken in num-
bers in several hauls of a bottom net by
our boat, the Albacore. The adult fish
is classed as a rarity in the ma-kets,
though specimens are usually careful'y
saved, but the finding of many young indi-
cates that the appearance of scarcity is
rather a result of the failure of present
modes of fishing to take the adults except
as an accident.
The young here mentioned were taken
three hundred yards off American avenue,
in Long Beach, in from four to five and
a half fathoms. They are approximately
7 centimeters (2$ inches) in length, very
transparent and delicate. — W. F. T.
CLAM INVESTIGATION.
The Fish and Game Commission has
been fortunate enough to secure the serv-
ices of Professor Frank W. Weymouth of
Stanford University for a short period,
beginning April 20 and ending in June.
He will be remembered as having done
much work on the edible crab (Cancer
wai/ister) of the Pac:fic coast. Professor
WVyraouth will initiate work on the clams
of the coast which will prove of general
interest, it is believed. The laboratory at
Long Beach will be his headquarters. —
W. F. T.
SHAD CAUGHT AT SEAL BEACH.
On the twenty-second of April of this
year there was what might be termed a
"run" of shad, Alosa sapidissima, several
hundred pounds being brought in on that
and succeeding days. They were taken in
sardine nets, one of the hauls being taken
off Seal Beach. All the fish were of large
size.
The occurrence of the shad in the
waters of southern California is rather
unusual, although several times recorded
as far south as San Diego. We are under
obligations to Mr. Neilsen of the San
Pedro office of the Commission for infor-
mation concerning the run. — W. F. T.
ALASKA BLACK COD TAKEN NEAR
SAN PEDRO.
A specimen of the Alaska black cod
(Anoplopoma fimbria), 5Z inches long,
was taken April 20, 1919, near San Pedro
by a sardine fisherman. It has been pre-
viously recorded from off Point Loma,
near San Diego, by Starks and Morris. It
was not recognized by any fisherman in
San Pedro, and is apparently a very rare
species. Mr. Neilsen of the San Pedro
office obtained the specimen for us. —
W. F. T.
CANNERY RECEIVES MEXICAN FISH.
There have been several species of
Mexican fish brought recently to San
Pedro by the Van Camp Sea Food Com-
pany. They were obtained near Cape San
Lucas by fishermen working for the float-
ing cannery (lately destroyed by fire)
belonging to that company, and are note-
worthy as perhaps the first fish brought
in a fresh condition from so far south.
They included the follow'ng species :
1. Caraux hippos, the "toro," a very
dark-meated fish allied to the pompanos
and yellowtails.
2. Neomaenis sp., the "red snapper." a
species closely allied to the snapper of the
Gulf States, and hence probably of con-
siderable commercial value.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
159
3. Xesurus punctatus, the "cochinito,"
not generally regarded as of use com-
mercially.
4. Nematistius pect oralis, the "pez de
gallo," or "rooster-fish," a large fish with
long dorsal spines, perhaps nearest to the
yellowtail (Scriola) but dark meated.
5. Traehinotus rhodopus, the "pampa-
nito." a pompano of good eating quali-
ties.—W. F. T.
THE BREEDING SEASON OF THE
SARDINE.
In view of the general interest in the
habits of the sardine, the following gen-
eral summary of work on its breeding
season is presented :
During the years 1917 and 1918, care-
ful examinations oc the sardine were made
at intervals to observe the state of the
roe. As the summer approached, the
examinations were made at more frequent
intervals. The net result was to prove
that throughout January, February,
March, and April the ova increased stead-
ily in average size, but that during May
the fish which could be termed mature
disappeared in large part.
Later, toward the end of May, there
appeared what seemed mature fish with
spent and regenerating roe sacks. These
were, however, in small numbers and had
to be carefully culled from the great
numbers of small fish brought in. The
fair presumpt'on was that the mature
sardines had become inaccessible to the
fishermen, either through a seaward
migration or a change in habit. No
spawning sardines were taken at any
time.
The discovery of what appeared to be
spent fish in small numbers did not, how-
ever, prove that the spawning season had
passed, or even that it was well under
way. That a certain proportion of most
species spawn early, and that there is a
period when the spawning is at its height,
with a following decline, seems probable.
If the sard'ne is such a species, the find-
ing of spent fish merely means the initia-
tion of the spawning period. That this is
probably true would appear from the fact
that the roe in no case examined was so
close to a spawning condition as to justify
a belief that :t was distant less than a
month.
These facts have been entirely corrobo-
rated during the spring season of 1919.
A series of samples have been collected
and examined daily since the early part of
May until the date of writmg (May 20),
and the same succession of changes have
been observed.
The young of the sardine under 30
millimeters in length have been taken in
the fine meshed nets of the Albacore dur-
ing the winter months. Pending a careful
examination of these younger forms, it is
not attempted to decide the time of the
spawning season. The only justified con-
clusion >s that spawning fish are not
taken in any numbers by the fishermen. —
W. F. T.
CONSERVATION IN OTHER STATES.
REFORMS IN NOVA SCOTIA FISHERY
SERVICE.
Four years ago there was hardly a
river in Cape Breton Nova Scotia, where
trout and salmon were not illegally taken
with spear or net every year, and in many
streams the fishing had been almost com-
pletely destroyed. All of the guardians
were political appointees ; all were poorly
paid, and at least three-fourths were neg-
lectful or inefficient. In July, 1914, the
Victoria Fisheries Protective Association
was organized, and in the fall of that year
its officers made an exhaustive report of
12,000 words to the Minister of Marine
and Fisheries of the state of the rivers
in Cape Breton Island, and the urgent
need of reorganization and reform in the
fishery service. In this report, which was
accompanied by abundant proof in the
shape of six or eight voluminous exhibits,
the association pointed out the evils of
political control ; asked for twelve special
guardians with increased salaries ; sug-
gested that the number of fishery officers
in Cape Breton be reduced from 233 to
50 by the droppdng of political workers
from the rolls, and recommended that in
future all guardians be liberally paid and
be appointed for merit only, regardless
of political influences.
Nearly all of the recommendations have
been adopted. The number of fishery
guardians has been reduced from 219 to
160
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GA M I .
I I ; salaries have 1 11 inure Ihan doubled ;
the fishery service has been taken out of
politics, and the appointment of all guard-
ians lias been entrusted to the Civil Sen
ice Commission in Ottawa. Guardians
hereafter will be selected for meril only;
they will do no political work, and they
will devote all of their time to an effective
patrol of the streams. Thus, for the first
time in more than a generation, the fish-
ery service of ("ape Breton Island has
been put on a business basis. We now
have sixteen head guardians with a salary
of $70 a month each, and twenty-eight
subordinate guardians with a monthly
salary of $25 each. The cost of the
guardian service is about the same as it
was under the old system, namely $10,400
a year; but the government is now pay-
ing that sum to forty-eight guardians
instead of distributing it among 219.
STURGEON TO BE PROTECTED IN
OTHER STATES.
Several years ago it was found neces-
sary to give the sturgeon total protection
in California. Other stales now realize
thai this splendid food fish is almosl ex-
terminated and are planning to enact pro-
tective legislation. So depleted is the
supply in Lake Erie and neighboring
waters that Ohio, Pennsylvania, New
York, and Canada all propose to protect
lake sturgeon for a three-year period be-
ginning in 1919. Although once so com-
ini n thai they formed cheap food for the
common people, lake sturgeon are now so
scarce that only, the wealthy can utilize
them. Recently sturgeon have been sell-
ing up to 45 cents per pound in the New
York market.
LIFE HISTORY NOTES.
NESTING OF THE BAND-TAILED
PIGEON.
From an old data book of mine I am
able to give the following details of the
nesting of the band-tailed pigeon
(Colwniba fasciata). The record shows
that I discovered a nest at the bead of
the Lopez Canyon, about ten miles east of
San Luis Obispo, in San Luis Obispo
County, California, on March 30, 1S95.
The nest, a fl'msy affair made of coarse
sticks resembling that of a domestic
pigeon, but larger in size, contained but
one egg in an advanced state of incuba-
tion. It was placed on a live oak limb,
near the end of the l:mb but not among
I hick twigs. As to identification there
was mi doubt as I was close enough to
the bird to observe the cervical white half
collar.
From personal recollection I can supply
other details. The nest was built in a
small oak tree on a steep hillside not over
eight or ten feet from the ground and
easily reached by stepping up into the
tree. I had been in the habit of hunting
pigeons in the fall and winter in the
vicinity of Atascadero and Santa Marga-
rita and though I used to visit Lopez
Canyon every spring for a number of
years never observed the birds to remain
there in the spring except this one season.
On this particular day I saw perhaps half
a dozen pairs of the birds around different
parts of the canyon which, in those days
at least, was probably not visited more
than once or twice a year by anybody. I
saw one other nest located within a hun-
dred yards or so of the one above de-
scribed, but placed so far out on slender
limbs al c\ e I he head of the canyon t lial
it was totally inaccessible. — NATHAN
MORAN.
WILDCAT EATS BIRDS.
On March 10, 1919, I killed a female
California wildcat (Lynx eremicus cali-
furiiicus) near Coulterville, California,
which had been feeding entirely on song
birds. The stomach contained tin' remains
of six western robins. — Donald D. Mc-
Lkan.
A DEATH STRUGGLE BETWEEN
BUCKS.
"While hunting mountain lions on
April 26, L919, cast of Squaw Creek in
Shasta County, California, I came upon
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
161
some locked antlers (shown in the accom-
panying photograph, Fig. 54. The evi-
dence was clear. There had been a fight
between two bu^ks (owners of these
antlers), occurring, probably, some time
last November. In the heat of the battle
their horns had become interlocked so
tightly that they fell without disentangling
them. The arena for this buck struggle
covered an area of about twenty-five square
feet in the corner of a meadow bordering
on a small mountain lake. The bucks in
their fury had trampled down the grass
and vegetation and had even in places
plowed up the ground with their hoofs.
After a desperate struggle either the ani-
mals were overcom9 by exhaustion or
famished from hunger and thirst. Winter
came on, and coyotes and other predatory
animals prowling around in search of
something to devour made a delicious meal
on their carcasses, leaving, however, the
locked antlers in the condition in which I
later found them. — Jay C. Bruce.
Fig. 5 4. Locked antlers of deer found on Squaw Creek, Shasta County, by
Jay C. Bruce. The death of more than one large buck is due to the locking of the
antlers when fighting.
Ili2
CALIFORNIA FISn AND GAME.
REPORTS.
Canned, Cured and Manufactured Fishery Products of California for the Year 1918,
Compiled by Department of Commercial Fisheries.
CANNKD.
Abalonc —
1-pound
Albacore —
1-pound
i-pound
4-pound
Anchovy —
5-pound
4-pound
i-pound
Barracuda —
i-pound
Bonito and skipjack
1-pound
1-pound
i-pound
Herring —
1-pound (oval) .
i-pound
Mackerel—
1-pound
i-pound
Sablefish—
1-pound .
Salmon —
1 -pound
1-pound (flat) .
1-pound (oval)
i-pound (flat) .
Sardines—
1 -pound (oval)
i-pound (oval)
1-pound
i-pound
i-pound
1 -pound
'.pound
(tall)
(round) -
(round) _
(round) .
(square)
(square),
San Diego,
cases
San Pedro,
cases
300
17,892
56,214
9,195
24
765
9,527
12,310
17,790
171
i-pound (square),
3-pound (square)
J-pound (square)
Shad—
1-pound
Shad roe—
i-pound
Skipjack —
i-pound
Tuna* —
1-pound
J-pound
i-pound
4i-pound
Turtle—
1-pound
i-pound
Yellowtail—
1-pound
i-pound
i-pound
tomato,
oil
1,101
i'.i,:.i;s
67,785
42
5,788
41,052
2,647
300
100
8,328
31,737
405
2,012
48,342
5,395
Northern
California,
cases
3,450
4,068
136,632
3,788
138 879
228,189
51,8-11
50,076
70,850
78,756
33,825
164,744
29,404
268
199
29
2,824
28,537
1,425
1,522
227
450
58,330
5,817
25
8,395
3,304
197
22,540
5: 13, 3 15
13,244
945
3,716
4,249
133
3,997
5,056
2,213
Total
cases
1,725
17,392
50,21 1
9,19".
1,522
227
150
24
2,777
57.N :>
17,705
58,880
5,817
3,450
4,068
25
8,395
3,304
1!>7
22,540
717,7::;
17,306
338,879
229,240
51,841
50,078
94,184
4.219
L83
150,538
5,056
2,213
42
29,613
208,896
32,051
208
499
129
11,152
60,274
405
•Includes some albacore.
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
163
Canned, Cured and Manufactured Fishery Products of California for the Year 1918,
Compiled by Department of Commercial Fisheries — Continued.
SALTED FISH.
San Diego
Anchovy-
Barrels
25-pound cans
5-pound cans
Barracuda —
Barrels
Black sea bass-
Barrels
Bonito —
Barrels —
Mackerel-
Barrels
18-pound kit -
Rock bass-
Barrels
Rock cod-
Barrels
Sablefish—
Barrels
Salachini —
100-pound tubs
65-pound tubs
50-pound tubs
Salmon-
Casks (mild cured) -
Sardines-
Barrels
40-pound barrels ...
25-pound cans
18-pound kits
Sea bass —
Barrels
Shad-
Casks (mild cured).
Tellowfln—
Barrels
Yellowtail—
Barrels
San Pedro
450
53
12
110
29
20
Northern
California
310
2,600
1,000
17
3S0
42
1,521
852
425
35
76
72
5,955
10,899
12,329
2,796
107
1,252
1,200
6
Totals
287
330
2,6!.0
1,000
455
53
29
2,011
6
51
11
72
5,935
10,899
12,329
2,796
961
1,252
1,200
6
29
287
35
501
Note.— Casks contain 800 pounds net; barrels, 200 pounds net.
Canned, Cured and Manufactured Fishery Products of California for the Year 1918,
Compiled by Department of Commercial Fisheries — Continued.
MISCELLANEOUS PACK AND GENERAL INFORMATION.
San Diego
Albaeore —
Smoked, pounds
Kingfish—
Dried, pounds
Sardines-
Dried, pounds
Scotch cured, pounds.
Tellowtail—
Smoked, pounds
San Pedro
Fertilizer, tons
Fish meal, tons
Fish oil, gallons
Number of plants
Number of employees.
1,123
17,400
13
1,427
Value of plants. '. :.— $1,316,000
31,420
19,000
37,000
4,620
1,000
1,521
3,216
67,858
34
2,783
$2,773,660
Northern
California
2,874
261,466
40
3,829
$1,569,330
Totals
31,420
19,000
37,0,00
4,620
1,000
1,521
7,213
346,724
87
8,039
$5,658,990
lf>4
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
California Fishery Products for Year of 1918,
Species of fish
Del Norte,
Hum-
boldt
Mendo-
cino,
Sonoma,
Lake
to
f
tfa
O C3
??
1
1
Sacra-
mento,
San
Joaquin.
SlIttiT.
Tehama,
Glenn,
Coin
Alameda.
< '"iitra
Custa
ICO
11,300
1,6)3
2,061
Blueflsb
Carp --
14.834
90,210
8,250
23,296
14,571
00,294
52,745
3,303
4,488
36 865
Catli-.li -- -
42,150
Coallish
VJ
8,424
1,848
32,413
Dogfish ..
78,070
732
8
14,793
1,522
3 077
10,848
7,309
9,704
Halibut -
30,316
61,096
1,140
8
3,190,C86
10
Hake
7,311
1,500
Mullet
Pike . ... .
1,285
3
66,183
494
1,894
730
8 790
Pompano - - --
Penh 32,039
258
105
EJockfisb . .. —
57,408
171
1,234,653
13,209
6,500
1,(97,771
716
78
172,680
24,012
Sole
Salmon . . -
2,305 800
565,834
11,791
2,957,492
Smell
316
Shad (roe)
194,549
35,108
673,237
Sea bass (white) -,--
10,921
Shad (buek) ...
159,921
13,990
241,015
6,719
113,578
104,813
190
5,066
2,069
358
Striped bass _
22.773
1,639
353.100
224,773
751 S?0
Shad
671,804
Surf fish .
StiiiRaree
151 ,500
Sardine
908
240
451
Skate
Senium
Snlittuil .
3,139
3,726
1,115
Sea trout ._ .
::::::: :
Trout (steelhead)
21,819
Turbot
9.297
Whitebait
103
Miscellaneous
2.000
3.640
3.251 41
Total fish
( 'ni-tneearts —
i Vili (dozen)
1,416 605
4,1 2S
1,3 5, 025
3,765,305
3,278,026
972,602
71,923
5,449,407
13
Suinv lobster ... .. .....
Shrimp
Mollusks -
Souid
S5
10
Cuttlefish
100
Clam (cockle)
23.652
125.575
72.842
885.811
39,279
Clam (softshell)
Clam (mixed') . ..
1 .085
20,211
13,10-.
1,807
173 278
10 780
Oyster, eastern (shell), number.
Ovster. native, pounds —
1,935
Abalones ..
Sea snails . ■ ... ....
Mussels .. .. ... .
760
673
25
4,297
Reotiles—
Terrapin (dozen) . .
Sea turtles
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
165
Compiled
by Dep
artment c
>f Commercial Fis
heries.
San Fran-
cisco.
San
Mateo
9Q
I
l
i
1
B
O
P
fi
i
CO
< -a T/i o g
t ?g ffB
3 3 ?a
-
F
3<"
oq
n
a
w
i
o
S3
3
<T>
1
1
1
CO
p
3
2
w
p
3
■a
o>
*i
p'
i
g
O)
1
1
t
1
n
o
1
1
1
39
66,899
33,541
106,081
558
89,537
5,084
540,323
37,572
6,007
1,083,074
69,340
54,622
918
41,185
13,046
0,434,770
49,392
1,988,598
978,120
230
9,343
363
822,854
9,566
1,724,934
1,233,087
7,2(i::,895
1,527
257,170
17,160
867,851 310
3,885,691 , 951,593
2,264,164 ! 176,667
49,351
1,242,170 '
185
70,083
209,172
36,073
712
353,331 1
79,859
"~56~031~
4,221
1,013
741
14,731
6,679
312,774
730
457
~Tl,095~
204,876
67,126
478,844
440 796
3,593
123,853
11,530
300,432
498,937
915,836
741
400,478
818,835
27,801
2,837,987
218,672
7,938,280
975,095
274 099
716,080
500
47,178
11,359
27,243
240
21,711
1,291
2,015
40,990
143,678
4,732 883
8,619
47,313
5,900
83,342
973
25,544
2,019
309,378
64
1,145,734
17,094
13,974
1,201,166
8,496
1,915,704
5,360
62,726
154,128
1,489,163
734
4,497
650,281
2,346,048
2,275
30,267
349
6,242
23,525
158,983
4,005,906
2,275
70,178
59,390
89,657
13,365
24,260
1,745
172
1,786
2,752
10,180
6,699
6,551
44
1,616
6,393
123,395
85,749
30,747
12,876
26,771
535,375
1,575,558
53,110
1,065
190,809
374
3,644
25,512
106
100
1,280
231,233
1,398,043
4,353
52,810
198,167
776,645
6,281,425
7,027,767
13,026,076
788,923
902,894
365
7,219
12,912
1,340,106
4,696,906
644,450
1,893,705
209,923
32,550
1,109,737
293,529
2,682,953
164,388
1,756,134
2 3,900
76,910
46,082
8,061
40,413
171,885
59,137
64,648
1,015,478
1,054
88,942
1,452,478
414,920
210,432
1,751,609
7,267
1,407,841
1,065,815
4,888
151,800
154,853
248
41,154
6,184
97,432
21,970
2,969
25
103,599
38,363
1,880,057
308,403
161,353
47
94
60,717
1
4,888
300
8.>2,026
559,265
728
2,090
64,915,002
155
4,078
2
42
"lis"
45
78,077,612
3,019,686
6,809
8,605
28,156
133
28
13,207,265
3,145
157,652,811
3,023,847
240,231
22,488
28,404
7,980
6,189
18,442
48,536
3,830
21,819
6,240,971
3,664
135,a57
11,658,259
329,614
232,801
165
13,838
81
490
4,902
17,862
39,566
941
159
346
£80
• 8,756
55
1,781
1,657
392
315
1,580
1,174
525
18,326
20,782
14,928
5,807,961
52
429,941
108,053
81
137,261
36,863
21,520
93,366
124,052
1,001
5,926,021
139,409
1,060
3,175
5,427,563
31,940
139,946
264,163
18,518,432
62,079
4,581,108
707
73,276,952
531
744,845
110,424,912
148,078
20,205,431
59,390
250,218,041
67,458
195,750
722,178
3,752,071
29,979
120,796
2,611
42,364
735,077
722,178
1,970
850
4,406
517
301,007
13,268
065,167
160
43,376
372
14,426
361,714
32,739
065,684
44,933
313,043
129,084
0,188,021
39,279
6 12,919
1,461
48,319
25
18,135
14,583
21,121
344
252
340
1,359
21,089
5,302,210
365,986
183,863
50,730
1,461
21,251
5,334
4,270
600
9,954
600
580
835
1
18,135
12,496
166
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
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CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
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California Fish and Game
"CONSERVATION OF WILD LIFE THROUGH EDUCATION"
Volume 5 SACRAMENTO, OCTOBER, 1919 Number 4
CONTENTS.
Page
SOME NOTES ON DRY-FLY FISHING R. L. M., California 169
NOTE ON THE HABITS AND USE OF THE SMALL SAND CRAB
{EMER1TA ANALOOA) Frank W. Weymouth 171
GAME CONDITIONS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THIRTY-FIVE
YEARS AGO M. Hall McAllister 172
A CASE OF DESTRUCTION OF PISMO CLAMS BY OIL
Frank W. Weymouth 174
ACCUSATIONS AND THE DEFENSE—
The Eden Resolution and a Reply , 170
EDITORIALS 187
FACTS OF CURRENT INTEREST 195
COMMERCIAL FISHERY NOTES 196
NOTES FROM THE STATE FISHERIES LABORATORY 200
CONSERVATION IN OTHER STATES 204
LIFE HISTORY NOTES 205
UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE CO-OPERATION 206
REPORTS-
seizures 207
Fishery Products, April, May, June, 1919 208
Violations of Fish and Game Laws 210
Expenditures 211
INDEX 213
SOME NOTES ON DRY-FLY FISHING.
By R. L. M., California.
There is really no mystery in connection with dry-fly fishing;
everybody who has fished with the wet fly must have noticed that the
first time that a new or dry-fly is cast on the water, that it remains
on the surface ; in other words, it floats. As soon as the fly becomes
wet it ceases to float and thus becomes a wet fly. Now, dry-fly fishing
merely consists in keeping the fly dry, and if it should become wet,
of drying it with as little loss of time as possible.
Owing to more or less recent discoveries, several aids have been
found which greatly assist the fisherman in keeping his fly from
becoming waterlogged. The most important of these is the "oil tip."
The honor of this discovery belongs to the late Thomas Andrews, of
Surrey, England, who obtained it from Colonel Hawker, a descendant
of Colonel Peter Hawker (Diary 1802-53; "Hints to Young
Sportsmen"). "Odorless paraffine" is the fluid generally mentioned.
This is not always easy to obtain. However, there is another oil that
from my own personal experience is equally efficacious. I refer to
the well known and useful "3 in 1." The best method of applying
"3 in 1" to a fly is to dip the fly in the oil, then lay it on a piece of
48650
170 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
blotting paper to drain while breakfast is being eaten. A fly treated
in this manner will continue to floal bone dry until it is worn out or
the day's fishing is over.
Another very useful thing to have at the waterside is a piece of
amadou. This substance, which looks like leather, is a fungus that
has the property of rapidly absorbing moisture. If the fly is very wet
it can be pressed between a folded piece of amadou and nearly all
the moisture is removed.
But all said and done, most of the drying out of a fly is done by
switching or easting the fly back and forth in the air. Anybody who
is able to throw a fly can in a very short time learn how to do this
without snapping off his fly.
The first thing to remember is that the fly should not be thrown at
the water. Learn how to east the fly so that all the impetus imparted
to the line is used up by the time the fly is still above the surface of
the water, and allow the fly to fall of its own weight on the water.
Now, when this feat can be accomplished with ease, instead of
letting the fly fall on the water, make a backward stroke similar to
that which is made when picking the line and fly off the water; this
will extend the line behind. A series of three or four of these back-
ward and forward strokes (which are called false casts) are made
between each true cast, and this action called "drying the fly" is the
principal thing that differentiates between wet and dry-fly Ashing.
Of course, there are other things to be taken into account, about which
I hope to say more at some later date, but the whole secret consists
of being able to throw the fly backwards and forwards in the air
without permitting it to touch the water in front or the ground
behind. When that can be done the major part of the art is conquered.
In actual practice the false casts will be made at an elevation
corresponding roughly to the top of the rod, whether the overhead
or horizontal cast is being used.
I strongly advise the beginner to commence his dry-fly fishing with
hackle flies, for the following reason : A hackle fly, having no wings,
is always "cocked up"; whereas, a winged fly should float with its
wings standing up in the air, and placing such a fly on the water
properly "cocked up" does not come to one overnight. But as soon
as the beginner becomes proficient in putting a hackle fly lightly on
the Avater he can switch to the winged variety and note results. If
the fly persists in floating on its side, i.e., with one or other wing
in the water, it shows that there was too much force used in making
the cast; because the fly, instead of falling of its own weight onto the
surface, was propelled thereon, with sufficient force to topple it over
on its side. As time goes on, however, the fly will more often fall
correctly and float lightly on the surface with an extraordinary
resemblance to the natural insect.
Do not become discouraged if you do not become an expert dry-fly
fisherman in a few days. Have patience and be persevering and in a
surprisingly short time, all things considered, you will find yourself
accomplishing things you once considered almost impossible. The
great test of the art is to be able to tell when a fly is dry or otherwise,
by the feel of the line when making the false or drying casts. When
you can do this your novitiate is in the past.
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME. 171
NOTE ON THE HABITS AND USE OF THE SMALL SAND CRAB
(Emerita analoga).*
By FRANK W. WEYMOUTH, Stanford University.
Of the many baits used for surf and pier fishing in southern
California, few are more popular than the "soft-shelled" sand crab,
of which numbers may be seen for sale in the fish markets on the piers
at Santa Monica, Venice, Long Beach, Coronado and other coast
towns. Some recent observations on its habits suggested that those
who use it as bait might be interested in its mode of life and where
it may be caught.
The small sand crab, as it may be called to distinguish it from a
larger form also found in the sand, or more technically Emerita
analoga, is found on sandy beaches exposed to the open ocean along
the entire coast of California, but never in bays or other sheltered
locations. The reason for this will be clear when we have considered
its feeding habits. At the level washed by the waves it burrows in
the sand, and is found grouped in beds which can be recognized even
at a distance by peculiar diamond-shaped ripple marks in the water
running off the sand after the breaking of the wave. These ripples
are caused by the feathered "feelers," or antennas, of the sand crab,
which it thrusts up into the receding wave. With these it combs from
the water the microscopic animals and plants upon which it feeds.
If one has patience to wade into such a bed and wait quietly until
the crabs have recovered from their first alarm, the interesting process
of feeding may easily be watched. As the water clears of sand after
the inrush of the wave, dozens of pairs of the plume-like antennas will
be seen to pop out of the sand into the seaward-running water, where
they remain until the wave drains off, occasionally disappearing for a
fraction of a second to be freed of their catch of tiny organisms.
Corresponding to this habit of feeding on material too fine to be
chewed, the jaws, which have hard-cutting edges in other crabs, are
here small, soft, degenerate vestiges.
If a shovel is thrust into the sand of one of these "beds" it will
turn out scores of these crabs which "dig in" again so rapidly that
few can be caught. If numbers are wanted the best way to catch
them is to shovel the sand, crabs and all, into a box having wire screen
in the sides, and let the sand be washed out by the waves as they
sweep in and out. Another but less efficient method sometimes prac-
ticed is to hold a screen across one of the sand gullies found in this
part of the beach and so catch the crabs which happen to be swimming
about in the receding wave.
Observations recently made show that the crabs move up and down
the beach with the tides so that the beds may always be found in the
area washed by the waves, and here they may easily be recognized by
the ripple marks already mentioned.
Crabs caught by any of these methods will be noticed to differ
much in size. In this species, unlike most of the Crustacea, the males
are much smaller than the females, and it will be found during the
breeding season, which falls in the summer months, that only the
♦California State Fisheries Laboratory, Contribution No. 8.
172 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
larger specimens are carrying egg masses. The "soft-shelled" crabs
are, of course, not a separate form, but only those that have recently
limited or east their shells, a process occurring yearly in mosl
crustaceans, and that have not yet hardened their new shells. Accord-
ing to observations just made, the moiling of the Large females
apparently occurs just before spawning and in advance of the molting
of the males, and it is these "soft" females which are collected as
bait for surf fishing. Fish are apparently used to feeding on these
crabs, which in their soft state have more difficulty in burrowing into
the sand than at ordinary times and are therefore more likely to be
found swimming about at the bottom. The fisherman, in using the
" soft-shelled " sand crab, is therefore offering to the fish one of its
customary dainties, and it is readily accepted.
GAME CONDITIONS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THIRTY-FIVE
YEARS AGO.
By M. HALL McALLISTER.
In 1885, I spent the summer and fall in and near Colton, Riverside
and San Bernardino, in southern California, and most of the months
of September, October and November in riding and hunting all over
that part of California. My companion was a rancher, Y. C. Reche,
who was one of the best shots, deer trackers and general all-round
hunters to be found anywhere.
We had one week's hunt on the Santa Margarita, also known as the
Juan Foster-Dick O'Neill-Flood property, near Oceanside. Our party
of four bagged fourteen deer and con Id have killed double the
number, but stopped shooting because they were nearly as tame as
sheep.
There were then some antelope just south of Riverside, and I have
now the horns of a buck killed not far from San Jacinto Mountain,
near where the toAvn of Hemet now stands. Mountain sheep could
then be found in either the San Bernardino or San Jacinto ranges,
and my hunting friend Reehe had killed several. I also remember
a miner who reported a v cry large grizzly as coming daily to the
mountain side near a mine to feed on the berries. This mine was on
the desert side of the Cajon Pass where the Santa Fe Railway comes
down from Barstow. Mountain lions were also plentiful all through
these ranges. I remember a friend reporting that while riding
through a canyon not far from his ranch he suddenly came on a
bunch of five lions feeding on a dead calf, and as he had no weapon
with him he thought besl to make a quid sneak.
On the San Jacinto plains south of Riverside were a few springs,
and to these the quail came in countless thousands to water, and at
nearly each One of them we found a brush hilt and a Y-shaped trough
placed there by the quail market hunters. Reche and I went around
and burned up each and every one of these "slaughter pens" and got
ourselves somewhat disliked when the news leaked out as to who had
done it.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 173
When the quail season opened in September we had many splendid
hunts, but no potting was allowed, wing shooting only ; and with birds
so plentiful, we had wonderful sport. I remember one hunt where
we slept out at one of these San Jacinto plains springs and in the
morning saw the enormous bands of cpiail coming up for water. It
made one's blood tingle with excitement. The ground for hundreds
of yards all around was a moving mass of thousands of running birds.
We hid in the brush and let them come in to water, then suddenly
jumped up with a shout and succeeded in scattering the flock so that
in an hour's shooting we had bagged 97 quail, all wing shots. We
did not move more than one hundred yards from the spring, as every
rock on the hillside had from one to a dozen quail under it.
Mr. Reche stated that when the Sunset Route of the Southern
Pacific started in 1880, many young men in southern California started
hunting quail for the San Francisco market, but that nearly all the
quail rotted in the sacks before reaching San Francisco, so that the
business proved unprofitable. Before refrigeration could be arranged,
the big bands of quail were all killed off. He stated that with his
brother he started to shoot for the market, but his returns did not pay
the express charges and the cost of powder and shot. He stated that
by actual count he picked up 363 quail as a result of eleven pot shots
of his old muzzle loader at the spring where we found the V-shaped
trough. This was an average of 33 birds to each shot, and he said he
would wait until the trough was actually covered with quail before
he would shoot.
Coming back to recollections in and around my home in San
Francisco, I remember that in the summer of 1875 I visited a camp of
young men in the mountains back of Pescadero, in San Mateo County.
This was in July and there was a game law against shooting quail,
but these men, "just for the fun of it," were potting quail by the
hundreds and had a large sack full ; in fact, so many that their camp
could not eat them and we were invited to "help yourself if you will
keep your mouth shut. ' '
In the California Market, San Francisco, in the seasonal months
from September to February, the oyster cafes served "quail on toast,
25c, ' ' and when I lunched there my daily order was this most palatable
dish.
Remembering the adage, "You can not eat 30 quail in 30 days,"
I tried and accomplished the feat. It was supposed the adage came
from the idea that a person could not obtain quail on each day of
thirty consecutive days or that you would so tire of them that you
could not carry out your bargain. However, as stated above, I did
obtain and did eat a quail each day for thirty consecutive days. I
might state that the restaurant had a fine cook who understood how
to prepare them with plenty of butter, and they were delicious.
As I was working and had to keep regular office hours in San
Francisco, most of my hunting was on Saturdays and Sundays and
occasional holidays and vacations. I have a journal and record book
of all my hunts from 1877 down to the present year, 1919, just
forty-two years. Most of the shooting has been at ducks and geese
on the Suisun marsh, where I was a member of the Cordelia and Ibis
shooting clubs.
2— 4S650
174 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
A CASE OF DESTRUCTION OF PISMO CLAMS BY OIL.*
By PROFESSOR FRANK WALTER WEYMOUTH, of Stanford University,
California.
Thai crude oil is harmful to marine and fresh water animals lias
been so generally recognized that most states, including California,
have passed laws designed to protect their waters from oil by pro-
Aiding penalties for those who allow it to escape. Definite instances
proving its destructive effect though present, for instance in the case
of water birds, are not numerous, and for this and other reasons
convictions are not always easy to obtain. It is claimed by the clam
diggers at Pisnao and Oceano that oil is ehiefly responsible for the
decrease in the supply of Pismo clams. It is hoped that at another
Fig. 55. Oil cakes on the beach near Pismo. The size may be judged by comparison with the
cap. Photograph by W. E. Weymouth.
time it will be possible to present an analj'sis of this claim and of
other factors influencing the abundance of this important food
mollusk, the data for which are not now available, but an instance of
the effect of oil which recently came under the writer's notice may
here be put on record.
Sometimes oil reaches the beach from tanks on the shore near Avila,
but the most important source is from the water ballast discharged by
vessels coming to load oil at Port San Luis. This can not reach the
beach at Morro around the projecting "Pecho" coast against the
prevailing winds, but is blown on the beaches at Pismo and Oceano
at times in considerable quantities as bathers at these resorts are
♦California State Fisheries Laboratory, Contribution No. 11.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 175
well aware. One such instance was observed by the writer on June 1
of the present year, when along more than a mile of the beach just
south of Pismo large masses of fresh oil were found scattered over
the wet sand exposed at low tide. The appearance at two points is
shown by the accompanying photographs, from which the size and
abundance of the oil cakes may be judged. In fact, at this time it
was impossible for a bather to cross the beach without getting so
much oil on his feet as to make a gasoline footbath necessary. Many
old cakes well mixed with sand and free of the thinner oils may be
seen at any time high up on the beach, showing that the occurrence
is by no means rare. On the date mentioned the lighter parts of the
oil, churned up by the surf into an emulsion, were found sweeping
back and forth across the sand at the tip of the advancing waves,
and in this were large numbers of small animals either dead or so
feeble as no longer to be able to burrow. About a quart of small
clams, chiefly razor shells (Siliqua), but including some thirty small
Pismo clams (Tivela), together with a few sand crabs (Emerita) and
some worms were picked up in a few minutes. All were smeared with
oil; some of the clams were dead and gaping, others were alive, but
too feeble to keep up the constant burrowing necessary to maintain
their place in the sand from which the waves had washed them.
Whether the oil killed them directly or, what is more probable, by
filming over the sand cut off the supply of air, could not be deter-
mined. But that they were killed by the oil can not be doubted, as
examination of the beaches for two or three weeks before and after
this date seldom showed even a single dead clam except in the
presence of oil.
With this clear proof of the destructive effect of the oil on such an
important food animal as the Pismo clam, there can be no excuse for
tolerating the escape of oil, especially as it has been proved possible
by devices in use on many tankers not only to prevent its escape, but
to save the oil thus usuallv lost.
176 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
If you are inclined to criticise the Fish and Game
Commission, read the following criticisms and the
defense.
If you believe in the work of the Commission,
inform yourself more fully as to the accomplish-
ments of the past few years.
ACCUSATIONS AND THE DEFENSE.
Resolution by Mr. Eden, introduced in the State Legislature April 1, 1919, and
referred to Committee on Governmental Efficiency and Economy.
Whebeas, The Fish and Game Commission of this state, and its several members,
ofiicers and assistants, are, by virtue of the very large power and authority given to
them by law, in a position to exert great influence for or against legislation pending
before this Assembly; and
Whereas, It is said that certain of said officers and members have in fact sought
to influence pending legislation ; and
Whereas, Said Fish and Game Commission and certain of its members, assistants
and employees have been derelict in the performance of the duties imposed upon them
by law ; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Committee on Efficiency and Economy of this Assembly be and
it is hereby, directed to make an immediate and thorough investigation of the following
specific matters :
1. To ascertain what, if any. fishing clubs, gun clubs and private game preserves,
any of the said commissioners, or the officers, assistants or employees of said Fish and
Game Commission, are affiliated with; and whether or not any of said officers, assist-
ants or employees have been, by reason of such affiliation, perniciously active in
supporting or opposing any legislation now pending before this Assembly : and whether
or not they have shown any favoritism, in any manner, towards any gun or fishing
club members; and whether or not they have, by reason of their said membership,
sought to set up and perpetuate in this state, against the interests and wishes of the
common people, the European system of a monopoly in the control and use of wild
fish and game, which is peculiarly the property of all the people.
2. Why it is that within the past nine years said commission has, without any
satisfactory explanation, dismissed three certain executive officers of said commission,
each of whom was reputed to be a faithful and efficient public servant.
3. How much of the time of the present attorney of said commission is devoted
to the duties of his state office, and how much of it is devoted to his own private law
practice; the latter of which is said to be very large and lucrative.
4. Why said commission collected from the people of the Slate, during the four
years ending June 30, 1918, the enormous sum of $837,409.25, of which the sum of
s i us..", in. , ."> was expended; whether or do! said sum so spen! was no1 unwisely and
extravagantly used. Also recommend some legislation that will reduce the amount
of money collected by said commission at least $;!<U")00 per annum. Also to ascertain
if it is not advisable that the expenditure of such a large fund should be made by the
governing body of the State, upon appropriations, instead of by said commission, as
is now done, without any control of the Legislature whatever.
5. Why it is that for the two years ending June 30, 1918, the police work of the
commission fell off about 15 per cent over the preceding two years (see last report to
Governor, page ss • : notwithstanding said commission is charged with the enforcement
of laws for the preservation of tish and game, and notwithstanding more people hunted
and fished during said period ending June 30, 1918, than before; and notwithstanding
reports of frequent and flagrant violations of the fish and game laws were reported
in the press and otherwise throughout the state.
<*>. Why said commission expended the enormous sum of $68,272.21 to establish and
a large sum since for additions to a trout hatchery in Inyo County, for the purpose,
as avowed by the said commission, of stocking the streams of southern California and
the western slope of the southern Sierra Nevadas, when it was obvious to any person
that said location could not bo a success for the following reasons :
a. That there were no waters nearby needing to be stocked.
h. That it was impossible to obtain a sufficient supply of trout eggs in that vicinity
for hatching purposes.
c. The great distance the hatchery product must be transported at heavy expense.
d. The hatchery product must be transported through the heat of the Mojave
desert before they reach the waters intended to be stocked.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 177
7. To ascertain the cost of maintenance and operation of said hatchery in Inyo
County, and whether the said cost is not extravagantly expensive and out of all
proportion to the benefit derived by the people of the state, and likely to be a growing
burden and expense; also the person from whom the ground was purchased and the
then owners of adjacent property and the price paid therefor.
8. To ascertain whether or not the commission is making any intelligent and
sufficient effort to obtain accurate first-hand information relative to the present status
and condition of the game and fish of the state; and whether or not by reason of
failure to procure such information many species of game and fish have reached the
point of actual extinction, with others in the same dangerous stage of diminution,
oefore proper conservation measures can be proposed to this Assembly.
9. Why said commission has permitted the Truckee River, one of the most beautiful
streams in the world, and a famous fishing ground, to remain polluted for years by
tiie waste products from a paper mill located at Floriston, California, notwithstanding
popular complaint and objection by the citizens, not only of our state, but also
by the people of our sister state, Nevada, whose principal city obtains its domestic
water supply from said river; and notwithstanding said commission is required by
law, and clothed with all lawful authority, to prevent the pollution of streams. Why
it is that in the face of the law said commission has deliberately and wilfully failed
and refused to do its plain duty, thereby constituting a clear and flagrant malfeasance
in office, and one that should be severely dealt with by the proper authorities.
10. Why it is that the ocean waters of San Luis Obispo County and the waters of
San Pablo and San Francisco bays, and other navigable fishing waters in the state,
have been for years, and are now, being polluted with crude petroleum, oil refinery
refuse and other substances deleterious to fish life, in violation of law ; notwithstanding
it is the duty of the Fish and Game Commission strictly and impartially to enforce the
law against such pollution.
11. To ascertain whether or not, throughout the state, in irrigated districts, many
canals and irrigating ditches are diverting water from streams that contain fish,
without using screens to prevent the loss of fish ; and thereby millions of trout, bass
and other valuable food and game fishes are annually killed and wasted.
12. To ascertain to what extent dams and other artificial obstructions are being
suffered by the said commission to be maintained in the streams of the state without
proper fish ladders, and whether or not by such neglect and dereliction of duty on
the part of said commission, millions of trout, and other migratory fish, are prevented
from reaching proper "spawning beds," with a resultant loss of a great quantity of
fish spawn and fish.
13. To ascertain if it is not true that the Fish and Game Commission has failed
and neglected to take advantage of that provision in the law authorizing the creation
of game refuges on private land holdings, resulting in game, in many sections where
hunting is intensive, failing to receive proper and adequate protection.
14. Why said commission has discontinued a branch office established at the request
of the people of the San Joaquin Valley ; thus making less effective the supervision of
police and other conservation activities in that important and developing region ; and
thereby, and through other activities, having lost to the state the services of one of
the most efficient and conscientious fish and game conservationists in the country.
15. To ascertain if it is not true that said commission has wasted large sums of
the people's money in unscientific and impractical experiments at its game farm at
Hayward, California, and has finally abandoned said farm.
16. To ascertain if it is not true that the distribution of fish, as carried on by said
commission, is unscientific, unduly expensive and results in the destruction each year
of a large proportion of the fish so distributed.
17. To ascertain if it is not true that because said commission has failed to investi-
gate and prevent enormous losses occurring among the millions of young salmon
propagated and distributed each year after they leave the hatcheries, the salmon
fisheries of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers are not being kept in a healthful
and thriving condition.
18. To ascertain to what extent, if any, said commission has, within the past eight
years, been governed by political, personal and other insufficient and improper motives,
in its acts in the following particulars :
a. The dismissal of trained and efficient employees.
b. The employment, promotion and otherwise rewarding of assistants and
employees not deserving of such consideration.
c. The failure to promote certain assistants deserving promotion.
And whether it is not true that by reason of said acts the entire department is
demoralized and functioning very inefficiently and at an expense out of all proportion
to (lie results obtained.
19. To ascertain if it is not true that the force of wardens in the field, where the
fish and game are to be found and where constructive work can only be done, is
inadequate ; while the "overhead" has been constantly increased by adding to it
expensive and unproductive clerical workers ; be it further
Resolved, That said committee report to this Assembly within a short time, the
result of its investigation, with such recommendations as it may deem advisable;
&o it further
178 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
Resolved, That said committee be, and it is, hereby authorized and empowered to
compel the attendance of witnesses at its several sessions, by subpoenas, to be served
by the clerk of said committee; and that the chairman and vice chairman of said
committee be and they are each of them authorized to administer oaths to witnesses;
and any witness refusing to answer questions is hereby declared to be in contempt,
and may be punished as for contempt.
Said committee is empowered to employ all needed clerical and expert assistance to
carry on said investigation, and all costs and expenses of such investigation shall be
paid out of the Contingent Expense Fund of this Assembly, not exceeding one thousand
live hundred dollars.
Reply to the Eden Resolution by the Executive Officer of the Fish and Game
Commission.
In the preamble of Mr. Eden's resolution introduced in the Assembly, April 1,
1919, it is stated that some of the members, officers and assistants of the Fish and
Game Commission appear before the Legislature. While this is true, they do 60
merely in an advisory capacity and have not at this or any other session of the
Legislature, attempted to influence any legislation for personal motives. They have
favored the legislation which they thought was best for the conservation of the fish
and game of this state and have opposed legislation which, in their opinion, was
harmful or vicious.
A general statement is made that certain members, assistants and employees of
the commission have heen derelict in the performance of the duties imposed upon
them by law, but no specific instances have been enumerated. The statement is
untrue. Assistants or employees found derelict in the performance of their duties
have been promptly discharged from the service of the commission.
The following is a brief reply to each of the nineteen points set up in the
lesolution :
1. 'Lite fact that two of the three commissioners are members of gun cluhs has in
no way influenced them in showing any favoritism towards gun clubs nor have they
Keen perniciously active in supporting or opposing legislation pending before the
Assembly, nor have they sought to establish the European system of monopoly in
the control and use of fish and game, against the interests and wishes of the common
people. On the contrary, they have always sought to perpetuate fish and game in
this state for the benefit and use of all the people. Commissioner Bosqui is not
a member of nor in any way affiliated with any hunting or fishing club nor with any
game or fishing preserve.
2. It is not true that within the past nine years the Fish and Game Commission
has dismissed three executive officers of the commission. Charles A. Vogelsang
severed his connect ion with the commission long before Commissioners Newbert and
Bosqui were appointed and several years prior to the time the present executive
officer became connected with the commission.
John P. Babcock, after several conferences with Governor Hiram W. Johnson,
resigned on November 24, 1911.
Ernest Schaeffle voluntarily resigned on September 15, 191G. Both resignations
are now on file in the office of the commission.
3. Mr. Robert I). Duke, attorney for the commission, devotes all of his time to
the duties of his state office.
4. During the four years ending June 30, 191S, the Fish and Game Commission
collected the sum of $837,409.25, because under the laws of the state, it was its
duty to collect said .sum. This money was paid into the Fish and Game Preservation
Fund by hunters, anglers and commercial fishermen who desired that it be used for
the purpose of conserving fish ami game and not that it be diverted into the general
fund to be used for other purposes. It is their wish that these funds be spent on
patrol, enforcement of fish and game laws, erection and maintenance of hatcheries,
distribution of fish, installation of screens in ditches, lishways in dams and research,
etc.
The fish canners and commercial fishermen, of their own accord, asked that a
privilege tax be imposed on the taking of fish and that the money from this source
be turned over to the Fish and Came Commission for the purpose of conducting
investigations of the life history of fishes in order that the commercial fisheries might
be further developed, new methods of fishing experimented with and proper legislation
passed in order to conserve the fishes of this state.
Accounts of its receipts and expenditures are published more frequently by this
commission than by any other slate board or commission. "California Fish and
(lame." published by the commission quarterly, contains a full statement of all money
expended by this commission each month, besides an account of the commission's
other activities.
That the funds of the commission have not been unwisely or extravagantly spent
is proven by the results obtained. The salmon run, which in the early 'SOs was
practically exterminated by mining operations, was restored by the work of the
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 179
commission's hatchery department, so that in 191S over twelve million pounds of
salmon were caught, which retailed at an average price of 25 cents per pound, making
the total value of the catch $3,000,000.
Striped bass, catfish, black bass, shad, blue gill, calico bass and other food fishes
were introduced into the waters of this state by the Fish and Game Commission.
As a result of this work, 1,400,000 pounds of striped bass were caught in California
in the year 1918. They were retailed at about 25 cents per pound, or $325,000.
During the last three years over twelve million pounds of shad were taken in Cali-
fornia, from thirty to sixty-five carloads of roe-shad being shipped to the Eastern
markets each year, retailing at not less than 20 cents per pound, making an average
of $SOO,000 per year.
Catfish are also caught in large numbers. In 191S, 200,000 pounds, worth 25 cents
per pound, or $50,000, were sent to our markets. The annual catch of these four
species of fish introduced or re-established by the Fish and Game Commission is
valued at $1,175,000. In fact, a total of 250,000,000 pounds of fish were caught in
California during the year 191S. The fish packed by canners and curers, alone, were
worth approximately $20,000,000, to say nothing of the fresh fish sent to the markets.
Surely an industry of such magnitude is worth protecting, and any money spent
in investigating the life history of our food fishes can not truthfully be said to be
extravagantly spent without achieving results, particularly when the fish introduced,
propagated and protected by the commission bring into the State of California,
$4,175,000 per year — over ten times the amount expended by the state in the protec-
tion, propagation and conservation of all fish and game.
As a result of the investigations by the experts of the commission, a new season
and limit was adopted and the catch of crabs increased 40,000 dozen per year, valued
at $100,000.
Besides the important work of the Fish and Game Commission in propagating and
conserving commercial fishes, it has also propagated and distributed millions of trout
and has stocked many waters which had been entirely barren of fish life. Bear Lake,
an artificial lake in San Bernardino County, about eight miles long, was stocked by
the Fish and Game Commission. Hatcheries and egg-taking stations were built and
maintained there and the supply of fish kept up so that now the fifty or sixty thou-
sand people who visit the lake annually obtain excellent fishing. In addition to Bear
Lake, the commission has also planted trout and black bass in Huntington Lake,
Bass Lake, Shaver Lake, Clear Lake, Juniper Lake, Medicine Lake, Rea Lakes.
Sixty Lake Basin and many other lakes throughout the Sierra Nevada and the Coast
Range mountains, too numerous to mention. In all of these lakes excellent fishing
is to be had and they are annually visited by tens of thousands of anglers.
Innumerable barren streams in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and elsewhere in
this state have been stocked with trout. All of the streams in the Yosemite
National Park above the floor of the valley were barren of fish life before they were
stocked by the Fish and Game Commission. Golden trout have been distributed
from Volcano Creek throughout the Sierra Nevada Mountains, as far north as the
Yosemite Valley.
The fishing in some of our best streams is kept up solely through the work of
the Fish and Game Commission. When the run of black-spotted trout, the only
trout indigenous to the Truckee River, was stopped by the dams in the river in the
State of Nevada, the Fish and Game Commission planted Rainbow, Eastern Brook
and Loch Leven trout in this most excellent fishing stream, so that, now, while
black-spotted trout are seldom, if every caught, excellent catches are made of the
varieties introduced by the Commission.
The banks of the Sacramento River on Sundays and holidays, in fact, nearly
every day, are lined with anglers fishing for catfish, crappie, blue gill, calico bass and
other exotic fish introduced into the waters of this state by the Fish and Game
Commission.
The work of the Fish and Game Commission in the protection of the game
resources of the state has also been productive of excellent results. Deer are
admittedly much more numerous now than they were ten or fifteen years ago.
Cottontail rabbits are becoming so numerous that the residents of Fish and Game
District No. 2 and Fish and Game District No. 4 have asked this Legislature that
the protection given cottontail and brush rabbits be removed and that they be placed
upon the list of predatory animals which may be taken at any time.
As a result of the protection given pheasants, those planted by the commission
have become so numerous in favorable localities, that open seasons for the taking
of these birds are demanded in Inyo and other counties and will probably be granted
by this session of the Legislature.
Quail and doves are holding their own in most localities. Wild ducks and wild
geese, under the protection given them both by the state and federal government, are
so numerous that in many localities, they are considered a pest, particularly in the
rice fields of the Sacramento Valley and the grain fields in the lower San Joaquin
Valley. In fact, there is now pending in the Legislature a bill providing that the
protection given ducks and geese be, to some extent, removed, in order that the
farmers of the state may obtain relief from their depredations.
ISO CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
5. The diminution in the number of cases made in the biennial period 1916 L918,
is (jue to the vigorous campaign of education being carried on by this commission.
The commission Eeels that it can obtain much better results by educating the people
to a proper observance of the laws for the conservation of our fish and game, than
ii can by arrests alone. Apparently the commission is justified in this. Despite the
Eact that the patrol has been more efficient than at any other time, the number of
arrests have decreased from 2,087 in 1014-1C to 1,797 in 1916-18. Among the
activities of the Department of Education and Publicity which emphasize the motto,
"Conservation through education," are:
a. •v.w.ii'ukma Fish am> Game," a quarterly magazine devoted to the conserva-
tion of fish and game in California, published, contains -
(1) Numerous articles on game species, means of identifying them, their past and
present status and the means whereby they may be conserved.
(2) Statistics bearing on the abundance of game species.
(3) Reports of work accomplished by commission; activities initiated.
( l i Financial reports. . . .
h. Publicity items in newspapers dealing with fish and same and the activities
of the commission.
c. Magazine articles, e.g. "A New < roose for < Jalifornia." "Pernicious Bounty Laws.
(1. Lectures mi fish and game and ii< conservation illustrated with stereopticon
and with motion pictures, given to schools, churches, teachers' institutes, boy scouts,
summer camps, etc.
Ill Special series of lectures to university students.
e. Exhibits showing work and activities installed at State Fair and sportsmen
shows.
/. Instruction relative to fish and same and the need and value of wild life
conservation given in schools by means of lectures and trips afield.
(1 i Teacher's bulletins issued furnishing teachers with usable information.
I L' I Similar instructions given hoy scout organizations at their summer camps.
g. Record of activities and accomplishments furnished the Governor and the
people of the state through the medium of a biennial report.
Ii. Information on wild life furnished in reply to letters of inquiry.
The decrease in the number of cases can also be accounted for by the fact that
at the OUT Legislature, the sale of trout was prohibited, thus eliminating the many
arrests that had theretofore been made of fishermen who caught trout for the market
and who continually violated the law regarding both seasons and limits.
Furthermore, on account of the vigorous prosecution of cases by the commission,
many violators have ceased to disobey the laws. For example, after Judge Murasky
decided the case of American Game Transfer vs. Fish and Game Commission in favor
of tic commission, the merchants who had theretofore sold wild ducks illegally.
practically quit doing so. and market hunters from whom they procured wild ducks
discontinued their unlawful shipments.
6. At the urgent request of the anglers of southern California, the commission
decided to build a hatchery to stock the streams and lakes of southern California
and the western and eastern slopes of the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, which
were fished annually by thousands of people from Los Angeles and other portions
of soiu hem California. It emphatically and repeatedly demanded in writing of
the Department of Engineering and Board of Control that the building should not
cest more than $30,000. Plans and estimates were submitted by the State Architect,
calling for a building to cost $29,500.
At a meet ins held in the office of the Fish and Game Commission in the Mills
Building, San Francisco, attended by John Francis Neylan, then President of the
Board of Control: Mr. Dean of the State Architect's office; Frank M. Xewbert,
M. J. Council. Carl Westerfeld, Fish and Game Commissioners: Ernest Schaeffle,
Secretary of the Fish and Game Commission, and Mr. \Y. II. Shebley, Superintendent
of Hatcheries, the commissioners attempted to question the representatives of the
State Architect on the estimates submitted ami were told emphatically by Mr. Neylan
that neither he nor the representatives of the State Architect or the Department of
Engineering or its officials, came to the commission to have their ability to estimate
the cost of a building questioned by laymen; that the law provided that the amount
sel aside for the lniilding must be turned over to the Department of Engineering
and that if the plans were satisfactory, the commission would have nothing further
to say ahout its construction. Furthermore, if the commission did not turn over
$30,000 to the Department of Engineering, as provided by law. the Board of Control
would not approve of the expenditure of one cent and the commission could not
Imilil the hatchery. Thereupon, the commissioners turned over .$30,000 to the
Department of Engineering, which assumed full charge of the construction of the
building.
Before asking for plans and specifications for the hatchery to he built in Inyo
County the Fish and Game Commission made an extended survey of all the streams
in southern California, in order to obtain the best site possible for a hatchery. The
temperature of the waters of numerous creeks was taken ; the minimum and maximum
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME. 181
How determined ; the transportation facilities were examined ; the needs of the sur-
rounding country were investigated. After a most exhaustive examination, the
present site on Oak Creek was chosen, and the results have fully justified the choice
made. In view of the fact that nearly all the water in southern California was
appropriated for irrigation, power or domestic use, the state was extremely fortunate
to obtain such valuable water rights free of cost. These alone are of much greater
value than the cost of the hatchery.
The fish produced at the Mt. Whitney Hatchery show much greater and better
development than those propagated at any other in this state or anywhere in the
world. The facilities for stocking the waters of the southern Sierras and southern
California are better than those that could be obtained anywhere else in that section
of the state and the people wno are informed, are all of the opinion that no netter
site could have been chosen.
a. It is not true, as stated in the resolution, that there were no waters nearby
needing to be stocked. On the contrary, there are numerous streams and lakes
both on the western and eastern side of the southern Sierras, some of which are
barren of fish life, in which trout ought to be planted. The headwaters of many of
the streams flowing into the southern San Joaquin Valley rise in the western slopes
of the Sierra Nevada, within easy range of the Mt. Whitney Hatchery.
b. It is not true that it is impossible to obtain a sufficient supply of trout eggs
in the vicinity of the hatchery. On the contrary, an ample supply of trout eggs
can be obtained from Rae Lake and Bear Lake, besides a bountiful supply of golden
trout eggs from Cottonwood Lake, the only place in the world where these eggs can
be obtained. In any event, it is much cheaper and easier to transport eggs to Mt.
Whitney Hatchery to be hatched and distributed than it is to transport trout fry
from Mt. Sisson Hatchery to the streams and lakes stocked from the Mt. Whitney
Hatchery.
c. It is not true that the hatchery product must be transported a great distance
or at a heavy expense. The lakes and streams of the southern Sierras and southern
California can be easily reached and cheaply stocked from the Mt. Whitney Hatchery.
d. The hatchery product is loaded on the fish distribution cars at Owenyo, leaves
there about five o'clock in the evening, and passing through the Mojave Desert at
night, reaches Los Angeles and the southern portion of the San Joaquin Valley
early the following morning.
7. The cost of maintenance and operation of the Mt. Whitney Hatchery is not
extravagantly expensive nor out of all proportion to the benefit derived by the
people of the state. From year to year the expense, instead of growing, will
diminish on account of better facilities and the probable decrease in the price of food
for fish.
The ground on which the hatchery is located was not purchased by the state,
but was given to the state by the citizens of Inyo County. The commissioners
are not aware who are the owners of the property adjacent to the hatchery site.
At the time the hatchery was built, the land adjoining it immediately on the west
was a part of the National Forest, owned by the United States.
The Fish and Game Commission of California has made a greater effort than any
other state in the union to obtain accurate first-hand information relative to the
present status and condition of the game and fish of the state. It has caused
extended scientific research to be made, both as to the life histories of our game
and our fishes.
Under the direction of Dr. H. C. Bryant and J. S. Hunter, the following investi-
gations have been instituted :
a. Researches are being carried on by H. C. Bryant, Ph.D., game expert of the
commission, and J. S. Hunter, in close co-operation with the University of California,
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, facilities and advice of the trained scientists of the
university being available and used
b. Dr. Bryant, joint author of "The Game Birds of California," a 600-page book,
published in 1918, detailing the life history, habits and past and present status of
each species of game bird found in the State, sums up present knowledge of each
species.
c. Investigations of the food habits of birds :
(1) Roadrunner proved an efficient destroyer of insect pests rather than an enemy
of quail. Actual food consumed shown by stomach analysis.
(2) Study of food of ducks in progress. Will furnish information as to their
relation to agriculture and will give evidence as to best food plants to attract wild
fowl to the State. Natural foods suitable for use by the game breeder will also be
apparent.
d. Compilation of dependable facts regarding game and its status. File kept ;
information furnished by forest officers codified ; newspaper articles authenticated.
(1) Special report on fur bearing mammals; past and present status.
(2) Present status of beaver with map showing known distribution.
(3) Present status of prong-horned antelope with map showing present distribu-
tion and census of existing herds.
e. Statistics of annual kill of game.
3-48050
182 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
i li Deer. Estimate made from actual report of kill made by deputies and forest
officers.
(2) Ducks. Estimate made fr records showing shipments to market.
/. Investigations of disease attacking game.
(1) F. C. Clark* — disease attacking deer in Trinity County; proved to be a
bladder worm.
(2) Dr. Bryant — disease attacking ducks in Sutter County, 191S.
g. Investigations of birds in relation to agriculture.
(1) Ducks versus rice Joint investigation by Biological Survey and Fish and
Game Commission.
(2) Blackbirds versus corn and other crops.
i .", i English sparrow versus garden crops and beneficial native birds.
i l,i Relation of meadow lark to agriculture.
//. Field investigations of game retimes.
i 1 i Trinity County (lame Refuge; present condition; predatory mammals.
(2)Pinnacles Monument flame Refuge; present condition; predatory mammals.
i. Study of acclimatization of exotic species. Success and failure in the intro-
duction of foreign game birds and mammals.
j. Study of methods of conserving wild life.
/.-. Scientific investigations of deer and their status in California by F. C. Clarke.
The following scientific investigations of the commercial fisheries of the state
have been carried on. and many of them are still in progress under the direction of
Mr. N. B. Scofield, in charge of the Department of Commercial Fisheries.
a. Investigation of All. acme. Sardine and Herring. Mr. Will F. Thompson,
formerly with the Department of Fisheries of British Columbia, at present fishery
expert in our laboratory at Long Beach, is making a scientific investigation of the
life history of the albacore. together with a statistical analysis of the catch. He is
also making a scientific study of the sardine and herring, as well as observations on a
great many other fish. The greater part of the time, however, is spent with the
albacore and sardine, in order that we may be prepared to cope with the many
problems arising with the rapid development of these fisheries.
Mr. Elmer Iliggins, who is a graduate of the Department of Zoology, University
of Southern California, is assisting Mr. Thompson in the laboratory, collecting speci-
mens and conducting experimental fishing trips on the patrol launch "Albacore."
6. Edwin Chapen Starks, assist nut professor of zoology of the Leland Stanford
Junior University (formerly curator of the museum, and instructor at the University
of Washington), is writing a series of comprehensive articles on the results of his
studies of the various fishes of this < oast, which appear in our magazine, "California
Fish and Game," i.e.,
The Flat Fishes of California.
The Mackerel and Mackerel-like Fishes of California.
The Herring and Herring-like Fishes of California.
The Sharks of California.
The Skates and Rays of California.
c. Salmon. Arrangements have been made to complete the investigations of the
life history of the salmon from Monterey Bay to the northern boundary of the state.
.Mr. Willis Rich, a well-known student in zoology, and J. O. Snyder, associate
professor of zoology, Leland Stanford Junior University, formerly Assistant United
States Fish Commissioner, naturalist U. S. S. "Albatross" and expert ichthyolo-
gist, will carry on the work. Mr. Rich has already completed a great deal of work
on the salmon and Dr. C. IT. Gilbert of Leland Stanford Junior University has
carried on extensive experiments for the commission in marking and planting
salmon fry.
(I. Crali. A study of the Pacific Coast edible crab {Cancer magistcr) was made
by Frank Walter Weymouth (assistant professor of physiology, Leland Stanford
Junior University, A. B. Stanford 1909, A. M. Stanford 1011. In 1912 and 1913,
assistant in physiology at the Johns Hopkins University), in the year 1911. As a
direct result of his findings the size limit of crabs was increased by law and the
catch of crabs in 1917 was increased SO per cent ever that of 1916.
e. Mollusks. In 1911 a complete survey was made of the California coast under
the direction of Prof. Harold Heath, professor of zoology, Leland Stanford Junior
University (A. B. Ohio Weslevan. Ph.D. Pennsylvania), covering the mollusks of
this region. W. W. Curtner, Will E. Thompson and Mr. Hubbs assisted in this work.
f. Crawfish. A crawfish investigation was made in 1911 by Bennett M. Allen of
the University of Wisconsin. Later Waldo S. Schmidt of the United States National
Museum came to this coast, and in litis, with the assistance of our men and boats,
was able to secure some specimens of young crawfish which will greatly assist him in
his report of their life history.
o. Abalones. Mr. W. W. Curtner has made a complete study of the abalones ot
the State. Mr. Curtner is a graduate in zoology of the Leland Stanford Junior
University.
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME. 183
h. Striped Bass, Sturgeon, Perch, Shrimps, etc. Mr. Scofield has himself con-
ducted a great many investigations of our fishes, such as tbe*shad, striped bass, perch,
sturgeon, etc. He has also made a study of the shrimp fishery and has been able to
prevent the use of the destructive Chinese method of shrimp fishing.
i. Kelp. During the Great War, when a sufficient amount of potash was not
obtainable even at the increased price of $300 and $400 a ton, formerly $05 per ton,
a study was made of the extensive kelp beds along the coast of southern California
with the assistance of Mr. W. C. Crandall of the Scripps Institution and Dr. F. W.
Turrentine of the United States Department of Agriculture, and regulations were
made as a result of this study which enabled the harvesters to cut the kelp to the
limit without unduly destroying the beds.
9. There is less than eight miles of the Truckee River in California below
Floriston. Shortly before the present Board of Fish and Game Commissioners was
appointed, the State of Nevada appropriated $10,000 to abate the nuisance caused
by the pollution of the Truckee River at Floriston. Nevada's chief complaint was
not that the alleged pollution was deleterious to fish life but that it rendered the
water supply of the city of Reno unpalatable.
An action was commenced by the State of Nevada in the United States courts in
San Francisco and much testimony was taken. It was not proven that the refuse
was deleterious to fish. In fact, the testimony showed that the fish in the river
below the point at which the refuse was discharged, were in good condition and fit
for human consumption. The action commenced by the State of Nevada was thrown
out of court. Thereafter, certain state officials of Nevada consulted with the Fish
and Game Commission of California, with a view to abating the nuisance. F. A.
Shebley and N. B. Scofield were sent by the commission to the Truckee River to
make further experiments with the water affected. Numerous conferences were held
and a committee consisting of W. H. Shebley, Superintendent of Hatcheries in Cali-
fornia, Professor Dinsmore, Bureau of Chemistry, University of Nevada, and Mr.
Block, representing the paper company, was appointed to go east at the expense
of the paper company to investigate certain appliances to handle the refuse. The
owners of the paper company agreed to install these appliances providing the manu-
facturers thereof would guarantee their efficacy. When the manufacturers would
not do this, the matter was again taken up by Governor Boyle of Nevada and Mr.
Thatcher, Attorney General of Nevada, with Governor Hiram W. Johnson of Cali-
fornia, and Mr. Westerfeld.
As a result of this conference, a committee consisting of Hon. Arthur Arlett and
W. H. Shebley, again investigated the condition of the river below Floriston and
made its report to Governor Johnson. Mr. Westerfeld thereafter wrote Governor
Johnson, asking that the Attorney General of the State .of California be instructed
to commence proceedings under the authority of People vs. Truckee Lumber Company,
11G Cal. 397, against the paper company to abate the nuisance. At the next session
of the Nevada Legislature, another appropriation was granted by that state to again
commence proceedings against the paper company. An action was thereupon insti-
tuted and is now pending in the Supreme Court of the United States.
10. Water Pollution. Practically nothing was done by previous boards of Fish
and Game Commissioners to prevent pollution of the waters of the state. The
present board has, however, made great strides in this work and it is safe to say
that California now leads any other state in the Union in preventing the pollution
of its waters.
In the last ten years many complaints have been filed in the courts against large
corporations and individuals to stop the discharge of refuse matters into the waters
of tha state and vast sums of money have been expended by them in order to remedy
the evil. For example, as a result of complaints filed in the courts by the Fish
and Game Commission, the following named companies have expended the amounts
set opposite their respective names to prevent pollution :
Pacific Gas and Electric Company $200,000 00
Union Oil Company 18,000 00
Shell Company of California 40,000 00
Doheny-Pacific Petroleum Company and Associated Oil Company,
jointly 20,000 00
Mason Malt Whiskey and Distilling Company 7,000 00
Southern Pacific Company 23,000 00
Monarch Refining Company 5,000 00
American Oriental Refining Company 2,000 00
Capitol Refining Company 1,000 00
Paraffine Paint Company 1,000 00
California Petroleum Company 1,200 00
Total $318,200 00
184 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
Many fines have also been collected as a result of prosecutions commenced by the
commission.
Other large companies which have complied with our requests, or demands, with-
out prosecution, are as follows :
Standard Oil Company $500,000 00
Southern Pacific Company 26,000 00
Northwestern Pacific Railroad Company 5,000 00
Coast Counties Gas and Electric Company 5,000 00
Coast Valleys Gas and Electric Company 3,000 00
Pacific States Refining Company 2,000 00
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Pe Railroad Company 2,000 00
Western States Gas and Electric Company 5,000 00
$548,000 00
Brought forward 318,000 00
Grand total $S6G,000 00
And in addition a large number of smaller companies and individuals have been
compelled to cease pollution where such existed. In all cases where persons, firms
or corporations have failed to comply with our demands they have been taken into
court. jl - i
Three cases are nowr pending in the courts of San Luis Obispo County, two
against the Union Oil Company for pollution of San Luis Bay, and one against
the Tiber Pacific Company.
11. Screens. Prior to 1912 no systematic effort was made to cause the installa-
tion of screens and ladders. At that time the present commission created a depart-
ment of screens and ladders and detailed two men to attend to this work under the
supervision of the Superintendent of Hatcheries. Since that time, despite the fact
that the law has been found defective in some respects, SG2 surveys have been made
and notices served on the owners of ditches to install suitable screens. At this date
518 screens have been reported as being installed and in effective working condition.
Before May 15 of this year between fifty and sixty screens have been installed at
the expense of several thousand dollars. For instance, the screens installed by the
Sacramento-West Side Canal Company, the Anderson-Cottonwood Irrigation Com-
pany and the Southern California Edison Company, cost many thousands of dollars
each.
The work of installing screens in ditches is being pushed as rapidly and as vigorously
as conditions will permit.
Under the law as amended in 1917, at the suggestion of the commission, the
California Oregon Power Company has, at an expense of $20,000, built a hatchery
at the Copco dam on the Klamath River, and last month conveyed it to the state,
together with dwellings, traps and other equipment necessary to operate the station.
12. Ladders. The present Fish and Game Commission in 1912 began a systematic
survey in order to determine where fish ladders should be installed. As stated under
the head of "Screens" (point 11), two men were detailed under the supervision of the
Hatchery Superintendent to make these surveys and to draft plans to be given
the owners or occupiers of the dam. Numerous ladders and screens were installed ;
under the law 47 hearings as to the necessity of the installation of screens and
ladders were held by the commission and findings made and orders issued by the board
compelling the installation of fishways and screens. To date a total of 209 surveys
of dams have been made and the owners have been legally notified to install fish ladders
in accordance with the plans submitted. Of this number 131 fishways have been
constructed and have been accepted as being effective. The other cases are being
pushed vigorously and in some instances actions have been commenced to compel
obedience to the orders of the board.
13. At the 1917 session of the Legislature, the commission was instrumental in
having sixteen large areas within national forests set aside as game refuges, aggre-
gating 839,1S0 acres. Besides this, the commission has now established seven game
refuges on privately owned land in sections where hunting is intensive and game needed
such protection. Within the last six months, over G0,000 acres of private holdings
have been set aside for this purpose.
The commission is now asking the Legislature that two new game refuges be
created, one around Lick Observatory, the other in Kern County.
14. The branch office established at Fresno was abolished because the work done by
that office could be more efficiently and economically handled by the San Francisco
office. The officer who had been in charge of the Fresno office was retained in the
service of the commission until he voluntarily asked to be given a furlough in order
that he could operate a mine which he owned and also attend to his agricultural
interests which demanded his attention.
15. The game farm at Hayward, California, was established in 1908, prior to the
appointment of the present board. The grounds were leased for a period of ten years.
This commission was willing to cancel the lease at any time, had it been able to make
suitable terms with the owner. When the owner of the land sued the commission to
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 185
set aside the lease, the commission put in practically no defense, but Judge Murphy,
who tried the case, nevertheless ordered the commission to maintain a game farm on
the land until the expiration of the lease.
16. It is not true that the distribution of fish as carried on by the commission i*
unscientific, unduly expensive or that it results in the destruction in each year of
a large portion of the fish so distributed.
Through the efforts of the commission, two fish cars, distributing fish all over the
State of California, are hauled free of charge by the railroad. The greatest of care
is taken to see that the fish are properly distributed and properly planted in the streams
and lakes.
17. It is not true that the Fish and Game Commission failed to investigate the
young salmon propagated and distributed in the Sacramento River. The Fish and
Game Commission has heretofore caused such investigation to be carried on by Dr.
C. H. Gilbert of the Stanford University and Mr. N. B. Scofield, fishery expert for
the commission, and is now carrying on such investigation in conjunction with the
Bureau of Fisheries under the direction of Mr. Willis Rich and Mr. J. O. Snyder of
the Stanford University, Mr. N. B. Scofield and Mr. W. H. Shebley. Salmon fry
are held longer at Mt. Shasta Hatchery and are larger when released than those
reared by any other state or county.
18. The commission has not at any time been governed for political or personal or
other inefficient or improper motives.
a. It has not dismissed trained or efficient employees without cause.
&. It has not employed or promoted or otherwise rewarded assistants or employees
not deserving of such consideration.
e. The department is not demoralized or functioning inefficiently or at an expense
out of all proportion to the results obtained. On the contrary, the work of
the department is now being performed more efficiently, intelligently and
economically than at any other time during its existence.
19. The force of wardens in the field is as great as the funds of the commission will
permit. If the overhead has increased, it is caused by the increase of the clerical work
connected with the commission's activities, and also by the rules and regulations laid
down by the Board of Control.
Respectfully submitted.
FISH AND GAME COMMISSION.
Carl Westerfeld, Executive Officer.
186
CALIFORNIA KI>1I ANT GAME.
Fig 58. Yosemite Valley deer photographed in a snowstorm. Snow was falling at
the rate of two inches an hour when these deer were photographed by A. M.
Fairfield, March 6, 1919. Exposure 1/25 sec., stop, F 6.3.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
187
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME
A publication devoted to the conserva-
tion of wild life and published quarterly
by the California State Fish and Game
Commission.
Sent free to citizens of the State of Cali-
fornia. Offered in exchange for ornitho-
logical, mammalogical and similar period-
icals.
The articles published In California Fish
and Game are not copyrighted and may be
reproduced in other periodicals, provided
due credit is given the California Fish and
Game Commission. Editors of newspapers
and periodicals are invited to make use of
pertinent material.
All material for publication should be
sent to H. C. Bryant, Museum of Verte-
brate Zoology, Berkeley, Cal.
October 21, 1919.
PERSUASION VERSUS COMPULSION
IN FISH AND GAME CONSERVA-
TION.
Legislati n is the time-honored method
by which the body politic attempts to
attain an object. When new roads are
desired, the legislature is asked to enact
the proper laws. When the public health
is to be safeguarded, an act of the legis-
lature is demanded. But beyond the mere
placing of a law on the statute books is
the necessity of making the law effective
by means of law enforcement. Where the
need for the laws is well realized there is
little need of law enforcement ; where
they are poorly understood, time, energy
and money must be spent to attain the
object sought.
When, in fish and game conservation,
we turn to this same time-honored
method, the difficulties are just begun, for
laws passed by the legislature must be
enforced. Because of the failure of peace
officers to do their duty, a large number
of specially appointed game wardens must
force people to obey the law.
Is there not a better way of attaining
the same object? More and more we find
campaigns of education being instituted
to prepare the way ror proper legislation.
A city does not think of holding a bond
election until after the people have been
educated to the need for which the bonds
are to be issued. Successful liberty loans
have been effected by proper publicity
almost to a greater extent than by the
actual systematic canvass. The best
example of accomplishment by means of
an educational method rather than a
legislative method is to be found in the
success of the United Stiles I< ood Ad-
ministration.
How much better to have attained the
goal by means of persuasion rather than
compulsion !
If it is evident in attaining an object
that the educational is of more worth
than the legislative method because more
fundamental, it seems reasonable that
more time and energy should be devoted
to this method in attempting the conserva-
tion of natural resources.
THE ANGLER VERSUS THE NET
FISHERMAN.
The old controversy between the
angler for sport only and the net fisher-
men for profit only, over the waters ad-
jacent to Santa Catalina Island, has been
revived recently.
It was thought that this matter had
been definitely settled by action of the
1917 legislature in making two districts
around the island, one in which net fisher-
men could operate and one for the benefit
of the sportsmen only.
The promise of the cannery interests
and net fishermen that they would not
operate in a district dedicated to the
sportsmen, provided a certain part of the
waters surrounding the island be made a
district in which net fishing should be
pernrtted, would certainly seem to have
settled the matter. However, it appears
that this gentleman's agreement was not
considered binding by some of the con-
tracting parties.
About the middle of August, twenty-
two canneries operating around San
Pedro and some 340-odd alien fishermen
who, not being able to maintain an action
in the state court, cloaked themselves
under the protecting wing of the can-
neries, obtained from the presiding judge
of the Superior Court of Los Angeles
County an order restraining certain in-
dividuals from interfering with their nets
and boats, and further restraining them
from making searches and seizures. This
order was petitioued for under the plea
that irreparable damage would be caused
by the act:on of these certain named de-
fendants, operating without due process
of law.
The order was granted without pre-
vious notice to any of the defendants
named in the petition. No mention was
made in the petition that all of these
188
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
defendants were officers of the law, sworn
to enforce the law, and that the actions
complained of were performed in the pur-
suance of their duties.
The restraining order was served on
H. B. Nidever, W. B. Sellmer and E. L.
Hedderly, but no order was served at
that time on the Fish and Game Com-
mission. The order was also served on
Ernest Windle, justice of the peace of
Avalon township, Bates and Sutermeir,
respectively deputy county warden and
constable of Avalon township.
The hearing of the petition to make
permanent the temporary injunction was
held before Judge Valentine on August
19, 1910. The attorneys representing the
plaintiffs in the action attacked the con-
stitutionality of section 636 of the Penal
Code, relating to nets, and also the de-
scription of District 20, as given in the
act dividing the state into fish and game
districts. They maintained that since the
acts were void, the court had the right to
restrain the public officers from enforcing
the provisions of section 636. They also
maintained that the state had no juris-
diction over the waters surrounding Santa
Catalina Island, because the state con-
stitution made no mention of a three-mile
limit around the island. This latter con-
tention was shown to be so absurd that
it has since been abandoned.
The court took the stand that since a
temporary order had been granted, it was
up to the defendants to show cause why
it should not be continued and made per-
manent. The defendants were given five
days in which to present their opening
briefs ; the plaintiffs were given five ad-
ditional days for reply, and the defend-
ants were allowed five days further for
their closing briefs. By this, it can be
seen that the cannery interests gained
fifteen additional days in which to make
raids on the fishing grounds in Dis-
trict 20.
Immediately after the hearing, an order
was served on the Fish and Game Com-
mission restra:ning it from enforcing the
law relating to net fishing in the waters
around Catalina Island.
It is of interest to note, however, from
the report of our deputies, that the fisher-
men have gained very little by their tac-
tics, as their fishing operations have pro-
duced very poor results.
Judge Valentine having set aside the
temporary restraining order September
10, 1919, the Fish and Game Commission
has given instructions to its deputies to
enforce the law in District 20. For the
time being, it would seem that this de-
cision in favor of the commission's con-
tentions will effectually settle the contro-
versy.—E. C. B.
Fig. 57. Children on a nature study field excursion, Al Tahoe, evidence of the success of the
educational work carried on by the Fish and Game Commission in summer resorts this
past summer.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
189
EDUCATIONAL WORK IN SUMMER
RESORTS.
The attempt to stimulate interest in
wild life by carrying the Fish and Game
Commission's educational campaign into
the summer resorts proved very success-
ful. During the month of July Doctor
Bryant visited five of the largest resorts
on Lake Tahoe : Brockway, Tahoe Tav-
ern, Emerald Bay Camp, Al Tahoe Inn
and Fallen Leaf Lodge. Lectures illus-
trated with stereopticon and motion
pictures were given in the evening and
parties taken afield in the day time. Of
It will be of interest to our readers to
know that the Department of the Interior
has decided to employ in each national
park a resident naturalist whose duty it
will be to answer questions and to in-
terest people in the out-of-doors. Thus
will the government augment the work
already started by the commission.
The summer resort work at Tahoe
proved so popular that an expansion of
the work another summer will be de-
manded. There is no surer way of
stimulating interest in wild life conserva-
tion than to develop interest in the out-
Fig. 58. "Learning to read a roadside" at Emerald Bay under the instruction of a nature guids
furnished by the Fish and Game Commission. An experiment in making conserva-
tionists out of the summer vacationists.
particular interest were the groups or
children who roamed the woods am
stream sides searching for wild things.
It would be difficult to estimate the value
of these excursions when the public at
leisure came in contact with nature and
learned the fundamentals of conservation
first hand.
The final report shows that thousands
of people were reached through the
medium of lectures and that hundreds
received instruction from a nature guide.
The nature study reference books fur-
nished by the California Nature Study
League were in great demand and greatly
helped in awakening interest in wild
things.
of-doors when people are most susceptible
to information about it.
TAHOE PUBLIC CAMP.
The legislature at its last session set
aside the old hatchery grounds at Tahoe
City, which are to be abandoned for a
better site, as a public camp for vaca-
tionists. Under the direction of the Fish
and Game Commission the State Engi-
neering Department installed a water
supply, sewer system and other sanitary
conveniences. The camp was opened to
the public on July 4 with Mr. Arnold D.
Patterson as superintendent. On the first
day over a hundred campers were cared
4-48950
190
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
for. The camp remained open until Sep-
tember 5. During the season 1,239 per-
sons registered, but this number does not
represent the total number accommodated.
Further improvements are to be made in
preparation for the crowds expected next
summer.
and providing for a bag limit of one deer.
Governor Smith, in signing the bill,
stated thai the law was in the nature of
an experimenl and that if it proved un-
satisfactory it would be repealed.
Laws of this character, contrary to
recommendations of those most interested
Fig. 59. Tahoe Public Camp on the old hatchery grounds at Tahoe City. Hundreds of campers
availed themselves of the comforts of this free camp ground conducted by the Fish
and Game Commission. Photograph by George Neale.
DEER CONSERVATION IN NEW
YORK.
The state of New York is gaining some
valuable facts by obtaining a census of
the deer. The reports lead to a conclu-
sion that there are in round numbers
about 50,000 deer in that state. In 1917,
approximately 37,000 men hunted deer
and the total deer killed is estimated at
10,000. Records show that 5,8SS Adiron-
dack deer hides were received for tanning
by different tanning companies.
Approximately 19,000 of the total num-
ber of deer are bucks. With a kill of
10,000 about 50 per cent of the bucks are
killed each year. This is a toll alrea l.v
too great if the deer supply is to be
maintained.
As a result of investigations a shorter
season and a bag limit of one buck in-
stead of two was recommended, but the
legislature, influenced by selfish hunters,
passed a bill allowing the killing of "any
wild deer of either sex, other than fawns,"
in game conservation and contrary to the
best experience of other states, are likely
to prove costly experiments.
MIGRATORY BIRD TREATY ACT
CONSTITUTIONAL.
The duck shooters of the country who
have fought federal protection for migra-
tory birds in an effort to defeat the law
so that they might continue the destruc-
tive practice of spring shooting of water-
fowl, have been decisively beaten on two
occasions lately in the United States Dis-
trict Courts. This face is made more
interesting because on both occasions
those opposing the law felt certain they
would win. Their array of counsel was
the best they could obtain. They chose
their cases with due regard to decisions
made in the past and with all respect to
the local sentiment in the district where
the trial was held. In fact, they left no
stone unturned that would aid them in
their fight to defeat the law, and still they
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
191
lost. The sportsmen of the country should
feel highly pleased over their victory, for
surely the law is valid or the organized
fight against it would have met with at
least some slight success.
On June 4, 1919 United States Dis-
trict Judge Jacob Trieber, of the Eastern
District of Arkansas, who held that the
original migratory bird law of 1913 was
unconstitutional, handed down a very
sweeping decision upholding the new law.
This was the first jolt received by the
spring shooters, but the knockout blow
came later at Kansas City, Missouri,
when Judge Arba S. Van Valkenburgh,
on July 2, 1919, upheld the law in a de-
c'sion so sweeping that a fitting com-
parison is Dempsey's decision over Wil-
lard a few days later. — Bull. American
Game Protective Association.
WATERFOWL DIE FROM EATING
SHOT.
Wild ducks and other waterfowl some-
times die from lead poisoning resulting
from swallowing stray shot which they
pick out of the mud about shooting
grounds. Many ducks that become sick
from lead poisoning finally recover, but
it is probable that the effect is perma-
nently injurious not only to the individual
but to the species. It has been ascer-
tained by experiment that lead greatly
impairs the virility of male domestic
fowls. Females mated with them lay
many infertile egs, while in many of the
eggs that are fertilized the embryo dies
in the shell or the chick emerges weak
and unable to withstand the hardships of
early life. What effect lead poisoning
has on female wild fowl has not been
definitely ascertained, but, as the fact is
well known that lead produces abortion
in female mammals, there is a possibility
that it exerts a bad effect on female
waterfowl during the breeding season.
Thus, the supply of waterfowl is likely
to be decreased by lead poisoning not
only by the number of birds that die
directly from it but indirectly by impair-
ment of reproduction.
These facts are set forth by the United
States Department of Agriculture in Bul-
letin 793, "Lead Poisoning in Water-
fowl," about to be published as a con-
tribution from the Bureau of Biological
Survey. Reports of waterfowl apparently
sick from lead poisoning have been coming
in for several years. The Biological Sur-
vey undertook an investigation at various
shooting grounds to determine how com-
mon the taking of shot by waterfowl is,
and a series of experiments to ascertain
the effect of shot swallowed. It was
found that at places where much shooting
is regularly done from blinds, shot at the
bottom of the shallow water are so
numerous that one or more was found in
practically every sieveful of mud or silt,
and that they are swallowed by waterfowl
whenever found as a result of this habit
of swallowing small, hard objects to
supply grit for the gizzard.
The experiments have shown that shot
swallowed are gradually ground away in
the gizzard and pass into the intestines,
producing a poisoning that results in pro-
gressive paralysis and, usually, death.
Experiments with wild waterfowl cap-
tured when young and reared in cap-
tivity— to obviate the possibility of their
having taken lead before the beginning
of the experiments— have shown that six
pellets of No. 6 shot constitute an amount
of lead that is always fatal. Two or
three shot were sufficient to cause death
in several instances. In one experiment,
two mallards were given one No. 6 shot
each. One of them died in nine days and
the other was able to throw off the poison.
The list of species known to have been
poisoned by eating shot consists of mal-
lard, pintail and canvas-back ducks, the
whistling swan, and the marbled godwit,
but many other species, particularly of
ducks and geese, are undoubtedly affected
by it, according to the bulletin.
T'n fortunately, nothing can be done at
this time to protect waterfowl from lead
poisoning except to call attention to the
malady and to make known its cause and
symptoms. The department, however, de-
sires statistics ou the numbers and species
of birds affected and asKs that sportsmen
and others report to the Bureau of Bio-
logical Survey all cases that come to their
attention.
GOVERNMENT NEEDS DEPUTY
CHIEF GAME WARDEN.
The United States Department of Agri-
culture is in need of a well-qualified man,
not less than twenty-five nor more than
forty-five years of age, to fill a vacancy
in the position of deputy chief United
States game warden, and the United
192
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
States Civil Service Commission will give
a most practical open competitive test to
secure the r'grht man. The entrance
salary will be between $2,500 and $3,000
a year. Headquarters will be in Wash-
ington, D. C.
The duties of the position are to assist
in administering the law which gives
effect to the treaty between the United
States and Great Britain for the protec-
tion of migratory birds and the sections
of the United States Penal Code known
as the Lacey act ; in the supervision of
United States game wardens ?nd deputies
in the gathering of evidence and the
preparation of cases for prosecution of
alleged violations of the federal game
laws, and in office administration ; and
to participate in conferences in and out
of Washington with individuals and
organizations interested in wild life con-
s 'nation.
In accordance with its practice in con-
nection with positions of this class, the
examination given by the Civil Service
Commission will not require the appli-
cants to appear in an examination room
for a mental test. Those who apply will
receive a rating on their education and
practical experience, weighted at 80 per
cent, and on a thesis on a selected game-
conservation subject, weighted at 20 per
cent. Those who attain a passing grade
will later be given an oral test to deter-
mine their personal qualifications for the
position. Failure in this oral test will
render the applicant ineligible for appoint-
ment.
Applications will be received by the
Civil Service Commission up to and in-
cluding October 28. Full information
and application blanks may be obtained
from the secretary of the local board of
civil service examiners at the post office
or customhouse in any of 3,000 cities, or
by writing to the United States Civil
Service Commission, Washington, D. C.
ANGLERS, ATTENTION.
At last we have landed the articles on
angling you have been looking for. All
of the fine points of angling wil' be dis-
cussed. Read the first of the series which
treats of dry-fly fishing on page 1G9 of
this issue and watch for the other articles
in the series furnished by "R. L, M.,
California," than whom there is no better
writer on the subject.
ADDITIONAL MIGRATORY BIRD
TREATIES NEEDED.
In order to complete our program for
the protection of migratory birds, it is as
necessary for them to be protected in the
countries in which they sojourn during
winter months as in the territory where
they breed and spend their time in spring,
summer and autumn.
It is therefore imperative that treaties
be entered into with the republics of
Mexico, Central and South America for
the protection of birds that, in the course
of their annual migration, pass from or
through the United States and tempo-
rarily sojourn in such countries. It is a
startling fact that wild duck are slaugh-
tered by the millions in Mexico by pot-
hunters, many of whom use masked bat-
teries, and that they are sold in the
markets for the pitiful sum of three cents
each.
It is regrettable that the republics lying
to the south of the United States have
no game laws, but in the event those
countries enter into treaties with the
United States government for the pro-
tection of migratory birds, in order to
carry out the terms of such treaties, such
countries will be required to enact and
to enforce laws making such treaties
effective.
A campaigu of education should be at
once inaugurated in the Latin-American
republics for the purpose of bringing to
the attention of the people the economic
value of birds and game, and the relation
of these resources to the comfort, happi-
ness and recreation of man.
The question is, can the migratory wild
life withstand the onslaughts made upon
it for mercenary purposes by irrespon-
sible individuals in the Latin American
republics, without being subjected to cer-
tain depletion and ultimate extinction?
Should the sportsmen of the country
concur in the views briefly set out in this
short paper, let them bestir themselves by
addressing communications to their mem-
bers of congress, and urging their active
influence and assistance iu making the
treaties between the United States and
the Latin-American republics, for the pro-
tection of migratory birds, an accomplished
fact. — John H. Wallace, Commissioner,
Dept. Game and Fish, Montgomery, Ala-
bama.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
193
5.TATE FAIR EXHIBIT.
The Fish and Game Commission's ex-
hibit at the State Fair at Sacramento,
August 30 to September 9, 1919, was the
most pretentious yet attempted and
proved to be the biggest attraction at the
fair. A capable engineer was retained to
draw the plans and Mr. Win. F. Dabel-
stein, an artist of San Francisco, executed
them. The whole north end of the new
Agriculture Building was given over to
the exhibit. The main feature of the ex-
hibit was a cyelorama or the Sierras with
Mounts Shasta, Lassen and Whitney
looming up in the background and in the
foreground the south end of Lake Tahoe
wonder, for their bright colors would at-
tract anyone. The hardiness of this
variety of trout was evidenced by their
vigorous good health while in the
aquarium. Not a fish was lost in transit,
nor did one die during the ten days dura-
tion of the fair. The publications of the
commission were on display and wild life
films were shown in the motion picture
theater twice daily.
GAME CENSUSES.
Many states are inaugurating a game
census to determine tlie distribution and
comparative abundance of different va-
rieties. New York requires the wardens
Fig-. CO. The Fish and Game Commission^ exhibit at the State Fair at Sacramento which took
the form of a panorama of the High Sierras with Mount Shasta and Lake Tahoe at
the left and Mount Whitney with a miniature of the Mount Whitney Hatchery at its
base at the right. The exhibit was pronounced the finest on the fair grounds.
at one end and a miniature of the Mount
Whitney Hatchery at the other. Several
miniature waterfalls tumbled down the
rocks into an artificial lake filled with
trout. The whole scene was made still
more attractive by a system of lighting
which successively showed the gray light
of dawn, the rosy tints of sunrise and the
light of full day.
Arranged in front of the panorama were
four large aquaria. Two of them showed
common introduced fish such as black and
striped bass, blue-gilled sunfish, crappie
and catfish, a third showed different
varieties of trout and a fourth was filled
with the famous golden trout of the
Mount Whitney region. Great interest
was shown in the golden trout, and no
to report regularly on all game seen and
also requires a report of the game taken,
from each license holder. Minnesota has
just inaugurated a similar census to be
made by wardens. Although such cen-
suses will doubtless give a basis for esti-
mating the abundance of game, yet such
reports are necessarily so inaccurate that
California has not instituted similar
work. It may be that at some future
date California will follow the lead of
these other states.
In the meantime J. S. Hunter, assist-
ant executive officer, is contemplating a
different sort of a census — one which
would perhaps bring in more dependable
data with less work. The number of
cartridges sold in the state, if it were
194
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
Fig. 61. Posting- a game refuge. Suitable signs now mark the boundaries of our refuges.
Photograph by H. O. Bryant,
known, would allow an estimate of the
game killed. Different sorts of carl ridges
are used for the different kinds of game
birds and mammals and with due allow-
ance for game missed the total kill could
be approximated. The securing of data
along these lines would not be as difficult
as the requiring of reports from wardens
and hunters.
HATCHHRY DEPARTMENT MOVES.
The Fishcultural Department, headed by
.Mr. W. H. Shebley, has moved to Sacra-
mento, where temporary offices have been
established in the Forum Building pend-
ing the more commodious quarters being
prepared in the new Capitol Building.
All correspondence connected with the
Hatchery Department should hereafter be
addressed to Fish and Game Commission,
Department of Fishculture, Forum Build-
ing, Sacramento.
COLORED PRINTS OF GOLDEN
TROUT AVAILABLE.
A few copies of the beautiful litho-
graph of the golden trout which appeared
;is the frontispiece of the Trout Number
of California. Fish and Game are
mailable for distribution. Libraries and
schools are urged to procure copies for
framing. Send a two-cent stamp.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 195
FACTS OF CURRENT INTEREST.
A number of aliens who have purchased citizens' hunting licenses
have found that it does not pay. In each instance they have had
their license confiscated and been made to pay a $50 fine.
t -r- t
Splendid fish have been reared at the Yosemite and Kaweah
experimental hatcheries, thus demonstrating the feasibility of con-
structing permanent hatcheries at these stations.
State lion hunter J. Bruce recently succeeded in bagging four lions
in Tuolumne County.
T- 1r T
Plans are under way for a State Fisheries Laboratory to be located
near San Pedro. This will furnish working quarters for the scientific
staff of the Department of Commercial Fisheries and will give room
for an educational exhibit showing the work of the department.
T- T T
Nearly three-quarters of a million golden trout were successfully
reared at the hatcheries this year. Most of them will be planted in
the Southern High Sierras, but some will be placed in the Tahoe
region.
T^ T T
So great was the demand for the Trout Number of CALIFORNIA
FISH AND GAME with its colored plates that the supply is prac-
tically exhausted.
Hundreds of campers availed themselves of the public camp on the
hatchery grounds near Tahoe City this past summer. It will be
remembered that several acres of land were set aside for campers by
the last legislature.
1* T T-
Several additional wardens have been employed this past summer
to help patrol the state game refuges. Added, protection has also
been accorded by the eight aeroplane patrols established by the
United States Forest Service.
Ducks are again dying from alkali poisoning in the Marysville
Butte region of the Sacramento Valley.
.>>6
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
COMMERCIAL FISHERY NOTES.
N. B. Scofiet.o, Editor.
THE SALMON OF THE SACRAMENTO
NEED MORE PROTECTION.
It is believed that the Sacramento
salmon are not being adequately pro-
tected and that serious depletion may now
be taking place. Within the last few
years the salmon fisheries at Monterey
and Point Reyes, which draw upon the
Sacramento supply, have grown enor-
mously, and as they have grown the catch
on the Sacramento has been correspond-
ingly less, in spite of the fact that the
number of nets on the river has increased
and that on account of the higher price
the fishermen fish more persistently.
The present fall season on the Sacra-
mento remains open at least two weeks
too long. Several years ago the season
closed on September 1(1. It was con-
tended by fishermen and dealers that the
salmon were running later each year and
they succeeded in obtaining an open sea-
son until September 20. Later the season
was continued until September 25. The
object of the closed season is to protect
at least one-third of the run in order
that they may pass up the river unhin-
dered by nets and cast their spawn in the
headwaters and by so doing insure a con-
tinuous future supply of salmon. With
the present season, one-third of the run
is not protected, for by the closing date.
September 25, the last of the run or so
much of it as is left has passed the nets
in San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay.
Carquinez Straits and Suisun Bay, a dis-
tance, favorable for the use of nets, of
nearly fifty miles. The salmon work up
the bays and river slowly and after the
run has passed the lower bays the fisher-
men move up and continue to catch them
in the lower river until the season finally
closes. The wonder is that any escape
The salmon which have escaped make
their way to the spawning grounds which
are located mainly in the tributaries. Mill
Creek, Battle Creek and McCloud River.
In each of these tributaries a spawn-
taking station is operated to collect
salmon eggs for the hatcheries. The
number of salmon reaching these stations
is becoming less each year so that the
number of eggs that may be taken is now
only about one-fifth what it was only a
few years ago. This decrease in the num-
ber of fish reaching the spawning grounds
is a sure sign of overfishing and it is self
evident the salmon should be protected
from this overfishing.
The Sacramento also has a spring run
of salmon or rather what is left of a
once large spring run. The salmon of
this run enter San EYancIsco Bay during
the winter and early spring and after
escaping the trollers outside they have to
run the gauntlet of gill nets through the
bays and the river as far up as Colusa.
Above Colusa, as far as Vina, every place
the river sweeps round a bend with a
sandbar on the inside of the turn there is
a seining outfit which periodically sweeps
the deep hole where the salmon congre-
gate preparatory to ascending the next
shallow stretch of t ho river. There are
some fifteen of these outfits operating on
the "seining bars" on the upper river.
And the salmon can not escape thes"
seines which sweep the holes where thej
collect except during periods of very high
water. On the river below Colusa and in
the bays, there is no closed season to pro-
tect this spring run. On the river above
Colusa the season closes May 15, but this
date is so late the run is all but over.
There is no salmon stream in North
America where nets are allowed for so
ureat a distance up the stream as on the
Sacramento. The number of salmon
taken in these seines is not great, but
they are the remnant of the spring run
and they are a thousand times more
valuable for propagating the species than
•'or food. The hatchery of the United
states Bureau of Fisheries at Baird on
the McCloud River is the only hatchery
which has collected spawn from the spring
salmon run, but at this hatchery they
have not attempted to take eggs from this
run for the past six years for the reason
the number of salmon reaching that point
had become so small it was deemed in-
sufficient to warrant the expense of
operating.
Two things are quite obvious to anyone
who knows the facts. Seining and gill
netting in the upper river should be pro-
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
197
hibited and the fall season should close
earlier so as to give some measure of
protection to the larger and more im-
portant fall run. Trolling in the open
sea possibly should be restricted. In-
vestigations which were begun this year
by the Fish and Game Commission under
the direction of Dr. J. O. Snyder are
expected to throw light on this point.
STRIPED BASS TAKEN IN MISSION
BAY, SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CALI-
FORNIA.
Mr. A. G. Pearson of San Diego re-
ports that on or about June 20, 1919, he
took several small striped bass ranging
from five to eight inches in length, in
San Diego River near its outlet into
Mission Bay.
On October 26, 1916, eighteen hundred
small striped bass were planted near the
mouth of San Diego River by the Fish
and Game Commission, and since that
time small striped bass have on several
occasions been observed near the place of
planting. As far as is known, only the
one plant has been made in southern Cali-
fornia and striped bass have never before
been reported south of Monterey Bay.
The fry at the time of planting were
between two and three inches long, being
fish of the year, spawned in April or May,
1916. If these fry had grown at the rate
they do in San Francisco Bay they would
have reached the size of five to eight
inches in 1917, during their second year.
If the fry reported by Mr. Pearson are
some of the fry liberated in 1916 they are
in their fourth year and their rate of
growth has been remarkably slow. It is
suggested that these five- to eight-inch fish
are the progeny of the fish planted in
1916, but that can hardly be as a suffi-
cient length of time has not elapsed, for
it is pretty certa:n that striped bass do
not spawn earlier than their fourth year
and the fish planted in 1916 would not
complete their fourth year until the
spring of 1920. It would seem more
probable that striped bass plants have
been made of which we have no record or
else striped bass which are plentiful in
Monterey Bay have strayed to the south
and occasionally spawn as far south as
San Diego.
The striped bass is not native to the
Pacific coast, but was introduced from
the Atlantic coast in the early seventies
and since that time has become quite
plentiful.
KELP HARVESTING MAY BE
RESUMED.
During the period of the war nearly
four thousand tons of kelp were harvested
each year in California waters. Upon the
signing of the armistice practically all
harvesting ceased as potash could not be
extracted from the kelp economically
enough to compete with the foreign potash
which it was expected would be imported
again in large quantities. In extracting
potash from kelp many by-products were
obtained which had never before been
obtained in commercial quantities. As
yet most of these by-products have not
found a market. Much progress was
made in developing more economical
methods of obtaining the potash from kelp
and it was hoped that if a market could
be found for the by-products the kelp
plants could continue to operate, but the
armistice came sooner than expected and
the plants closed down. Since then
efforts have been made to place a duty on
foreign potash, but as yet congress has
taken no definite action. Efforts have
also been made to find markets for the
by-products and now one or more new
companies which believe they have found
the solution expect to resume the harvest-
ing of kelp. The future of the industry
will depend less on the value of the potash
extracted than on the other chemicals
which should be valuable when com-
mercial uses for them can be found.
SARDINE RUN AT MONTEREY.
The sardine season at Monterey has
been earlier than that usually considered
normal. Canneries were running full
capacity during July and August. Dur-
ing August the run was exceptionally
large and the fish unusually firm and of
good quality. This year tiiere were more
crews fishing sardines than ever before,
forty-five crews operating, or an increase
of seven crews over last year. The short-
age of cans during the fruit season
greatly curtailed the size of the sardine
pack, which otherwise bid fa/r to break
all records for this locality.
198
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
STEELHEAD.
It is often said by sportsmen that steel-
head trout do not take the hook in open
salt water. As contrary evidence a 3^-
pound (cleaned weight) steelhead was
caught July 23, 1919, on the hook in the
open Monterey Bay and the local fisher-
men chv'm that such a catch is no great
rarity. Several steelhead were also taken
this year on the Mendocino County coast
by the same method while fishing for
salmon. During the summer of 1010
many steelhead were taken, during a
period of six weeks, by trolling off Soquel
in Monterey Bay. Many of the trout
were caught a mile off shore.
SEAWEED AS FOOD.
The Chinese consider some of our sea-
weeds a very desh'able basis for soups
and several Monterey Chinamen make a
business of catering to this demand. The
weed is sun-dried and sacked, hut held in
the sack for further drying before ship-
ment. During the last five months about
1.450 pounds, dry weight, have been
shipped to such eastern points as Chicago,
Cleveland, San Antonio and Newark.
SALMON AT MONTEREY.
The king salmon season just closed at
Monterey resulted in one-half the normal
s ason catch. The early run was not
caught heavily because of a fishermen's
strike and the late season run was lighl
and ended early. The run of silver-side
salmon was also light, but extended over
a longer period than is usually credited
to this fish. The silver salmon is said to
suddenly appear in Monterey Bay, run
heavily for a few days and suddenly dis-
appear, but notes kept on the 1919 season
show them as caught in small numbers
between May 10 and July 26, with a
heavy catch on four or five days during
the period.
DRY SALTING FISH AT MONTEREY.
There are at present twelve firms en-
gaged in the business of hard or dry
salting fish at Monterey, representing an
approximate investment of .$."0,000. One
firm has invested $7,000 in equipment
since last year. In addition, there are
eight fresh-fish dealers who do consider-
able dry salting during otherwise slack
periods. Several firms that operated
last year have not yet opened up for
business, September and October being
the big months in the hard salting in-
dustry. The chief product is sardines in
the form of salachini pressed into round
100, (>."> and 50 pound tubs. Anchovies
are usually put up in ">, S and 10 pound
cans although some anchovy and sardine
paste is made. Mackerel is salted in 200-
pound barrels.
As yet the trade will not take any
great quantity of these relatively new
products on th's coast, but the hard salt
business promises to develop into a well
established and increasingly large indus-
try in the future.
SQUID AT MONTEREY.
This year for the first time in several
years squid have been caught in quantity
at Monterey. Three Chinese firms have
dried this season about 1,772,000 pounds
(fresh weight) of squid. Three tons of
wet squid furnish one ton dried. Due to
high labor cost this year the squid were
not cleaned, merely dried on the ground,
raked up and sacked. Fishermen were
paid $10 per ton for the catch and the
dried product sacked ready for shipment
is valued at (5 to 7 cents per pound.
Practically all this sacked product is
shipped to China.
In addition, small quantities of squid
have been canned in half pound rounds.
The appreciation of fresh squid as a table
delicacy is slowly growing, but people
who delight in oysters and eels usually
balk at squid tentacles till they have tried
them once.
DO FISHERMEN GO FAR ENOUGH TO
SEA TO GET THE FISH?
It is the belief of some of the canners
of southern California that such pelagic
fish as the tunas and albacores may be
found in large numbers farther off sb ire
than the fishermen usually fish. As the
tuna canning industry has grown the
fishermen have been getting larger boats
and are fishing, during the latter part of
the season, twenty to thirty miles off
shore. Incoming ships have observed
what they have taken to be schools of
long finned tuna ("albacore") some two
hundred miles off shore. To determine if
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
199
these fish are abundant at this distance
off shore the Fish and Game Commis-
sion's launch "Albacore" was detailed to
make an investigation and succeeded in
finding albacore in abundance near San
Nicholas or about eighty miles off the
mainland. If these fish can be found in
numbers at a greater distance off shore,
larger fishing boats will be built and
preparations made to fish farther at sea
when tuna are not to be found closer to
*hore.
LARGE SALMON CATCH AT FORT
BRAGG.
While the salmon catch this summer at
Monterey was only half the usual amount
the catch of salmon by trolling has been
exceptionally large in the vicinity of
Point Reyes in Marin County and near
Fort Bragg and Shelter Cove on the
northern California coast. The data has
not yet been compiled, but it is believed
the catch at Point Reyes as well as the
catch near Fort Bragg has been double
that of last year.
THE SACRAMENTO RUN OF SALMON.
After the opening of the season on the
Sacramento River August 1, salmon ran
in small numbers until August 28, when
the fishermen began to get large catches
in their gill nets and everything indicated
that what is termed the "fall run" was
on. Th? fish appeared to be larger than
average and several very large individuals
have been recorded. One was landed at
the plant of the Western Fish Company
at Pittsburg which exceeded seventy
pounds in weight. No scales were taken
from this salmon in order that its age
might be determined, but judging from
other large individuals whose age was
determined from an examination of their
scales it was not less than seven years old.
The appearance of the salmon being
delivered at Pittsburg early in September
would indicate that they would spawn
early this year. They had more the ap-
pearance of fish which run three weeks
later and it was argued by the fish dealers
that the salmon run would end much
sooner than usual.
Fig-. 62. Looking down the Noyo River from the boat haibor at Noyo, California. This is the
center of the salmon fishing industry of the north coast- Wonacotes photo.
200
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
Fig. 63. Scene on Noyo River showing salmon fishing boats. Wonaeotes photi
NOTES FROM THE STATE FISHERIES LABORATORY.
By Will F. Thompson and Elmer HlGGiNS.
THE RECURRENCE OF THE FRIGATE
MACKEREL.
In California Fish and Game for
October, 1918 (Volume 4, Number 4,
page 183), the first occurrence of the
frigate mackerel, Auxls thazard, was
noted. This was one of the remarkable
features of the unusual summer season of
1918. At that time small catches were
made in company with catches of skipjack
(Euthyrmus) , yellow-fin tuna and some
mackerel (Scomber). Tirs year slightly
larger individual boat catches won' made
of the frigate mackerel, but as the ma-
jority of the canneries refused them, they
were not brought in as often. One catch
of five tons was recorded by a single
boat on the nineteenth of August. The
first noted by the writer came in on the
♦California State Fisheries Laboratory,
Contribution No. 12.
seventeenth of August, and the last on the
twenty-second. Other catches at earlier
and later dates were undoubtedly made,
but the data have not yet been obtained
from the statistical records. The average
weight of these fish was 1.3 pounds before
cleaning, and the loss of weight in clean-
ing and preparing for canning was very
high. Therefore those canneries which
accepted the species at the start of the
run later refused to take any except for
fertilizer.
It may be noted in connection with
this species that mention of very young
tuna or albacore may refer to the taking
or observation of schools of the frigate
mackerel. Fishermen unfamiliar with
thorn, as was usually the case, were in-
clined to promptly refer them to the
young of other species of the tuna group,
frequently the blue-fin. — W. F. T.
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
201
THE SPAWNING OF THE GRUNION.
In Fish Bulletin No. 3, relating to the
spawning of Lctircsthes tenuis, the
grunion, there is g:ven on page 14 a chart
showing the relat:on oP the tides to the
spawning times. As the paper was pub-
lished on July 15, before the spawning
season was over, no spawning periods
were shown in July and August. How-
ever, since then, runs were observed on
July 15, July 16 and August 14.
The runs on July 15 and 16 were small,
but larger than that on August 14. The
full moon occurred July 13 and August 11
(Greenwich mean civil time). Mr. Henry
Shands, a field assistant for the labora-
tory, observed the run during July in the
absence of the writer, and states that it
was noticed by a considerable number of
people, who remained on the beach to
collect the fish. The run during August
was observed by the writer, but so few
fish were noticed that it seemed an acci-
dent to have taken them at all. Hence,
although the fish were obtained on but
one night, this fact does not mean that
grunion did not run the usual three
nights. No people were observed on the
beach capturing the fish, this fact cor-
roborating the observed small size of the
run.
It will be noted, from the above-
ment'oned chart, that August 14 was the
last date on which the grunion might be
expected to run during the year 1919. —
W. F. T.
CONTRIBUTIONS TO CANADIAN
BIOLOGY.
Among additions to the library is a
series of publications from the Canadian
Biological Stations,* being studies made
under the direction of the Biological
Board of Canada, Professor E. E. Prince,
Commissioner of Fisheries, Chairman.
Included with them is a volume devoted
to the Canadian Fisheries Expedition
(Department of the Naval Service 1919),
during which material was gathered for
studies of the Canadian herring, the eggs
and larva? of the eastern coast of Canada,
the hydrography of the region, etc., by
Dr. Johan Hjort, and various associates.
The publications are noteworthy, aside
*Contributions to Canadian Biology,
Supplements to the Annual Reports of
the Department of Marine and Fisheries,
Fisheries Branch, Ottawa, Canada.
from the undoubted merit of the con-
tributions, in that throughout many re-
cent numbers there is an attempt to apply
to American species the technique de-
veloped during the study of European
fisheries by the International Council for
the Study of the Sea.
The volume published under the direc-
tion of Dr. Johan Hjort includes in its
covers two papers which are in good part
general in character, dealing with the
principles of the Norwegian work on the
life history of the herring and of hydro-
graphic work, the former by Einar Lea
and the latter by J. W. Sandstrom.
These papers will well repay the perusal
both of the beginner and of the investiga-
tor, especially in the absence of general
works dealing with the subjects. —
W. F. T.
BLUE-FIN AND YELLOW-FIN TUNA.
The catch of blue-fin tuna during 1919
was largely the work of purse seine boats,
operating during the last part of the
season in the northern waters around
Santa Cruz Island. However, during the
height of the run off Catalina Island, the
schools invaded the prohibited waters of
District 20. The statistics of the catch
obtained during the subsequent weeks do
not, therefore, give an accurate idea of
the abundance of the fish because of the
attempts of the seiners to evade the law,
and the issuance of an injunction (August
13) against deputies seeking to enforce it.
They are accurate, of course, in regard to
the quantity taken.
A potential source of more serious
error in statistics arose during the last
part of August in the confusion by the
weighers of yellow-fin with blue-fin tuna.
The albacore boats began, about the
twenty-fifth of August, to bring in num-
bers of large yellow-fin tuna (Oermo
macro pt crus) , landing them at the can-
neries, in company with many smaller
tuna. A close examination of these fish
throughout the period of their run, which
was not over on September 2, proved
these fish to be usually of the one species,
the "yellow-fin" tuna. It will be, in fact,
a safe procedure to call nearly all tuna
caught by albacore boats (other than
combination net boats, which were not
operating) during this period this species,
in contradistinction to the blie-fin tuni
202
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
landed by the purse seine boats. But thai
even th;s leaves a certain error is un-
deniable, numbers of blue-fin tuna being
brought in.
This is, incidentally, the first year in
which these large yellow-fin tuna have
been taken in this quantity in these
waters. Last year the yellow-fin tuna
taken were small, always under 30 pounds,
while this year 75-pound fish (cleaned)
were not rare, and one of them weighed
175 pounds cleaned, and was G5 ;nches in
length. In fact, the blue-fin, or leaping,
tuna did not exceed the size of these fish.
It was not to be wondered at that these
large, magnificent fish were at once called
leaping tuna, traditionally the largest of
our species.
However, the writer has satisfied him-
self by careful examination of a consider-'
able series of fish that confusion need
arise but very rarely between the species.
Careful measurements have been taken of
the body and fin proportions and com-
pared according to standard methods used
by ichthyologists in distinguishing species,
but the more obvious characteristics may
be reviewed here for the use of those who
wish them, in view of the need for
accuracy in statistics.
Color. The high fins above and below
the fish (dorsal and anal fins) are usually
tinged with yellow in the yellow-fin tuna,
while they are as a rule dark in the blue-
fin. The small finlets behind these are
usually a brighter yellow in the yellow-
fin.
The lower side of the body in both
species bears characteristic markings,
especially in the young. In the yellow-fin
the marks tend to arrange themselves in
alternate narrow transverse lines and
rows of spots, and are smaller than those
of the blue-fin, in which the spots are
generally in transverse rows without in-
tervening lines. In both species these
spots become lengthened toward the tail.
When freshly caught the yellow-fin, the
young especially, has a strong lemon
yellow tinge over most of the body, which
is lacking in the blue-fin.
Pectoral fin. The length of the long
side fin is the most obvious and reliable
character by which the species can be dis-
tinguished, but very rarely a yellow-fin
is found with a short fin. In the yellow-
fin this side fin is almost always slightly
shorter than Hie head, measured from the
tip of the snout, and is not less than live-
sixths of its length. In the blue-fin, this
side fin is always less than two-thirds of
the head length, and usuallv but three-
fifths.
Head. The yellow-fin tuna has, as a
rule, but not invariably, a shorter head
than the blue-fin has.
'I'm nk of the body. The yellow-fin has
a very noticeably shorter trunk than the
blue-fin, if the "trunk" is considered the
length before the two fins situated above
and below the body. This holds only
when fish of a size are compared and very
large fish are likely to be hard to distin-
guish. The posterior part of (he body
where the finlets are is nevertheless more
drawn out in the yellow-fin in comparison
with the rest of the fish. Up to a certain
length the fish seems to grow faster pos-
teriorly, the young yellow-fin of 25 inches
in length being similar in this charac-
teristic to blue-fin of 45 inches.
Height of fins. The height of the two
fins, one above and one below the body
(dorsal and anal), differ markedly iu the
two species, but only when specimens of
a size are compared. Yellow-fin tuna
have higher fins (or longer, according to
the way they are considered) but a yellow
fin of 30 inches in length has tins about
as long in proportion as a blue-fin of 45
or 50 inches, although those of a 45-inch
yellow-fin exceed the length of those of
the blue-fin by a fourth of their length.
The eye. The eyes in the blue-fin tuna
are actually nearly equal to those in
yellow-fins of the same size, but because
of the larger head in the blue-fin, they
appear much smaller. The diameter of
the eye in the blue-fin averages 3.2 per
cent of the length of the body, and is
about one-ninth of the head length,
whereas that of the yellow-fin is 3.2 per
cent of the body length, but about one
eighth of the head length. — W. F. T.
THE OCCURRENCE OF THE LOUVAR.
On August 6, a large fish was brought
into the canneries at Fish Harbor, San
Pedro, from the west end of Catalina
Island, and excited much comment as a
probable hybrid between a pompano and
a yellowtail. This proved far from the
truth, however, the specimen in reality
being a member of the "wide-ranging"
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
203
species Liirarus imperialis Rafinesque,
once previously recorded from Catalina
Island by Jordan & Starks in 1906 (as
taken by Dr. C. F. Holder). It was an
exceedingly active fish and very difficult
to handle, although the small mouth and
fine bristle-like teeth do not indicate
predaceous habits. — W. F. T.
THE ABSENCE OF THE DOLPHIN
FISH.
In 1918 the dolphin fish, Coryphwna,
was frequently taken in local waters, and
this fact was then often cited as evidence
of a bad year for the fishing of albacore.
However, this year the dolphin has not
yet been in evidence (September 15), as
far as we are able to determine, although
the albacore season is far from normal.
Indeed, the similarity between 1918 and
1919 is marked, the skipjacks (Euthyn-
nus) having been running in quantity as
they did last year, the frigate mackerel
having appeared again, and the year being
remarkable as before for the predominance
of the tunas.— W. F. T.
TWO RARE FISHES.
To the lists of fish, new or rare in
southern California waters, previously
published may be added two species which
came to the laboratory in June.
Four specimens of the pomfret, Brama
rail (Bloch), were taken from a gill net
near San Pedro by Mr. E. M. Nielson.
The pomfret is an excellent food fish
found in open seas, widely distributed,
but taken only occasionally on our eastern
or western coasts or in Europe.
Several specimens of Gololabis suira
(Brevoort) were sent to us from San
Diego by Mr. P. B. Clark, where they
were taken along with a school of sar-
dines in a round-haul net. The species is
recorded from several localities on our
California coast but is said to be very
rare. This same species is occasionally
found in large schools 'n Japan. — E. II.
THE "DAY" AND "NIGHT" SURF-
FISHES OF NORTHERN CALI-
FORNIA.
Captain A. C. Tibbetts of Eureka,
California, writes to the undersigned as
follows :
" * * * state that the 'grunion' is
the fish known here as the 'night surf-
fish.' There is another known as the
'day surf-fish,' both varieties being caught
in dip nets, in the same locality, viz,
between Trinidad and Mad River. The
Indians catch and dry these in large
quantities. The 'day-fish' is larger than
the 'night-fish,' has a yellowish tinge, the
flesh is softer, and to my taste is inferior
to the 'night-fish.' On the ninth instant
(of August) I saw both kinds on sale at
one of the Eureka markets. Small
coasters running to the Klamath River
bring occasionally to this place what is
termed 'candle-fish.' These, even when
salted and smoked, burn freely if a lighted
match is applied to the tail. The Klamath
River, as far as I know, is the only
stream near here that furnishes this fish.
All three of the above fishes have the
appearance of smelt."
One of these species is Thaleichthys
pacifictis, the eulachon or candle fish ;
another is probably Hypomesus pretiosiis.
the surf-smelt, but we are not at all sure
that the third is the grunion, Leuresthcs
tenuis. Both Mallotus villosus, the cape-
lin, and Letiresthes tenuis are surf
spawners and might possibly occur, and
as the latter has not as yet been re-
corded north of Long Beach, considerable
caution should be used in reaching a de-
cision.— W. F. T.
THE OCCURRENCE OF THE ALBA-
CORE NORTH OF SAN FRANCISCO.
Captain A. C. Tibbetts has also in-
formed us that on September 22, 1S84, he
captured three albacore off the northern
coast of California. His letter reads in
part as follows:
"While in command of the schooner
'Volant,' I was coming from the west-
ward, bound for Humboldt Bay, and in-
stead of getting northerly winds as ex-
pected at this time of year, the wind
came in fresh from the southward, in-
creasing to a strong southeaster as we
approached the coast, resulting in our
closing with the land to northward _ as
well as to leeward of our port. The wind
after some hours moderated, and changed
to light northwest. While running for
Humboldt Bar, at four to five knots
speed, somewhere between Redding Rock
ana Trinidad Head, I noticed fish working
the same as they sometimes do on the
coast of southern California, and out of
curiosity threw a cod line with a white
rag on the hook over the stern, and when
the line straightened out got an albacore.
Caught three, as fast as they could be
unhooked and the line put out again.
The fish appeared to be abundant, but
those taken wrere dirtying things up
around the after part of the deck, so
fishing was stopped."
204
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
Captain Tibbetts is fam:liar with alba-
core, having taken them south of San
Francisco. He believes the long south-
erly blow had reversed the usual coastal
current and brought warmer water with
it. Extracts from his log-book are given
in his letter.
He also (October 17, 1883) records
the occurrence of skipjacks (presumably
Euthynnus) in considerable numbers 120
miles west of Trinidad, over what he
thought to be a small uncharted area of
shoal water, but in an area not now
traveled to any extent. — W. F. T.
CONSERVATION IN OTHER STATES.
FIEW YORK OPENS NEW HATCHERY.
The Conservation Commission of New
York announces that the new fish hatch-
ery at Dunkirk has been opened. This is
the largest and most completely equipped
of the twelve hatcheries maintained by
New York and will be used largely for
the propagation of the lake or greenback
herring.
GAME REFUGES IN MINNESOTA.
Game refuges may be established with-
out hearing in the state of Minnesota
when all landowners concerned join in a
petition. A public hearing is required
otherwise. All state parks and state
forest reserve lands are game refuges.
WASHINGTON FORMS STATE
SPORTSMAN'S ASSOCIATION.
Washington sportsmen have formed an
organization to further the interests of
all the sportsmen of that state. The ob-
ject is to assist in the propagation and
protection of game animals, birds and
fish, to influence legislation toward this
end, and to promote such social conditions
as are incident to the sport of hunting •
and angling. Its rapid progress voices
itself in the slogan, "One thousand mem-
bers in 1919."
QUEBEC ESTABLISHES BIRD
REFUGES.
Great bird colonies situated on islands
in the Gulf of St. Lawrence have been
set aside as game refuges by the parlia-
ment of the province of Quebec. There
are three definite areas in the county of
Gaspe which are included. The first,
known as Perce Rock, a breeding place
for herring gulls and crested cormorants,
Bonaventure Island with the largest sur-
viving colony of the gannet, and the cele-
brated Bird Rock, the northernmost of the
Magdalen Islands. Rigorous provisions of
Fig. 64. Deer captured while swimming in Lake Tahoe. Photograph by J. SaDders.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
205
the law prohibit the molestation of the
birds' nests or eggs, the carrying of a gun
or other hunting gear within a mile of
the refuges. Any boat used in violation
of the law is liable to confiscation and
heavy penalties of fine or imprisonment
are provided.
PENNSYLVANIA PUNISHES
VIOLATORS.
Severe sentences are becoming the rule.
In the Fishing Gazette we read that
Clyde Wilsoncroft and Roy Reynolds of
Drury's Run, Pennsylvania, were arrested
by the state police for illegal fishing.
Each had sixty-five trout in his posses-
sion. The men were given a hearing
before Squire Griffey, of Revono, and
fined $650 each, or $10 for each trout
caught. Not being able to pay the fine,
both men must serve G50 days in the
county jail.
LIFE HISTORY NOTES.
WEIGHTS OF MULE DEER.
Extravagant statements regarding the
weights of mule deer are current. Most
weights given are mere estimates. It is
worth while, therefore, to record the
weights of two bucks taken in the Granite
Mountains, Washoe County, Nevada.
about September 1, 1908. Careful
weights taken on steelyards showed 217
pounds and 220 pounds after the entrails
and feet had been removed. A dressed
forked horn weighed 180 pounds. — F. P.
Cady.
DEER CAPTURED IN LAKE TAHOE.
On January 26, 1919, Henry Sail, the
caretaker of the Hellman resort on Lake
Tahoe, discovered a doer swimming in
Lake Tahoe about three-quarters of a
mile out from land, and he immediately
took after it in a boat. It was in an
exhausted condition, and showed marks
of having been attacked by a coyote or
other animals. Mr. Sail took the deer
home and took special care of it, and
Mr. Hellman procured a permit from the
Fish and Game Commission to keep it.
After keeping the deer in captivity for a
week carefully chained, it was given its
freedom, and since then it has never
strayed away from the property even
though it has absolute freedom to roam
over 43 acres of ground. It has adopted
the house cat, seven setter dogs and one
Airedale dog. The deer appeared to be
about eight months old when captured.
Its mate was found later by J. E. Pomin
of Idlewild, near the Hellman property,
partly devoured by coyotes.- — Joseph H.
Sanders.
OREGON C/ESARIAN FAWN A MOST
HEALTHY LITTLE ONE.
At Neskowin, Tillamook County, Ore-
gon, during the summer of 1917 deer
hounds wore heard back in the mountains.
Fig. 65. Csesarean fawn successfully reared in
Oregon. Photograph by Raymond
Walsh.
Soon they appeared on the beach, having
drven out a doe. The weary doe made
for the breakers and started for the rocks,
then well covered with water. Later
when the tide receded a search was made
for the deer. She was found on the rock,
but in an effort to reach safety her front
206
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
leg was broken. But, sadder yet, Bhe was
with fawn. Her life was taken and a
Caesarian was quickly undertaken by the
rancher. The wee twin buck had been
injured and was dead, but "Fawnie" was
soon ready to eat. It was miles to any
hygienic nipple and bottle, so one was
improvised with a cork and straw. A
bed and warmness was soon provided, but
iu a few days the little beggar preferred
the bard floor -perhaps it was more like
the sunny mountain side. Soon she was
weaned and drank from the cup. Days
and weeks passed, and what a pet ! She
was ever free to return to the mountains
at any time, but she liked her foster
mother too well. Later she was sent to
the State Hospital Farm near Salem,
where she is now well cared for. — .Tank
Fuy \V\r.sn.
UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE CO-OPERATION.
RANGERS CO-OPERATE WITH GAME
WARDENS.
Probably in no season since the Forest
Service began its active campaigns of fire
protection, road building, and the survey-
ing of summer home sites and other
projects which tend toward making the
summer vacations of the mountain-loving
people of California more attractive and
Fig. 00. Young mountain lion captured oea.
Helena, Trinity County, California.
Photograph by H. W. Brannan.
beneficial, has it been so handicapped by
the lack of experienced men as it was
during the summer of 1918. It was the
war, of course. Bui in spite of the fact
that it was not able to put on so many
men as formerly during the summer, and
in many cases one man was doing the
work of two in ordinary years, no lack of
interest was displayed in its co-operation
with the Fish and Game Commission. A
sincere interest in the protection and per-
petuation of the game resources of the
state is evident in all the reports from
the Forest Supervisors, and in many in-
stances it is the forest rangers who
come forward with constructive sugges-
tions for the improvement of game con-
ditions. This is due partly to the fact
that all Forest Service officials know that
wild life is as much a natural resource
as timber, and that it should be used
wisely and tinder the proper regulations,
and partly because they wish to assist the
State Commission through its local rep-
resentatives who are in many localities a
pari almost of the Forest Service organi-
zation, good fellowship and mutual help
being the rule between rangers and game
wardens.
DEER IN THE NATIONAL FORESTS.
In looking over the reports we find
that 2,943 deer were killed in the
National Forests last season. This is an
accurate record and is only what is
actually known of the kill. In many
cases the Forest Supervisors say that this
does not represent the actual kill, which
might readily be estimated at 10 or 15
per cent higher. In most localities they
are holding their own and in some a de-
erease has been noticed. The chief factors
which affect and have a direct bearing on
the number are the extension of the road
system under the spur of the autoist, and
the increasing number of people who
spend pari of their vacation in the moun-
tains. The most serious factor is the
apparent increase in the coyotes and
mountain lions. The campaign conducted
by counties, the Biological Survey and the
state has not yet (from the reports) been
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
207
intensive enough to rid the mountains of
these pests to any appreciable degree.
Unless it is carried on more forcefully we
are liable to see a steady, if not rapid,
decrease in the deer. Where sheep are
grazed in the mountains during the sum-
mer months the coyotes seem to prefer
them as a more easy prey than the deer,
attacking the latter only in the winter.
But where few sheep are grazed the re-
ports are emphatic in the assertion that
coyotes do more damage than the hunters.
In parts of the Klamath Forest it is im-
possible to raise sheep or goats unless
kept within a fence, and in other sheep
raising countries the coyotes take a
serious toll every year.
The mountain lion is even a more im-
placable foe of the deer than the coyote,
and if it should become as widespread in
its range and habitat it would mean the
sure and early doom of the deer. For-
tunately, at present, the Klamath, Trinity,
Shasta, California, and Santa Barbara
Forests are the only ones that report,
serious trouble, although the El Dorado,
Stanislaus and Sierra report an increase
in the numbers of lion in the last year.
Here the trouble is traced to the Tosemito
National Park, which has been a breeding
ground for them, as no hunting or
trapping is allowed except by Park
Rangers or government hunters. Higher
bounties and more vigorous prosecution
of the work of extermination of both the
lion and the more prevalent and destruc-
tive coyote are vigorously recommended.
OWENS VALLEY RESIDENTS ALL GO
FISHING.
A fishing day for the Owens River
Valley, when almost the entire population
closes stores and homes and goes out to
catch the first trout of the season, has,
according to Supervisor Jordan, become
an established institution.
STRANGE DEER KILLED.
Ranger Harley of the Klamath Forest
reports the killing of a pure white deer
and a pure black one, and adds that he
has seen a third and greater wonder in
the deer line, one with white head, neck,
legs and belly, and cream colored sides
and back.
REPORTS.
SEIZURES— FISH, GAME AND ILLEGALLY USED FISHING APPARATUS.
March 1, 1919, to June 30, 1919.
Game.
Deer meat . 345 pounds
Ducks 32
Doves 3
Quail 12
Deer heads 2
Aigrettes 59
Fish.
Smelt 8 pounds
Halibut 3,650 pounds
Trout 78 pounds
Barracuda 1,591 pounds
Striped bass 1,971 pounds
Black bass 9 pounds
Catfish 178 pounds
Salmon 475 pounds
Yellow fin croaker 23,600 pounds
Crabs 1,031
Pismo clams 1,933
Abalones 383 pounds
Abalones (dried) 1,157 pounds
Lobsters 8
Dried shrimps 1,200 pounds
Set lines 3
Illegal nets 3
Searches.
Illegal fish and game 23
L'OS
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
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CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
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CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
VIOLATIONS OF FISH AND GAME LAWS.
March 1, 1919, to Jure 30, 1919.
Offense
Game.
Hunting without a license
Deer— close season killing or possession
Female deer, spike bucks, fawns— killing or possession
Running deer with dogs— close season
I llegal deer hides
Refusing to show license on demand
Selling an eagle
Nongame birds— killing or possession
Cottontail and brush rabbits— close season— killing or pos-
session
Wild pheasant— close season— killing or possession
Tree squirrel — close season — killing or possession
Goose and niudhens— close season— killing or possession
Ducks— close season — killing or possession
Golden eagle in possession
Doves— close season— killing or possession
Quail— close season— killing or possession
Black sea brant— close season— killing or possession
Number or
arrests
Total game violations.
Fish.
Angling without license
Fishing for profit without a license
Refusing to show license on demand
Clams— undersize — close season — taking or possession
Crabs— undersize— close season— taking or possession
Using a set line
Offering trout for shipment by parcel post
Trout— close season— excess limit — taking or possession
Trout— taking other than by hook and line
Catfish— undersize— offering for sale
Salt water eels — undersize — taking or possession
Using a fish trap
Dried shrimps— possession
Abalones— close season— undersize— taking or possession
Spring lobsters— close season— undersize— taking or posses-
sion
Sturgeon— close season— undersize — taking or possession
Black bass— close scuson— undersize — taking or possession..
Black bass — taking other than by hook and line
Striped bass— undersize— excess limit — taking or possession
Perch — buying or selling— close season
Selling young fish Eor bait
Taking salmon with snag hook
Buying and selling salmon taken in District No. 1 — close
season— excess limit
Using a net less than J-inch mesh for bass
Pollution of waters
Total fish violations.
i
22
2
1
1
I!
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
3
3
1
57
16
19
1
9
10
2
2
17
2
3
2
1
2
26
4
2
1
1
Fine*
Imposed
$155 00
460 00
50 00
•_'.-, IKI
25 00
35 00
5 00
55 mi
75 00
LOO (hi
ok nn
50 00
25 00
50 00
75 00
$1,210 00
$430 00
160 00
25 00
250 00
80 00
"~5o"6o
410 00
50 00
(id llll
120 00
100 00
550 00
80 00
40 00
211 110
511 mi
30 oo
'J.I IN)
100 00
;;oooo
20 oo
l.:_' $2,985 00
Grand total fish and game violations.
189
$4,195 00
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
211
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CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
213
INDEX TO VOLUME 5.
Abalone, 45, 68, 95, 96, 101, 162, 104, 1G7,
1S2, 209.
Accident, 30.
Accusation, and defense, 176-185.
Agriculture, wild life in relation to, 99.
Airplane, to locate fish, 148.
Albacore, 24, ?.(►. 39, 41. 44. 5S. SO. 94, 95.
96, 100, 145, 147, 155, 162, 163, 164,
166, 182, 198, 200, 203, 208; occur-
rence north of San Francisco, 203.
"Albacore," launch, 95. 182, 199 ; attempts
to aid fishermen, 94.
AH> ii la nil pes, 15S.
Alga, 70.
Allen, B. M., 70, 182.
Alosa sapidissima, 15S.
Amadou, 170.
A mi turns nebulosus, 22.
AMERICAN FIELD. 84.
Anadromons, 105, 112.
Anchovy. 44, 100, 162, 163, 164, 106, 198,
21 is.
Angler, 17. 38, 43, 75, 77, 80. 110, 112.
113, 114, 115, 117, 12S, 139, 178, 179,
L80; versus net fishermen, 187-188:
attention!, 192.
Dry-fly. 109. 110. 137, 140.
Angleworm, 139, 140 : eaten by mole, 99.
An« line-, 42, 77. 192, 204.
Animal. 34. 95, 97. 98, 157, 158.
Carnivorous, 143.
Fur-bearing, 81, S3, 84.
Game, 79. 204.
Predatory, 81, S3, 161, 179.
An hot yrm nx davidsoni, 60, 65, 66.
Anoplopoma fimbria, 158.
Antelope. Prong-horned, 181.
Antler, 161.
Aquarium, 70, 82, 97.
Auxis thazard, 200.
B
Babcock. J. P., 90, 17S.
Badger, 149.
Bag limit, 31, 190.
Bait, 110. 119. 122. 139. 141, 171.
Balaenoptera borcalis, SO.
Baleen, SO.
Barbel. 1, 20, 156.
Barnhart, P. S., notes on the artificial
propagation of the spiny lobster,
70-71.
Barracuda, 44. 100, 145. 140, 154, 155,
162. 163, 164, 166, 208.
Bass, 44, GO, 63, 64, 177: and bass-like
fishes of California. 59-68.
Black, 179. 193; is not true bass, 149.
Bis-eyed. 60, 66.
Calico. 179.
Kelp, 60, 63. 64. 65.
Spotted. 60, 64, 65.
Bock, 44, 00, 63, 64, 100, 164, 166, 20S.
Sand, 60, 63.
Sea. 13, 163.
Black, 44, 60, 02, SO, 100, 103, 104,
16(5, 208.
Giant, 00, SO.
White, 14, 15, 16, 20, 44, 100, 164,
166, 208.
Striped. 3, 10, 11, 12, 44. 61, 62, 94,
101, 145, 164, 106, 179, 183, 193, 20!) ;
taken in Mission Bay, 197.
Bear, 149 ; hunting with bows and arrows,
69-70.
Black, 69, 70, 78, 79.
Grizzly. 172.
Beaver, 181 ; hides confiscated, 79.
Biennial, 1916-1918, 30.
Biology, contributions to Canadian, 201.
Biological Station, want protection, 93-94.
Bird. 32, 77, 79, 82, S3. 84, SS. 89, 99,
192: how do they find their way?,
83-84; wild, and legislation, 87-88;
fly larvae suck blood of nestling birds,
SS ; study, 86.
Game, 79, SI, 85, 87, 89. 90. 97, 182,
204; of California. 84-86, 181; Eng-
lish, vindicated, 86-87.
Insectivorous, 80, 83.
Migratory, 30. SO, S3, 192; see Migra-
tory Bird Treaty Act.
Nongame, 79.
Predatory, 81.
Blackbird. 1S2 ; and rice, 99.
Blacksmith, 43.
Blind, 191.
Bluefish. 17. 44. 100, 164, 166, 208.
California, 14, 16.
Boat, 5 ; northern join fishing fleet, 155.
Purse-seine, 155, 156.
Bobcat, 69.
Bocaccio. 44, 100. 164. 166, 208.
Bonito. 44, 100, 145, 146, 162, 103, 164,
208.
Boothe, Roy. state game district IK. S1-S2.
Bosqui, E. L., 178 : valley quail with egg
in December, 98.
Botfly, 142.
Boucher, E. C. the angler versus the net
fisherman, 187—188.
Bounty, 27, 29, 76. 148, ISO, 207.
Bow and arrow in hunting, 09-70.
Boyle. Una, 79 ; river otter plays on moon-
light nights, 9S.
li in m a in ii, 203.
Bream, Golden, 22.
Brooks, Major Allan, 85.
Bruce, ,T. C. 91, 150, 195 : a death struggle
between bucks, 160-161.
Bryant. H. C. si, 181, 189,; wild birds
and legislation, S7 ; California trout,
105-135.
Buck. 20. 81. 82, 101. 190. 206; death
struggle between, 160-161,
214
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
Bureau of Education, Publicity and Itc-
rch, 77.
Burrill, A. ('.. is the herring gull insect-
ivorous?, 717!.
Cabrilla, 60, 64, 65.
Cady, 1". P., weights of mule deer, 205.
( California Academy of Sciences, 83.
CAX.IFORNIA F1SII AND GAME, 94,
96, L45, 154, L56, 158, 178, ISO, 1S2,
194, L95.
California Museum of Vertebrate Zoology,
85, 142.
California Nature Study League, 145, 1S9.
California-Oregon Power Company, 91, 03,
L84.
California State Fisherie's Laboratory, 50.
< lamp, 3: Lake Tahoe Public, 189, 190.
( 5anary, 82.
Cancer magister, 15S, 182.
Candlefish, 203.
Cannery, 40, 1 18, 197, 200, 202; estab-
lished at Ensenada, 94 : receives Mex-
ican fish, LIS; floating, burns, 156.
( 'anvasback, 191.
Capelin, 203.
Caraux hippos, 15S.
Carp. 44, LOO, 104, 100, 208.
Carpenter, S. J., 78, 70.
Carriel, 93.
I iast, 109, 111, 141, 170.
Cat, 13, 83; becomes game in Now York.
42; manicure the bird-catching cat,
S-) S.'!
Catfish, 44, 100. 164, 100, 17!>, 193, 208.
Catron, E. S.. 78.
i !ensus, s< < Game.
Chambers, Frank, 78.
Charr. la", lor,. 1117. 120. 130. 134.
Chilipoppor. 11. loo. 104. 166. 20S.
Clnniiiis piiiK li/x miis, 43.
Citharichthys stigmceus, 157.
xanthostigma, 95.
Clam. 35, 68, 1 17. l.'.S; investigation, 15s.
Cockle, 15, 101, 164, 167, 209.
Pismo, 45, 101, 164, 167, 200; destroyed
by oil, 17 1 1 lb.
Razor, 175.
Soft-shelled, 45, 101, 164, 107, 200.
Clark, F. C. L82.
Coal fish. 44. 100. 104. 166, 208.
Cobb. J. N\. college of fisheries established,
1 (7 148.
C.,d. 35, 1 17. 157, 203.
Black, taken near Sim Pedro. 15S.
Cultus, 44, LOO, 164, 166, 208.
Rock, 154, 163.
< ■ ccidiosis, 1 13.
Coccidium oviforme, 143.
1 iochinito, 159.
Co< a urns .si 1 iul is, 143.
Collinge, W. E., 86, 87.
Cololabis saira, 203.
( '<J Hllthll fllsriillil. 100.
Commercial Fishery, see under Fishery.
Council. M. J., 180.
Conservation, 30, 76. 77, 17s. IT!), 180,
L89, 192; lessons from Massachusetts,
12; of our fisheries, 49 59; of fish,
80 si ; in other states, 42, 97, 159,
204; persuasion versus compulsion in
lish and game, 187; deer in New
Zork, 100.
Commission, 8 I.
Louisiana, 90.
New York, 82, 97, 204.
Conservationist, 80, 177; a suggestion for
California, 84.
I !orvina, 13. 17.
Corr us nihil iriis, 94.
Corypha na, 203.
( !ottontail, 8t e Babbit.
Coyote, 1 I'.t. L50, 161, 205, 207; as a deer
killer, 26-29.
Crab, lo. 15, 101, 1 16, 1 17. 164, 167, 171,
170. 182, 209.
Sand. 17.": habits and uses of the,
171 171'.
( 'rago fraru iscorum, 0.
nigricauda, 0.
Crampton, J. M., 86.
Crandall, W. C, 183.
Crane, 85.
Crappie, 170, 193.
Crawfish, 94, U_<<. 182.
( '1 istori/iiu r. Oh. 1 .■;;',.
namaycush, 1<i(. >. 111. 134.
Croaker, 4 1. 59, 100, 164 ; lish of, family,
13 20.
Black, 1 1. 19.
Chinese, 14, 10.
Spotfin, 14, 18.
White, 14, 15.
Yellowfin, 14. 17.
Crustacean, 10, 15, 87, 101, 133, 104, 167,
171, 209.
Cunningham, F. P., grouse in the Sequoia
National Forest, 98.
Curlew, 85.
Curtner, \Y. W., 182.
i 'uti u Inn, 142.
Cuttlefish, 45, 101, 164, 167, 200.
Cynoscion nobilis, 16. 14, 15, 16.
[iiirripiuiiiis, 16, 14, 10.
Dabelstein, W. F., 193.
I hi fila urn In, 43.
Hall. W. 11.. 82.
Darter. 60.
Deer, 30, 34, 69, 97, 148, 149, 172. 182,
186, 205, 207; killed by coyote, 26 29;
increasing in Trinity County, 98;
hunting poor in Mono County. 98;
conservation in New Zork, 189; in
the national forests, 206 201 : strange
deer killed, 207; captured in Lake
Tahoe, 205.
Mule, weights of, 205.
De Laveana. .1. V., tree-ducks successfully
bred in Santa Clara County, 42-43.
Di ndroeygna bicolor, 42, 43.
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
215
De Ong, E. R., parasites which affect the
food value of rabbits, 142-143.
Depredation, 179.
Deputy, !»1 ; acquitted at trial, 79.
Dip-net, 90.
Dirks. \V. N., mole eats angleworms, 99.
Discretionary powers, Fish and Game
Commission needs, 30.
Disease, 182 ; again appears, 32.
1 Hick, 36.
Quail, 88.
Dixon, J., 142.
Doe, 28, SI, 206.
Dog, 69.
Varmint. 91.
Dogfish, 44, 100, 164, 166, 208.
Dollv Varden, see Trout..
Dolphin. 44, 100, 164 ; absence of, 203.
Dove, 85, 179.
Downing, Earle, banded pintail taken in
Alameda County, 43.
Duck, 32, 43, 76, 78, SO, 85, 97, 99, 173,
179, ISO, 182, 191, 192, 195 ; Louis-
iana originates, 34 ; versus rice, 36,
182 : destroy garden pests, 99 ; food
of, 87.
Black, 34.
Canvasback, 191.
Mallard, 34, 191.
Pintail, 191 : banded taken in Alameda
Countv, 43.
Duke, R. D., 79, 178.
Eagle, 13S.
Earthworm, 99.
Ecrevisse, 45, 101, 164, 167, 209.
Eden, Mr., resolution by, 176-179.
EDITORIALS.
The 1916-18 biennial, 30; Fish and
Game Commission needs plenary pow-
ers, 30; California laws will be modi-
fied to agree with federal game laws,
31 ; violators make queer defense, 31 ;
Monterey streams stocked, 31 ; duck
disease again appears, 32 ; federal
permits, 32 ; fish cookery demonstra-
tions, 32; increased consumption of
fish necessary, 33 ; notes on the game
refuges, 33 ; a new game farming
project. 34 ; Louisiana originates new
duck, 34 ; Alaska fishery products, 34 ;
Nova Scotia uses war methods to
capture violators, 35 ; California
trappers and their catch. 35 ; our
mailing list, 70 ; pending legislation,
70 ; Fish and Game Commission
inaugurates educational work in sum-
mer resorts, 70 ; preserve game re-
sources, 77 ; large profits with slight
outlay, 77 : "now begins the season,"
78 ; conviction made under federal
migratory bird treaty act, 78; Mendo-
cino rancher makes good kill. 7S ;
game laws to be enforced in national
forests, 79 ; beaver hides confiscated,
79 : deputy acquitted at trial, 79 ;
wartime saving in cost of fish food,
79 ; the Pacific coast whale industry,
SO; food administration regulations
on fishing no longer effective, 80 ;
more bird treaties needed, 80 ; con-
servation of fish, SO ; dependable in-
formation is needed, 81 ; state game
district IK, 81 ; is the porcupine
worth saving?, 82 ; manicure the bird-
catching cat, 82; a plan to conserve
Wyoming elk, S3 ; fur farming in
Alaska, 83; how do birds find their
way?, 83; a suggestion for Cali-
fornia conservationists, 84 ; the game
birds of California, 84 ; passenger
pigeons reported in eastern states,
86 ; English game birds vindicated,
86; the ground squirrels of Cali-
fornia, S7 ; the food of mallard ducks,
87 ; wild birds and legislation, S7 ;
fly larvae suck blood of nestling birds,
88 ; importation of quail from Mex-
ico, 88; federal migratory bird law,
89 ; long run of a tagged salmon, 90 ;
night herons game in Louisiana, 90 ;
vindication, 145; nature study libra-
ries to be furnished summer resorts,
145; the 1918 catch of fish, 145;
maintain a supply, 146 ; rainbow
trout acclimatized in Argentina, 146 ;
a college of fisheries established, 147 ;
trout fry distributed in lakes and
streams of California during past
three years, 147 ; many lions killed,
14S ; airplanes to locate fish, 148;
fishery products laboratory estab-
lished, 149; the ownership of wild
life, 149 ; our fur resources, 149 ;
black bass is not a true bass, 149 ;
persuasion A^ersus compulsion in fish
and game conservation, 187 ; the
angler versus the net fisherman, 187—
188 ; educational work in summer
resorts, 189 ; Tahoe public camp, 189-
190 ; deer conservation in New York,
190; migratory bird treaty act con-
stitutional, 190-191 : waterfowl die
from eating shot, 191 ; government
needs deputy chief game warden, 191-
192; anglers, attention!, 192; addi-
tional migratory bird treaties needed,
192; State Fair exhibit. 193; game
censuses, 193-194 ; hatchery depart-
ment moves, 194 ; colored prints of
golden trout available, 194.
Educational work inaugurated at summer
resorts. 76-77, 189.
Eel, 198, 208.
Eg?, Bird, 79, 85, 98, 201.
Falcon. 87.
Fish, 76, 96, 132.
Fulvous tree duck, 42.
Goshawk, 87.
Grunion, 156.
Pigeon, band-tailed, 160.
Salmon, 41, 92, 110, 115, 141, 151.
Shrimp, 9.
Spiny lobster, 24.
Trout, 37. 38, 39. 92, 115, 127, 131, 133,
151, 152, 153, 176, 181.
Egret, SO.
Eigenmann, C. H., 135.
Elk, 97 : plan to conserve Wyoming, S3 ;
Washington will open season on, 97 ;
in Shasta County, 98.
216
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
Emi rita, 1 1~>.
analoga, 171.
Emerson, Ethel, 43.
Epidemic, 36.
Eulachon, 203.
Euthynmts, 200, 203, 204
Evermann, B. W., LIS, 119, 135, 13S ;
( lalifornia trout, 105 135.
Ewonautt a rondeletii, 95.
Facts of current interest, 3G, 91, 150, 195.
Falcon, 87.
Farm, Game, 87.
Fat herring, 52.
Fawn, 190; csesarian healthy, 205.
Feline, 82.
Fertilizer, 10, 91. 148. 154, UJ3, 200.
Finch, < Jalifornia Purple, 88.
Fish, 2. 31, 41, 50, 53, 50, 57, 59, G2, G8,
72. 7(5. 77. 7S. 71). SO, 82. 87. 90, 91,
94, 95, 97, lor-. 115. 133, 135. 1 If,.
447. 1 19, 150, 156, 172. 176, 177, 178,
17: i. L80, L85, 195, L97, 201, 204; of
croaker family, Ui-20; cookery dem-
onstrations, 32; distributed in Minne-
sota, 42; rare from Monterey Bay,
13; conservation of, SO; proposed
change of .shrimp law would menace
life of fish. '.14; 1918 catch of, 145;
airplanes to locate, 148; better rec-
ords necessary, 154-155; fresh, used
by reduction plants, 154; flat of Cali-
fornia. 182; do fishermen go far
enough to get, 198-199 : dry salting
.it Monterey, 198; goat fish taken in
(' ilifornia. 150: two rare, 203.
Culture. 147, 148, 152.
Culturist, 100.
Dealer. 199.
Fund. 13, 16, 20. 62, 03, 04, SO, 112,
135, L56, 161, 170.
Game, 62, 112, 135, 177.
I., -older, see Fishway.
Screen, $< e Screen.
Fish and Game Commission, California. 2,
24, 30, 36, 39, 40, To. 75. 70. 84, 91,
93, 94, 96, 119, 131, 153, 176, lis.
179, 180. 181, 182, 183, L85, 188, 1S9,
197, 199, 205; inaugurates educa-
tional work at summer resorts, 70-77.
( kranecticut, 86.
Massachusei ts, 42.
Minnesota, 42. 152.
New Jersey, 42.
Vermont, 81; plans quarterly bulletin,
97.
Washington, maintains permanent ex-
hibit, 07.
Fish and Game District 1.\. 33; IB, 33;
IC, 33; II, 33; 1.1. 33; IF. 33; 2.\.
33: 1A. ::::; 41J. :::; : IK, 81 82 ; 2.
179; I. 179; 20, 188.
Fisher. O. O., 26.
Fisherman, 13, 16, 40, 41. 42, 43, 58, 59,
70. 70. 95, loo. 109, 1 10, 128, 147.
15 1. 157. 159, 172, lso. 196, 198, 200;
do fishermen go far enough to sea?,
198-199; launch "Albacore" attempts
to aid, 04; receive 20 cents for firs!
(una, 156,
Commercial, 1 is, 178.
Dry-fly, 17".
Fly, 116, 141.
Fishery, 30, 34, 182; Alaska products,
:;i 35; commercial notes, 93 94;
conservation of, 4'.t 50; department
of. 140. 155. 182, 195; products
laboratory established, L49 ; reforms
in Nova Scotia service, 15'.i 10O.
( Commercial, 80, 147.
Halibut, 34, 50.
Herring, 35.
Laboratory, California State, 171, 174,
195.
Sardine. 51.
Shrimp, 04, 50, 183.
Fishing, 117. lis, 171. 192, 204; Owens
Valley residents go, 207.
Some Dotes on dry-fly, 169—170.
Fishway, 39, 40, 76, 93, 97, 177. 178, 184.
Flatfish. 96; life history of, 157.
FN. under. 2, 10, 33, 44, 10O, 104. 100, 208.
Big-mouthed, 157.
I diamond, 157.
Long-finned, 157.
Sharp-ridged, 157.
Soft, 21.
Fly 109, 110, 112. 113, 126, 127. 130, 133,
137, 139, 1 lo. Ill: larva' suck blood
of nestling birds. SS.
Dobson. 139.
Dragon, 22.
\)iy. 169.
Fisherman, 141.
Flying fish, 81.
Fontinalis, 130.
F l. 86, 112, 135; of fish, 80; of grouse,
98; of mallard ducks. 87: of porpoise,
157: of trout, 133; wartime savin- in
cost of fish food. 79-SO; of birds, 1S1 ;
of ducks, 181.
Friend. Win., 26.
Frog, 209.
Fry, 107.
Trout, 30, 92, 93, 152.
Rainbow, 152.
Fuertes, L. A.. 85.
Fur. 35; farming in Alaska, S3 : our re-
sources. 1 19.
Fearer. 35, 81, 83, 84, 150, 181.
Came. 27. 31, 62, 76, 77. 78, 81, 84, 97,
112 111 119, 126, 130. 135. 140. 149,
150, 170. 177. 178, 180, 181, 192, 194;
parcel pi si shipments of, 30 ; birds ol
California. 84-86; conditions in
southern California thirty-five years
ago, 172-173.
Census. 81, 193, 194.
Farm. 34, 36, 42, 87, 177, 184; new
project, 3 L
Law, see Law.
1 'n sen e. s< ' Preserve.
Refuse. .«< < Refuge.
Gannet, 204.
< l<ist< ruslciis, L'l .
(irllliill us, 23.
Gear, 6, 95.
Genyonemus, 13.
liiiiuliis, 1 I, 15, 20.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
217
George, Thomas, 124.
Qermo macropteris, 201.
Gilbert, Dr. O. H., 96, 137, 182, 185.
(jirella nigricans, GO, 07.
Goal fish, taken in California, 150.
Godwit, Marbled, 191.
Goldfinch, Green-backed, SS.
Willow, 88.
<;,,.-. ::i, 37, So, 173, 179, ISO.
Goshawk, 87.
Grasshopper, 74.
Graves, H. S., 83.
Grayback, 129.
Greenback, 129.
Greenfish, 00, 07, OS, 208.
Grinnell, Joseph, 84.
Grizzly, 172.
< ; ros-bec, 90.
(J rouse, 20, 29, S5 ; in Sequoia National
Forest, 98.
Red, SO.
Sierra, 98.
Gruniou, attempt to rear, 150 ; the spawn-
ing of, 201.
Guernsey, Chas., 78.
Guest, E. A., out fishin', 144.
Gull, 87.
California, 74.
Herring, 204 ; is it insectivorous?, 71-74.
Stea, 72.
Gun Club, 85, 170, 178.
H
H;vmulidse, 59, 05, GO.
Hake, 44, 100, 104, 100, 208.
Half-moon, GO, 08.
Halibut, 33. 43, 44, 50, 50, 100, 145, 14 t,
154, 158, 1G4, 160, 208; eats large
rock, 157-158.
California, 157.
Hardhead, 100, 112, 1G4, 166, 20S.
Harvey, A. C, 124.
Hatchery, 23, 30. 37, 41, 79, 91, 109, 113,
146, 176, 178, ISO, 196; department
notes, 92, 151 ; department moves,
194 ; New York opens new, 204.
Almanor, 39, 92, 152.
Bear Lake, 39. 92. 152, 153.
Brookdale, 39. 75, 92, 151, 152.
Clear Creek, 39, 140, 152.
Cottonwood Lakes. 37, 152.
Domingo Springs. 38, 92, 14G, 151, 152.
Fall Creek. 93. 151. 152.
Feather River, 3S, 39.
Fort Seward. 38. 92. 140. 151. 152.
Kaweah, lie. 151, 152, 153, 195.
Klamath, 39, 152.
Marlette-Carson, 131, 134, 151.
Mount Shasta, 37, 38, 92, 93, 151, 152,
181, 185.
Mount Tallac, 38. 92.
Mount Whitney, 37, 38, 75, 92, 151, 152,
181, 193.
Fine Creek, 74.
Price Creek, 75.
San Mateo, 151.
Scott Creek, 92, 151.
Snow Mountain, 92, 151, 152.
Tahoe, 38.
Ukiah, 38. 92, 151.
Wawona, 39. 151, 152.
Yosemite, 93, 151, 152, 153, 195.
Heath, Harold, 182.
lledderly, E. L., 188.
Helgramite, 139.
Henshaw. II. W.. 122.
Herms, Prof., 143.
Herring, 3. 10, 11, 13, 15, 41, 44, 53, 57,
5S'; 73, 91, 100, 145, 147, 102, 104,
166, 1S2, 201, 20S; and herring-like
fishes of California, 182.
Greenback, 204.
Lake, 105, 204.
Heron, Night, game in Louisiana, 90.
Black-crowned Night, 90.
Yellow-crowned Night, 90.
Herzinger, E. L., pheasants damage crops
in Inyo County, 99.
Higgins, Bert, 20.
Higgins, Elmer, 95, 90, 150, 182 ; goat fish
taken in California, 150 ; spiny lobster
larvae, 156; attempt to rear grunion,
156 ; life history of flatfish, 157 ; por-
poise captured, 157 ; two rare fishes,
203.
Hippoglossus, 157.
hippoglossus, 43.
Hippoglossina stomata, 157.
Hippoglossoides platessoides, 21.
Hjoi-t, John. 201.
Holder, C. F., 137, 203.
Hook, 105, 139, 198.
Hubbs, C. L., 182 ; the stickleback : a fish
fitted as mosquito destroyer, 21-24.
Hudson, C. B., 113, 120.
Hunter, J. S., 193.
Hunter, 29, 32, 34, 30, 42, 77, 78, 82, S4,
90, 97, 98, 172, 178, 181, 190, 194.
Market, 30, 78, 79, 91, 180.
Hunting, 31, 33, 30, 42, 81, 86, 172, 1S4,
204.
Accident, 30.
License, 81.
License law, 70.
Market, 36.
Hybrid, 132.
Hypomcsiis pretiosus, 203.
Hysopsetta guttulata, 157.
I
Ibis, 85.
Ichthyologist, 112.
Illinois sportsmen dissatisfied, 97.
Importation, of quail from Mexico, 88 89.
Inconuu. 105.
Information, is needed, 81.
Interbreed, 57, 121.
Jackrabbit, 143.
Blacktailed, 142.
Jacobson, W. O., blackbirds and rice, 99.
Jellyfish, 95.
Jewfish. GO, 62.
Johnny Verde. GO, 63, G4.
Johnson, Hiram W.. 1 J8, 1S3.
Jordan, D. S., 124, 137, 139, 203.
Jotter, E. V., the coyote as a deer killer,
26-29.
Junk, Chinese, 3, 4, 5, 10.
218
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
K
Kelly, II. L.. 32.
Kelp. 30, 40, 183; harvesting may be
resumed, 197.
Key to California species of trout, 111.
Killifish, 21.
Kingfish, 13, 11. 15, 20, 33, 44, 100, 154,
104, L63, 166, 208.
King-of-salmon, 95, 158.
Koppel, I. L., our fur resources, 149.
Kyphosidse, 59, <'>7.
Kyika. Theodore, 99.
Lady fish, young discovered, 158.
Lagenorhynchus obliquidens, 157.
Larus argentatus, 72.
Laner, 87.
Laneret, 87.
Law. 7(J, 180, 187, 1SS, 192, 201, 204;
proposed change of shrimp would
menace fish life, 04.
Fish and game, 30. 78, 170. 178.
Game, 30, 31, 79, 81, 82, 88, 89, 192;
to be enforced in national forests, 79 ;
will be modified to agree with federal.
31.
Spiked buck, 30.
Migratory bird, 89, 191; conviction
made under, 7S ; additional needed,
192.
Laws, G. O., deer increasing in Trinity
Game Refuge, 98.
Legislation, 2, SS, 85 ; pending, 76.
Leopard, S2.
I.< pomia cyanellus, 22.
/.• iresthes tenuis, 156, 201, 203.
Life history, of flatfish, 157.
Life history notes, 42-43, 98-99, 160-161,
204-205.
Lincoln, It. P., summer on the California
trout streams, 136-141.
Line, 6.
Linnet. 88, 99.
Lion. Mountain, 26, 29, 34, 78, 79, 82, 91,
149, 160, 172, 195, 200; many killed,
148.
Sea, 98.
Lobster, Spiny, 45, 101. 104, 167, 209;
early stages of, 24-25 ; larvae. 156.
Louvar, the occurrence of, 202-203.
Ludlum, R., 78.
Lure, 140.
Isiitra canadensis pacifica, 98.
Luvarius imperialis, 203.
Lynx eremicu8 ealifornicus, 160.
M
M., R. L.. California, 192; some notes on
dry-fly fishing, 109-170.
Mackerel, 33, 44. 100, 145, 140. 147. 162,
163. 104. 100. l-HO. 20S; and mackerel-
like fish, 59, 182.
Frigate, 203; recurrence of, 200.
Maintain a supply, 146.
Maley, J. T.. 78.
Mallard, the food of. 87.
Mallotus rillosus, 203.
Malma, 129.
Mammal, 181, 182.
Game, 182.
Manicure the bird-catching cat, 82-83.
Marlin-spike Fish, 208; used as food, 43.
Maule, \V. M., deer hunting poor in Mono
< 'ounty. 98.
McAllister, M. II.. elk in Shasta County,
98 : game conditions in southern Cali-
fornia thirty-five years ago, 172-17:;.
McAtee, W. L., 87.
McCarthy, Eugene, 135.
McLean, D. 1>., wildcat eats birds, 160.
McCloud, G 'ge Jr.. 38.
Meadowlark, 182.
Medialuna californiensis, 60, 68.
Mi iiii'ii rims undulatus, 11. 17, IS.
Meyers, J. P., 78.
Migration, 41, 55, 58, 85, 95, 98, 117. L28,
L57, 159, 192; how do birds find their
way?, 83-84.
Migratory bird treaty act, 30. 31, 32, 36;
conviction made under, 78; constitu-
tional. 190 191.
Mills. G. T., 124.
Milt, 33.
Mink. 83.
Minnow, 129.
Mite, i c:.
Mole, 149; eats angleworms, 99.
Mollusk, 15, 87, 96, 101, 132, 133, 146,
164, 107. 182, 209.
Moran, Nathan, nesting of the band-tailed
pigeon, 160.
Mosquito, the stickleback a destroyer of,
21-24.
Mountain Lion, sec Lion.
Mountain Sheep. 31, 172.
Mouse, 82.
Mullet, 44. 100. 104, 100, 208.
Muskrat, 150.
Mussel, 45, 101, 101, 167, 209.
Xamayensh. 133.
National Association of Audubon Socie-
ties, 71.
National forest. 83, 184; game laws to be
enforced in. 79; deer in. 206.
Angeles, 34.
California. 207.
El Dorado. 33. 207.
Klamath. .'53, 207.
Santa Barbara, 207.
Sequoia. 8] ; -rouse in, 98.
Shasta, 207.
Sierra, 81, 207.
Stanislaus, 207.
Tahoe. 33.
Trinity, 207.
N
Naturalist, 189.
Nature -uide, 189.
Nature Study League, 76, 1 !•".
Field excursion, 1 88.
Neale, George, 78, 190.
Nelson. E. W., S3.
Vemastistius pectoralis, 159.
\rniiKi nix, 158.
Nest, 85, 160, 204.
Net. 2, 5, 6, 7. 10, 41, 71, 159, 196, 201;
new fish, 41.
Dip, 90.
(Jill, 196, 199.
Lompara, 41.
CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME.
219
Purse-lompara, 41.
Round Haul, 203.
Sardine, 158.
Shrimp, 1, 2, 3, 7, 94.
Tow, 156.
Trawl, 94.
Newbert, F. M., ITS, ISO.
Newsome, J. E., 79.
Nidever, II. B., 3. 4, 94, 188.
Nielsen, E. M., 158, 203; fresh fish used
at reduction plants, 154.
Note, on artificial propagation of spiny
lobster, 70-71 ; on dry-fly fishing,
1(19-170; on habits and use of small
crab, 171-172.
Commercial fishery, 39-41, 93-94, 154-
156; 196-200.
Hatchery, 37-39, 92^93, 151-153.
Life history, 42^13, 98, 160-161, 204-
205.
State fisheries laboratory, 94-96, 156-
159, 200-204.
Notemigomus crysoleucas, 22.
Opal Eye, 60, G7.
Opossum, 140.
Osmerus thaleichthys, 9.
Otolith. 55. 56.
Otodectes cygnatis, 143
Otter, Pacific River, 9S.
Out fishin', 144.
Ovster, 45, 101, 164, 167, 19S, 209.
PACIFIC FISHERMAN, 96.
Packer. 40, 154, 155.
Paladini, A.. 1, 150.
Palmer, T. S., 84.
Pampano. 44, 100, 159, 164, 106, 202, 20S.
Pampanito, 159.
Panulirus interruptus, 24, 70.
Paralabrax clathratus, GO, 63.
maculatofasciatus, 60, 64, 65.
nebulifer, 60, 63, 64.
Paralichthys calif ornicus, 157.
Parasite, which affect food value of rab-
bits. 142-143.
Parcel pest, shipments of game, 30.
Parophrys vetulus, 157.
Parr-mark. 109, 113, 122, 123, 125.
Partridge, SO.
Patterson, A. D., 189.
Pearson. A. G., 197.
Pelt. 35.
Perch, 44, 68, 100, 164, 166, 183, 208.
Sacramento, 2.
Yellow, 59.
Permit, federal, 32.
Fez de Gallo, 159.
Pheasant, 179 ; damage crops in Inyo
Countv, 99.
English, 86, 87.
Ring-necked, 91.
Phyllosome. 24, 25, 70, 71, 156.
Pig, 26, 28.
Pigeon, S5.
Rand-tailed, nesting of, 60.
Carrier, 83.
Homing, S3.
Passenger, reported in eastern states, 86.
Pike, 44, 100, 164, 166, 208.
Pintail, banded taken in Alameda County,
43.
Plaice, 51.
Plath, O. E., 88.
Plenary powers, 76 ; Fish and Game Com-
mission needs, 30.
I'h uronectidw, 157.
Pleuronechthy8 vertically, 157.
Plover, 85.
Plumage, 90.
Toison, 43, 95, 191, 195.
Pollution, 177, 1S3.
Pom fret, 203.
Pope, Saxton, bear hunting with bows
ami arrows, 69-70.
Porcupine, is it worth saving?, S2.
Porpoise, captured, 157.
Pratt, G. D., 81.
Predatory animal, 26, 27, 29, SI, S3, 182.
See, also. Bird and Mammal.
Preserve, 82.
Game, 176, 178.
Propagation, 85, 204.
Protection. 87, 97.
Punnet?, J. M., 98.
Purse-^einc boat, 155.
Quail. 26. 27. 29, 36, 69, 85, 88, 172. 179 ;
importation from Mexico, 88-89.
Valley, with egg in December, 98.
Queenfish, 13, 14, 15.
R
Rabbit, 42. 69, 76, 142; parasites which
affect the food value of, 142-143.
Brush, 142, 143, 179.
Cottontail. 142. 179.
Jack, black-tailed, 142.
Rail, 85.
Rainbow, see Trout.
Ranger, co-operate with game wardens,
200.
Ray, 182.
Recreation, 192.
Redfish. 127, 128.
Red Snapper, 158.
Refuge, game, 30. 36, 42, 76. S3, 177, 182,
184, 194, 195 ; notes on the new, 33 ;
in Minnesota, 204 ; Quebec estab-
lishes, 204.
Id, 98.
If. 150.
Ik, 81.
Pinnacles Monument, 182.
Trinity National Forest, 26, 28, 182;
deer increasing in, 98.
Report, California fishery products, 44-
45, 100-101, 162-167. 208-209.
Expenditures, 47-48. 102. 211-212.
Number of deer killed. 104.
Violations, 46. 103, 210.
Seizures. 4H. 103. 207.
Reptile, 101, 164, 1G7.
Reservation. 150.
Rice. 76; federal permit protects from
ducks. 36; and blackbirds, 99.
Rich. Willis. 182. 185.
Rig-don. E. S„ 31.
Roadrunner, 181.
Robin, 99.
Western, 1G0.
Roccus lincatvs, 6L
220
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
Rock Bass, s< e Bass.
Rock < 'oil. s< i < 'oil.
Rockfish, I I. LOO, I r>. L64, L66, 208.
i:< .1. fly, 7.",. 136.
Baii, L1C.
Rodent, i I.
Roe, L59.
Roncador, 13.
Roncador stearnsi, 14. 18.
Roosevelt, President, 123.
Rooster Fish, 159.
Rutter, Cloudsley, 153.
Sablefish. :;:;. L62, Hi::.
Salachini, it;:;, L98.
Salmo, 106.
agua-bonita, 10S, 111, 11!). L23, 121.
aguilarum, 11, US.
clarkii, ins, ill, no.
( vermanni, LOO, 111, 117. US.
/</,/«. 111'.:, in. oil, 132.
gairdneri, 111. Ill', opp. 111'.
,/ilbiiii, ins, 111. 1 IS Hi).
henshawi, ins. m, 129.
irideus, 107, 111, opp. 112, opp. 114,
Us. L36.
in Uoni, 109.
leveru nsis, 132.
mykiss, 127.
j)nri>itratn.i henshawi, 127.
/vW/.v. ins. in, 12S.
liriilaiix, 112.
roosmlti, opp. 105, 10S, 111, 119, 124-
127. L39.
sftasto, ins, m. 115-116.
.s7o;/r/. 108, 111, 11C.
tahoensis, 111, 127-12S.
//•»//.( levenensis, L09, 111. 132-133.
//•/, /"/./. ins, HI. 110, 121-122. .
Salmon. L0, 11. 33, 34, 40, 44. 51, 91,
inc. L05, Km;, 112, L13, 114. 11.",, i:;i.
145, 1 if-, l 17. 1 is. i .-,:;. 102, n;:;, n;i,
inn, 177. 17!>. 182, 198, 208; long-
run of. mi; need more protection,
L96-197, at Monterey, L98; Sacra-
mento run of, 199; catch large al
Fort lira--, 199.
Kin- L98.
Quinnat, 37, 38, 39, 93, L50.
Silver. 198.
Sockeye, 55, 58, 90.
Trou,-. 112.
Salmonidse, 105, 100.
Sain linns, 107.
fontinalis, 109, 111. 120, 130-131, opp.
L30.
parkei, L29-130.
Saml Bass, ■•>< e I'.ass.
Sand dab, H. 95, LOO, 145, 146, L57, 164,
166, 208.
Sanders, J. H.. deer captured in Lake
Tahi e, 205.
Sandpiper, 85.
Sardine, 39, 40, 41. 45, 80, 93, 94, 96,
KM. 14.",, 147. L54, 155, L58, 159, 162,
in::. L64, 107. 182, 198, 203, 208;
note on the, 21 ; locating by aero-
plane. 41: breeding season of, 159;
run at -Monterey, 107.
Sargo, 00, Go, GO.
Scale, 55.
Scapanus latimanua hifimnnus, 00.
Schaeflle, Ernest, 17s. ISO.
Schmitt, W. I,.. ls_ : earlj stages of the
spiny Lobster, 24-25.
8( i'H mi sim i mi, 1 1. l!l.
Scientific i ollector, permit, 32.
Scofield, N. B., 7. 8, 11. 1 in. 154, 182,
L83, L85 ; shrimp fisheries of Cali-
fornia. 1-12; the 1918 catch of fish,
145-146.
Srumb ,\ 2D!'.
Screen, 76, 97, 17S. L84.
Scripps institution fir r.iolo-ieal He-
sear* li. 2 1. 7:;. 183.
Sculpin, 12. 15. mi. L64, L67, 2 >8.
Se I Hass, x, r I'.ass.
Sea I. ion. '.is.
Seal. Km-. 35.
Season, L50, L59, 17."!. 190; now begins,
Closed, ::. 30, 82, 89.
Open. ill. 99.
Seaweed, as food. IDs.
Seine, 2, 23, loo. 156, 196.
Purse, 201.
Sellmer, \V. 1!., 79, 18S.
Srriolil, F"'.'.
Si i i />li iik. ]'.',.
poUtus, 1 1. I."..
Serranidse, 59, 61, 64.
Sha.l. :;. 10, 1 1. 33, L5, mi. i ».,. 146, 179,
is:;. 208.
Shark, .•;:;. L54; of California, 182.
Shebley, F. A.. 75. is:;.
Shebley, W. IF. 75. 92, 133, 135, 151,
180, is::. 185, mi.
Sheep, 26; see Mountain Sheep.
Sheepshead, 101. L64, 209.
Shock, W. 'v.. 27. 28.
Shockley, \V. W., 121.
Sho, i in,-, spring, 89, '.»7, 100.
Shotgun, 77.
Shrimp. 45, L01, 1 17. 164, 107. 183, 209;
fisheries of California. 1-12; pro-
posed change of law menaces fish
life. !ll.
Shands, Henry. 201.
Siliqua, 175.
Skate, 33. 15. mi. 164, L67, 209; and
rays of California. 182.
Skipjack, 15. mi, 145, L46, 102, 103, 104,
L67, 200, 2i)3. 2ni. 209.
Slue. 99.
Smell. :;. 9, in. 11, 12, 44. LOO in I. L66.
203, 2n;-.
Lit lie. L56.
Smokehouse, 14S.
Snail. 99, 2(1!:.
Sea. L01, L64, 100.
Snipe, 85.
Snyder, J. < >.. 110. 116, 117. 128, 129,
1.-.5, L50, L82, L85, L97; breeding of
fulvous tree-duck in Santa Clara
County, 43.
Sole, 2. 10, 33. II. 100, 1 15. 140, 200.
Femi n. 15".
San. I >iego, 157.
Tongue, 157.
Soleidse, 157.
Sparrow, English, !!!).
Xuitall. 88.
Spawn. 12. inn. 115. 1-7. 131, 134, 130,
177. L96, L97, mi).
Spear, 70.
Spinner, 139.
Spiny Lobster, sec Lobster.
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
221
Splittail, 164, 107, 209.
Spoon, ±12. 129.
Sporozoa, 143.
Six it. 69, 75. 77. 146.
Sportsman, 78. 84, 85, 89. 95. 97, 150,
ISO, 191, 192; dissatisfied, 97; Wash-
ington forms state association, 204.
Spot, 18.
Squaretail, 94.
Squid, 45. 101, 164, 167, 209; at Monte-
ivy, 198.
Squirrel, 69; ground of California, S7.
Tree. 149.
Starks. B. C. 158, 182. 203; fishes of the
croaker family, 13-20; note on the
sand dab, 21 J rare fish from Monte-
rey Bay, 43; marlin-spike fish used
as food, 43 ; basses and bass-like
fishes, 59-6S.
State Fair, exhibit, 193.
Steelhead, see Trout.
Stereolepis gigas, 60.
Stevens. A. C, 124.
Stevens. S. V., 124.
Stickleback, as a mosquito destroyer,
21-24.
Stingaree, 164, 107, 209.
Stinnett. L. J.. 37, 151.
Stomach examination. 80.
Stone, Livingstone, 135.
Sturgeon. 2. 45. 101, 164, 183; to be pro-
tected in other states, 160.
Stylopthalmua paradoxus, 95.
Sucker, 45, 100, 104, 166, 209.
Sunfish, 22, 60. 149.
Blue-gill. 179, 193.
Green. 22.
Surf -fish. 45. 101, 164. 106. 209; day and
night of California, 203.
Suri-smelt, 2n.-!.
Surmullet, 150.
Swan, 85.
Whistling, 91. 191.
Swordfish; 43, 45, 101, 164. 209.
Symphurus atricaudus, 157.
Tackle, 137.
Tahoe Public Camp, 189-190.
Tapeworm, 143.
Taylor, W. P.. a suggestion for California
conservationists, 84.
Terrapin. 101, 164, 167. 209.
Tetragonurus cuvieri, 94.
Tetrapterus nutsukurii, 43.
Thaleichthys pacificus, 203.
Thompson, Will F.. 95, 96, 156, 158, 159,
182 : conservation of our fisheries,
49-59 ; halibut eats large rock, 157-
158; young of the ladyfish discovered.
158; clam investigation, 15S ; shad
caught at Seal Beach, 158: Alaska
black cod taken near San Pedro, 158;
cannery receives Mexican fish, 158—
159; the breeding season of the sar-
dine. 159 ; recurrence of the frigate
mackerel, 200; spawning of the
grunion, 201 ; contributions to Cana-
dian biology, 201 ; blue-finned and
yellow-finned tuna. 201-202: the
occurrence of the louvar, 202-203;
absence of the dolphin fish. 203 ; day
and night surf-fishes of California.
203 : occurrence of the albacore north
of San Francisco, 203-204.
Thunnus macropterus, 155.
fhynnus, 156.
Tibbits, A. C, 203.
Tick, wood, 142.
Tigei', 82.
Titlow, J. O., 83; how do birds find their
way. 83-84.
Tivela, 175.
'I'<i n'u; sci ia lis, 143.
Tnmcod. 2, 10, 13. 20, 45, 101, 164, 107,
209.
Tommy, 127, 12S.
Topminnow, 21, 24.
Towhee, brown, 88.
Trachinotus cuveri, 94.
Trachypterus, 95.
Trap, 184.
Trapper, 79; California and their catch,
35.
Fur. 150.
Trapping, 27, 42._ 8S, 207.
License law, 35.
License, 84.
Trawl, beam. 11.
Net, 94. 150.
Otter, 25.
Trawler, 190 ; Japanese, in nets of law,
94.
Trawling, 90, 198.
Treaty, more bird, needed, SO ; additional
needed, 192.
Tree-duck, bred in Santa Clara County,
42-43; breeding in Santa Clara
County. 43.
Fulvous, 42.
Troll, 114.
Trolling, SO.
Spoon. 112. 129.
Trout. 110. 133. 104. 107. 177, 179, ISO,
193, 198, 204, 207; California, 105-
135 ; summer on the California trout
streams. 136-141.
Black, 127.
Black-spotted, 37, 38, 39, 92, 127, 147,
153 179
Brook, 112, 130, 134. 137.
Brown. SS, 109, 111, 131, 132, 147, 152,
Bull. 129.
California. 112.
Clark, 127.
Columbia River. 127.
Cutthroat. 10S. 111. 113, 115, 127.
Dolly Varden. 107. 108. Ill, 115, 130.
Easle Lake. 111. 110. 118, 129
Eastern brook. 37. 92. 107. 10S. 109,
111. 129, 130, opp. 130, 133, 147, 152,
179.
Evermann, 117.
Gilbert, 119.
Golden, 37. 38. 105. 108. 111. 119, 121.
123, 124, 120, 135. 137, 152. 179,
193, 195: prints of. available. 194.
Agua bonita, 111. 119, 123, 13S.
Coyote Creek, 121.
Of Little Kern. 10S. 121.
Golden Trout Creek. 124.
Mount Whitney, 123.
Soda Creek, 108, 119, 121.
South Fork of Kern, 108, 119, 123,
124.
Volcano Creek, 119, 121, 122. 124.
Roosevelt. 108. Ill, 119, 124, 125.
White, 119. 121.
Great Lakes, 133, 134.
Kern River, 118, 121.
222
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
Hake, 108.
Loch Leven, 37, 92, 107, 101), HI, 132,
133, 1 IT. I.".!'. 17'.).
Mackinaw, los. 109, ill, 133, 134.
Mountain, 112, 140.
Nelson, 109.
N issue, lit',.
Nissui, 110.
Noshee, 108, 111, 116.
Rainbow, 31, 37, 38, 39, 92, 107, 111,
112, 113, 114, opp. 114, 115, 116,
118, 129, 127. i::o, 137, 138, 139,
140, 141, 117, 152, 179; acclima-
tized in Argentina, 140.
Gilbert, 10S, US.
Kern River, 111, 118.
.M (Cloud River, 111, 115.
Shasta, 10S.
Red-throated. 127.
Salmon, 112, 129.
San Bernardino, 117.
San Gorgonio, 109, 111, 117, US.
Scotch, 132.
Sea, 13, 1(5, 45, 101, 164, 167, 20S.
Shasta, 108.
Silver, 127, 128.
Royal, 108, 111. 128, 129.
Steelhead, 31, 36, 38, 39, 45, 92, 101,
100. 111,112, opp. 112, 113, 114, 115,
147, 151, 153, 164, 107, 198, 209.
Stone, 10S, 116.
Talior. los, in, U7. 127, 128, 129.
Von Behr, 131.
Trout, fry, 30, 38, 39, 93.
Black-spotted. 02.
Tuna, 43, 45, 80, 94, 101, 145, 147, 155,
162, 163, 101. 107, 10S, 200, 203, 209;
fishermen receive 20 cents for first,
156.
Bluefin, 145, 200, 209; and yellowfin,
201.
Leaping, 202.
Long-finned, 19S.
Yellowfin, 145, 155, 163, 200. 209.
Turbot, 45. KM. 157, 104. 167, 209.
Turtle. 04. 102, 104. 107, 209.
Green, 70.
U
/ mbrina roncador, 14. 17.
United States Biological Survey, 32, 43,
S3, SI, 97, 182, 101. -JUT.
United States Bureau' of Fisheries, 2, 24,
32, 83, 00. 02. 132. 140, 140. 196.
United States I )epart men t of Agriculture,
87, 88, 150, 183, 101.
Bureau of Animal Industry. 88.
United States V 1 Administration, 40,
1S7.
United Stiles Foresl Service, 105, 206.
Co-operation, 2<i0. 207.
United States National Museum. S2.
United States Supreme Court, 30, 89, 97.
I i>< neus dentatu8, 156.
Van Dyke, 1 [enry, 145.
Venison, 31.
Vermin, porcupine classed as, 82.
Violation, of fish and game laws. 46, 103,
209.
Violator, makes queer defense, 31; Nova
Scotia uses new methods to canture,
35; Pennsylvania punishes, 20."">.
Vogelsang, C. A., 78.
W
Wallace, J. II., 192.
Walsh. .1. F., 205.
Walton. Isaak, 112, 136, 141.
Warden, 36, 89, 177. 185, 194, 105; do
detective work in New York. 07;
needs deputy chief game warden, 101 -
192.
Game, 42, 1S7; rangers co-operate with.
200.
Waterfowl, 20. 78, SO. 81. SO, 01. 07 : die
from eating shot, 191.
Weakfish, 16.
Westei-feld, Carl. ISO. Is.",. 1 S5 ; reply to
Eden resolution, 17S, 185.
Wet more. Alex. 32.
Weymouth, F. W., 158, 182; notes on the
habits and uses of the small sand
crab, 171 172; destruction of pismo
clams by oil. 174-175.
Whale, 41; industry of Pacific coast, 80;
sperm taken off Monterey, .
Right, SO.
Whaling, station on Monterey Bay, 41.
Whistling swan. 91.
White, S. E., 123, 126.
Whitebait. 45. 101. 104. 167, 200.
White Fish. I.Y 105, 134.
Whiting, California. 14, 17.
Wildcat. 140. 150; eats birds, 100.
Wildfowl, so. 181.
Miuratorv. SO.
Wild life. 30, 34, 76, 77, 78, SI, 83, 84,
ISO, 1,S-_>, 102; in relation to agricul-
ture, 99; ownership of, 140.
Williams. Frank. 78, 70.
Windle, Ernest, 188.
Wolverine, 35.
Wood tick, 142.
Xenistius californiensis, 00, 66.
Xesurus punctatus, 159.
Xysrerurys Huh pis, 157.
Yellowtail. :;:'.. 45, 101. 14.-., 140, 102, 163,
164, 107. 202. 209.
Young. Arthur, 09.
48650 10-19 5200.
CALIFORNIA
FISH- GAME
BOARD OF FISH AND GAME COMMISSIONERS.
Commissioners appointed by the Governor, by and with the consent of the Senate.
Term at pleasure of Governor. No compensation.
F. M. NEWBERT, President Sacramento
M. J. CONNELL, Commissioner Los Angeles
B. L. BOSQUI. Commissioner San Francisco
CARL WESTERFELD, Executive Officer San Francisco
J. S. HUNTER, Assistant Executive Officer San Francisco
R. D. DUKE, Attorney San Francisco
A. D. FERGUSON. Field Agent (on Furlough) Fresno
DEPARTMENT OF FISHCULTURE.
W. H. SHEBLEY, in Charge Fishculture San Francisco
E. W. HUNT, Field Superintendent San Francisco
G. H. LAMBSON, Superintendent Mount Shasta Hatchery Sisson
W. O. FASSETT, Superintendent Fort Seward Hatchery and Snow Mountain
Station Alderpoint
G. McCLOUD, Jr., Foreman in Charge Mount Whitney Hatchery and Rae
Lak.'s Station Independence
G. E. WEST, Foreman in Charge Tahoe and Tallac Hatcheries Tallae
E. V. CASSELL, Foreman in Charge Almanor and Domingo Springs
Hatcheries Keddie
L. PHILLIPS, Foreman in Charge Bear Lake Hatchery San Bernardino
R. I. BASSLER, Foreman in Charge Klamath Stations Hornbrook
JUSTIN SHEBLEY, Foreman in Charge Ukiah Hatchery Ukiah
J. B. SOLLNER, Assistant in Charge Wawona Hatchery Wawona
A. E. DONEY, Fish Ladder Surveyor San Francisco
A. E. CULVER, Screen Surveyor San Francisco
A. M. FAIRFIELD, Inspector Water Pollution (on Furlough) San Francisco
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES.
N. B. SCOFIELD, In Charge San Francisco
H. B. NIDEVER, Assistant Long Beach
W. F. THOMPSON, Assistant Long Beach
EARLE DOWNING, Assistant San Francisco
C. S. BAUDER, Assistant Los Angeles
P. H. OYER, Assistant Pacific Grove
C. H. BLEMER, Assistant Sacramento
BUREAU OF EDUCATION, PUBLICITY AND RESEARCH.
DR. H. C. BRYANT, In Charge -Berkeley
PATROL SERVICE.
SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION.
E. L. Bosqui, Commissioner in Charge. Carl Westerfeld, Executive Officer.
J. S. Hunter, Assistant Executive Officer. E. C. Boucher, Special Agent.
Head Office, New Call Building, San Francisco.
Phone Sutter 6100.
W. H. Armstrong Vallejo
Earl P. Barnes Eureka
Theo. M. Benson Fortuna
O. P. Brownlow Porterville
F. A. Bullard Dunlap
J. L. Bundock Oakland
J. Burke Colma
M. S. Clark San Francisco
S. L. N. Ellis Fresno
J. H. Hellard Laytonville
J. H. Hill Watsonville
D. H. Hoen San Rafael
R. S. Kimball Merced
I. L. Koppel San Jose
Henry Lencioni Santa Rosa
Albert Mack San Francisco
B. H. Miller Ukiah
E. V. Moody Santa Cruz
W. J. Moore Napa
F. B. Nesbitt Salinas
J. E. Newsome , Newman
Chas. R. Perkins Fort Bragg
Frank Shook Salinas City
E. W. Smalley Hanford
H. E. Foster_JLaunch "Quinnat," Vallejo
Chas. Bouton__Launch "Quinnat," Vallejo
SACRAMENTO DIVISION.
F. M. Newbert, Commissioner in Charge.
Geo. Neale, Assistant.
Forum Building, Sacramento.
Phone Main 4300.
T. W. Birmingham Sutter Creek
B. W. Bolt (Enlisted U. S. Navy)_Gridley
S. J. Carpenter Maxwell
Geo. W. Courtright Canby
Euell Gray Placerville
W. J. Green Sacramento
G. O. Laws Weaverville
Roy Ludlum Los Molinos
R. C. O'Connor Grass Valley
E. D. Ricketts Live Oak
D. E. Roberts Murphys
J. Sanders Truckee
C. A. Scroggs Loomis
R. L. Sinkey Woodland
L. J. Warren Taylorsville
J. S. White Castella
LOS ANGELES DIVISION.
M. J. Connell, Commissioner in Charge.
E. A. McKee, Assistant. Edwin L. Hedderly, Assistant
Union League Building, Los Angeles.
Phones: Broadway 1155; Home, F 5705.
H. J, Abels Santa Maria
J. J. Barnett Ventura
H. D. Becker San Luis Obispo
J. H. Gyger Elsinore
W. Cr Malone.— :._ San Bernardino
E. H. Ober Big Pine
H. I. Pritchard Los Angeles
A. J. Stout Los Angeles
Webb Toms l.San Diego
ABSTRACT CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME LAWS
WHITE SQUARES INDICATE OPEN SEASON. NUMBERS IN SQUARES ARE OPEN DATES
r£cT» 1 «* 1 Is. 1 eu Isml ui 1 wn I mi 1 ut 1 un
an [ sot 1 atcl UAOL.IMrrn.liTC.
DEER
ijj tmahati&tuvmi \
*■
B No Doe*, Fawru or Spike Bucka
M I .
s 1
I Hjflf [-1
No tale of venison
|s« fl^W^l-lllnua^ ilaibsna
RABBITS, COTTONTAIL AND BRUSH
ALL 1
M
15 per day. 30 per week
TREE SQUIRRELS
ALL ■
12 per season
OX, ANTELOPE, MOUNTAIN SHEEP
ALL
ailuik. or llx oa eossLuioN or cue
fctCAT A FftOh*
SEA OTTER. BEAViR
ALL
$1,000 Tine for Sea Otter
BEAR, BLACK AMD BROWN
AU
1 - pHESHaWHHH|
SEE NOTE II ON BACK OF THIS ABSTRACT
FUR BEARING MAMMALS
ALL
rll »WSB.i6i i
su wro ii i/ an Asa or this abtiuct
Ducki, Geese, Jack Saipe, Mud Hem
ALL
SmfMsSHI'l
sa »0Tts < u is. ii on esa or tub umun
Rail, wood duck, wild WCeom
SSSOStt BIRDS ' t«^ tuk 5^, i
ALL
QUAIL, valley and desert
ALL
| 15 per day. 30 per week
MOUNTAIN QUAIL
urn
25^0
2-J-4
10 per day 20 per week
wiinfii ' ' m- l
SAGE HEN
ALL
4
3~
4 per day 8 per week
DOVE
GROUSE
ALL
A9
15 per day
I 1
ALL
|
4 per day. 8 per week
TROUT
. . (Except Golden)
WHJTEFISH
i
I SO Fish or 10 Pounds and ooe Fish.
n or oae Fub weigbing 10 Pounds or
2-J
BaKeB
3 during Lbe winter season S fssb
1M«JS
a
* iSb:'
per day
1 su sxrrt n on sua or ins sbtraci
Lakai
J sa mm a on iac« or this «st»aci
GOLDEN TROUT
ALL
H ■
■fi
20 per day. None under S incbes
BLACK BASS
ALL
25 per day None under 7 incbes
iu>s
Hook and line only
SACRAMENTO rtUCH SUNFTSH AND CKAfnt
ALL
' \ 25 per day Hook and line only
STRIPED BASS, SBAD
AU
<u mm u on t*ci ei nets abstuct
SALMON
_ALL
' 1
B~
SU NOTE a ON BACK OF THIS ABSTRACT
CATFISH
ALL
= 1
9) M-I
Closed kimi esly lot (oesssercssl fwsaa|
CRABS
ALL
"Bil Bat
sa mtc » on no or mis Assnun
1 (UJJ
ABALOPES
w„ j gpjx^^ PINIt gLACK
ALL
SU NOTE M ON BACK OF THIS ABSTRACT
ALL
PISMO CLAMS
n
T
su aon a on iaci of rms Aasnua
FOR LAWS IN FULL SEE PENAL CODE FOR COMMERCIAL FISHING LAWS SEE MARKET FISHING ABSTRACT
DISTRICTS la, lb. It Id. le. II. If. lb. Ii. 1], Ik, II. 2*. 3*. 3b. 3c. 3d. 4a. 4b. 4c, 4d. 4e. 41. an
fane refuges Hunting forbidden Fisbing in accordance wilb law rtlaLiug la sail dittnd
id wbkb refogr U located ( Set up )
Huntm, Unw: RessdceiU $1.00. Nan-residents. JIO. Tr.pvnt Lsceosa. Citiiena. 41.00; Aliens. 12.00 |
Aliasta, $2$ License year from July 1 to June 30 License rev from Jwif 1 U Jun* 90
An (ha ■ Lscensas Rossstsata. SI 00. Non-randcnls. J 3 Haatmi and Angina Ucexteee can as iscvne fraaa Fisk
At ens. 13 License roar frees Jan 1 lo CW 31 „d Came C«nua«v CeAsaty Clerka ana) 1 iraasi
Trapping Lirssisss fraen Fiak and Game Cosnmsssinet Areola
CALIFORNIA
FISH- GAME
CONSERVATION OF WILD LIFE THROUGH EDUCATION
v>
BOARD OF FISH AND GAME COMMISSIONERS.
Commissioners appointed by the Governor, by and with the consent of the Senate.
Term at pleasure of Governor. No. compensation.
F. M. NEWBERT, President Sacramento
M. J. CONNELL, Commissioner Los Angeles
E. L. BOSQUI, Commissioner San Francisco
CARL WESTERFELD, Executive Officer San Francisco
J. S. HUNTER, Assistant Executive Officer San Francisco
R. D. DUKE, Attorney San Francisco
A. D. FERGUSON, Field Agent (on Furlough) * Fresno
DEPARTMENT OF FISHCULTURE.
W. H. SHEBLEY, in Charge Fishculture San Francisco
E. W. HUNT, Field Superintendent..! San Francisco
G. H. LAMBSON, Superintendent Mount Shasta Hatchery Sisson
W. O. FASSETT, Superintendent Fort Seward Hatchery, Ukiah, and Snow
Mountain Station Alderpoiut
G. McCLOUD, Jr., Foreman in Charge Mount Whitney Hatchery and Rae
Lakes Station Independence
G. E. WEST, Foreman in Charge Tahoe and Tallac Hatcheries Tallac
E. V. CASSELL, Foreman in Charge Almanor and Domingo Springs
Hatcheries Keddie
L. PHILLIPS, Foreman in Charge North Creek Station San Bernardino
L. J. STINNETT, Assistant in Charge Klamath Stations Hornbrook
G. L. MORRISON, Foreman in Charge Bear Lake Station San Bernardino
GEO. McCLOUD, General Assistant in Charge Cottonwood Creek Station — Hornbrook
GUY TABLER, Assistant in Charge Fall Creek Hatchery Copco
JUSTIN SHEBLEY, Foreman in Charge Brookdale Hatchery Brookdale
J. B. SOLLNER, Assistant in Charge Wawona Hatchery Wawona
A. E. DONEY, Fish Ladder Inspector San Francisco
A. E. CULVER, Screen Inspector San FVancisco
A. M. FAIRFIELD, Inspector Water Pollution San Francis, o
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES.
N. B. SCOFIELD, In Charge San Francisco
H. B. NIDEVER, Assistant Long Beach
W. F. THOMPSON, Assistant Long Beach
EARLE DOWNING, Assistant San Francisco
C. S. BAUDER, Assistant Los Angeles
P. H. OYER, Assistant Pacific Grove
C. H. BLEMER, Assistant Sacramento
BUREAU OF EDUCATION, PUBLICITY AND RESEARCH.
DR. H. C. BRYANT, In Charge Berkeley
PATROL SERVICE.
SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION.
E. L. Bosqui, Commissioner in Charge. Carl Westerfeld, Executive Officer.
J. S. Hunter, Assistant Executive Officer. E. C. Boucher, Special Agent.
Head Office, New Call Building, San Francisco.
Phone Sutter 6100.
W. H. Armstrong Vallejo
Earl P. Barnes Eureka
Theo. M. Benson Fortuna
0. P. Brownlow Porterville
F. A. Bullard Dunlap
J. L. Bundock Oakland
J. Burke Colma
M. S. Clark San Francisco
S. L. N. Ellis Fresno
J. H. Hellard Laytonville
J. H. Hill Watsonville
D. H. Hoen San Rafael
1. L. Koppel . San Jos»
Henry Lencioni Santa Rosa
Albert Mack San Francisco
B. H. Miller Ukiah
E. V. Moody Santa Cruz
W. J. Moore Napa
F. B. Nesbitt Salinas
J. E Newsome Newman
Chas. R. Perkins Fort Bragg
Frank Shook Salinas City
E. W. Smalley Hanford
H. E. Foster—Launch "Quinnat," Vallejo
Chas. Bouton__Launch "Quinnat," Vallejo
SACRAMENTO DIVISION.
F. M. Newbert, Commissioner in Charge.
Geo. Neale, Assistant.
Forum Building, Sacramento.
Phone Main 4300.
T. W. Birmingham Sutter Creek
E. W. Bolt (Enlisted U. S. Navy)_Gridley
S. J. Carpenter Maxwell
Geo. W. Courtright Canby
Euell Gray Placerville
W. J. Green Sacramento
G. O. Laws Weaverville
Roy Ludlum Los Molinos
R. C. O'Connor Grass Valley
E. D. Ricketts Live Oak
D. E. Roberts Murphys
J. Sanders Truckee
C. A. Seroggs Loomis
R. L. Sinkey "Woodland
L. J. Warren Taylorsville
J. S. White Castella
LOS ANGELES DIVISION.
M. J. Connell, Commissioner in Charge.
E. A. McKee, Assistant. Edwin L. Hedderly, Assistant.
Union League Building, Los Angeles.
Phones: Broadway 1155; Home, F 5705.
H. J. Abels Santa Maria
J J. Barnett Ventura
H. D. Becker San Luis Obispo
J. H. Gyger Elsinore
W. C. Malone San Bernardino
E. H. Ober Big Pine
H. I. Pritchard Los Angeles
A. J. Stout Los Angeles
Webb Toms San Diego
ABSTRACT CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME LAWS
WHITE SQUARES INDICATE OPEN SEASON. NUMBERS IN SQUARE8 ARE OPEN OATES
0,4-
ranen
114
I'ti Jmu Itrtaj .it jiuf» 1 tui.
•'.■I
uri I Oct ioi I ttc
UAO LljVllTei, ETC.
DEER
145
M
Jfipljj
No Docs, Fawn* or Spike Bucki
No sale of venison
-1
4
H Sm Notn 12-8-9-10 cxi t**di of (Kit •b*tr%<*
RABBITS, COTTONTAIL AND BRUSH
ALL
IS per day. 30 per week
TREE SQUIRRELS
ALL 1
12 per season
ELK, AJiTELOPE, MOUNTAIN SHEEP
ALL ■
MLUNC OF ELK. OK PCfcfoLSMON OE LUC
MEAT A fT-LONY
SEA OTTER, BEAVKR
ALL M
$1,000 Fine for Sea Otter
BEAR, BLACK AND BROWN
ALL
1 iBHSpLUMBft
SEI NOTE 11 ON BACK Of THLS ABSTRACT
Frre RRARrNO mammat.s
ALL
-|JKiKBJi9HiM
SU NOTES 111! ON iACI Of THO AK5TJUCT
Ducks, Geese, Jack Snipe, Mud Heni
ALL
iiiiwr
su nor ls< it in; 04 sacs, of rras 4ssnua
RAIL, WOOD DUCK. WILD PlGEOM
SHOKK BIKD5 ' Ijfi* J««h S«,p* >
ALL 1
QUAIL, VALLEY AND DESERT
ALL
j 15 per day. 30 per week
MOTJNTAIN QUAIL
l-U-M
IS-2a
10 per day 20 per week
;-.<-• 1
■ ■
SAGE HEN
ALL 1
Httl
4 per day 8 per week
4
|Ml
DOVE
ALL
1
IS per day
GROUSE
ALL
n
4 per day. 8 per week
TROUT
(Except Golden)
WfflTEFISH
1
SO Fib tfr 10 Pounds and one Fish.
l-i 1
■ .i or one rrsn wetgoing iu rounai or
3 during the winter season S fish
MM
Ukaa
*
per day
' SEI NOTE 77 ON SACS Of THIS AtSTtan
|P! sa nort a on iaci of nes ustiao
GOLDElf TROUT
ALL
B-l
Hi
20 per day. None Older S inches
BLACK BASS
All
25 per day None under 7 inches
Ckw «- 1
Hook and bne only
SACRAMENTO PUCK SUNFtSH add chappie
ALL M
| 25 per day. Hook and boe only
STRIPED BASS, SHAD
ALL
su *ote » on a«a of tho usrun
SALMON
JU.L
IS
■F
■I SiE NOTE M OK BACX OF TalS ABSTRACT
CATFISH
ALL
•i
HI
CUses Maiee oajy for csMiirut fiaSmg
CRABS
ALL
£D
p
SU Mm 9 ON SACS OF THIS AIST1ACI
) RED
ABALONES
* GREEN PINK. BLACK
AU
SEE NOTE M ON BACK Of THIS ABSTRACT
ALL
PISMO CLAMS
17
IT
su Mm U ON SACS or THIS ASSTI ACT
FOR LAWS IN FULL SEE PENAL CODE FOR COMMERCIAL FISHING LAWS SEE MARKET F1SHINC ABSTRACT
DISTRICTS la, lb. Ic Id. It, II. I| lh. 1.. Ij, Ik. II. 2i. 3a. 3b. 3c. 3d. 4a, 4b. 4c, 4d. 4c, 41, art
fame refujev Hunting torbtddea Fishing to accordance wrtb law relating to nun district
in which rehuje u located. (Set map 1
Hunting L.cenM» . R-oKlniti. »1 00 . Njn-rcsiiSenU »I0 Trappmi LlceAHea Cituana. $ 1.00; Allow. 12.00. ,
Alien*, $25 LicenM r*ar from July 1 to June 30 License rear from JuJr 1 to Juoa 30
Angling Lkeiuea Residents. 11.00. Non-rsaadent*. 13 Hunting «nd Anglmg Ucenaoa car, be tecum* from Fur,
Aliens. 13 License roar from Jan. 1 to Doc 3 1 „«■ Gam* C0ram.u4.0n. Countr CUrta anal 1 i-eeir
Trapping License* from Fish and Gam* Commissi**! Agrou
CALIFORNIA
"■GAME
CONSERVATION OF WILD LIFE THROUGH EDUCATION
*
TROUT NUMBER.
BOARD OF FISH AND GAME COMMISSIONERS.
Commissioners appointed by the Governor, by and with the consent of the Senate.
Term at pleasure of Governor. No compensation.
F. M. NEWBERT, President Sacramento
M. J. CONNELL, Commissioner Los Angeles
E. L. BOSQUI, Commissioner San Francisco
CARL WESTERFELD, Executive Officer San Francisco
J. S. HUNTER, Assistant Executive Officer San Francisco
R. D. DUKE, Attorney San Francisco
A. D. FERGUSON, Field Agent (on Furlough) Fresno
DEPARTMENT OF FISHCULTURE.
W. H. SHEBLEY, in Charge Fishculture San Francisco
E. W. HUNT, Field Superintendent San Francisco
G. H. LAMBSON, Superintendent Mount Shasta Hatchery Sisson
W. O. FASSETT, Superintendent Fort Seward Hatchery, Ukiah, and Snow
Mountain Station Alderpoint
G. McCLOUD, Jb., Foreman in Charge Mount Whitney Hatchery and Rae
Lakes Station Independence
G. E. WEST, Foreman in Charge Tahoe and Tallac Hatcheries Tallac
E. V. CASSELL, Foreman in Charge Almanor and Domingo Springs
Hatcheries Keddie
L. PHILLIPS, Foreman in Charge North Creek Station San Bernardino
L. J. STINNETT, Assistant in Charge Klamath Stations Hornbrook
G. L. MORRISON, Foreman in Charge Bear Lake Station San Bernardino
GEO. McCLOUD, General Assistant in Charge Cottonwood Creek Station Hornbrook
GUY TABLER, Assistant in Charge Fall Creek Hatchery Copco
JUSTIN SHEBLEY, Foreman in Charge Brookdale Hatchery Brookdale
J. B. SOLLNER, Assistant in Charge Wawona Hatchery Wawona
A. E. DONEY, Fish Ladder Inspector San Francisco
A. E. CULVER, Screen Inspector San Francisco
A. M. FAIRFIELD, Inspector Water Pollution San Francisco
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES.
N. B. SCOFIELD, In Charge San Francisco
H. B. NIDEVER, Assistant Long Beach
W. F. THOMPSON, Assistant Long Beach
ELMER HIGGINS, Assistant Long Beach
EARLE DOWNING, Assistant San Francisco
C. S. BAUDER, Assistant Los Angeles
P. H. OYER, Assistant Pacific Grove
BUREAU OF EDUCATION, PUBLICITY AND RESEARCH.
DR. H. C. BRYANT, In Charge Berkeley
PATROL SERVICE.
SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION.
E. L. Bosgul, Commissioner in Charge. Carl Westerfeld, Executive Officer.
J. S. Hunter, Assistant Executive Officer. E. C. Boucher, Special Agent.
Head Office, New Call Building, San Francisco.
Phone Sutter 6100.
W. H. Armstrong Vallejo
Earl P. Barnes Eureka
Theo. M. Benson Fortuna
O. P. Brownlow Porterville
F. A. Bullard Dunlap
J. Li. Bundock Oakland
J. Burke Colma
M. S. Clark San Francisco
S. L. N. Ellis Fresno
J. H. Hellard Laytonville
J. H. Hill Watsonville
D. H. Hoen San Rafael
L L. Koppel San Jose
Henry Lencioni Santa Rosa
Albert Mack San Francisco
B. H. Miller Ukiah
E. V. Moody Santa Cruz
W. J. Moore Napa
P. B. Nesbitt Salinas
J. E. Newsome Newman
Chas. R. Perkins Fort Bragg
Frank Shook Salinas City
E. W. Smalley Hanford
H. E. Foster_Launch "Quinnat," Vallejo
Chas. Bouton__Launch "Quinnat," Vallejo
SACRAMENTO DIVISION.
F. M. Newbert, Commissioner in Charge.
Geo. Neale, Assistant.
Forum Building, Sacramento.
Phone Main 4300.
T. W. Birmingham Sutter Creek
B. W. Bolt (Enlisted U. S. Navy)_Grldley
S. J. Carpenter * Maxwell
Geo. W. Courtright Canby
Euell Gray Placerville
W. J. Green Sacramento
G. O. Laws Weaverville
Roy Ludlum Los Molinos
R. C. O'Connor.
E. D. Ricketts—
D. E. Roberts—
J. Sanders
C. A. Scroggs —
R. L. Sinkey
L. J. "Warren
J. S. White
.Grass Valley
Live Oak
Murphys
Truckee
Loomls
Woodland
—Taylorsville
Castella
LOS ANGELES DIVISION.
M. J. Connell, Commissioner in Charge.
E. A McKee, Assistant. Edwin L. Hedderly, Assistant.
Union League Building, Los Angeles.
Phones: Broadway 1155; Home, F 5705.
H. J. Abels Santa Maria
J. J. Barnett Ventura
H. D. Becker San Luis Obispo
J. H. Gyger Elsinore
W. C. Malone San Bernardino
E. H. Ober
H. I. Pritchard.
A. J. Stout
Webb Toms
Big Pine
.Los Angeles
-Los Angeles
— San Diego
CALIFORNIA
FISH -GAME
CONSERVATION OF WILD LIFE THROUGH EDUCATION
v>
BOARD OF FISH AND GAME COMMISSIONERS.
Commissioners appointed by the Governor, by and with the consent of the Senate.
Term at pleasure of Governor. No compensation.
F. M. NEWBERT, President Sacramento
M. J. CONNELL, Commissioner Los Angeles
E. L. BOSQUI, Commissioner San Francisco
CARL WESTERFELD, Executive Officer , San Francisco
J. S. HUNTER, Assistant Executive Officer San Francisco
R. D. DUKE, Attorney San Francisco
DEPARTMENT OF FISHCULTURE.
W. H. SHEBLEY, in Charge Fishculture Sacramento
E. W. HUNT, Field Superintendent Sacramento
G. H. LAMBSON, Superintendent Mount Shasta Hatchery Siseon
W. O. FASSETT, Superintendent Fort Seward Hatchery, Ukiah, and Snow
Mountain Station Alderpoint
G. McCLOUD, Jr., Foreman in Charge Mount Whitney Hatchery and Rae
Lakes Station Independence
G. E. WEST, Foreman in Charge Tahoe and Tallac Hatcheries Tallac
E. V. CASSELL, Foreman in Charge Almanor and Domingo Springs
Hatcheries Keddie
L. PHILLIPS. Foreman in Charge North Creek Station San Bernardino
L. J. STINNETT, Assistant in Charge Klamath Stations Hornbrook
G. L. MORRISON, Foreman in Charge Bear Lake Station San Bernardino
GEO. McCLOUD, General Assistant in Charge Cottonwood Creek Station__Hornbrook
GUY TABLER, Assistant in Charge Yosemite Hatchery Yosemite
F. W. EDDY, Assistant in Charge Fall Creek Hatchery Copco
JUSTIN SHEBLEY, Foreman in Charge Brookdale Hatchery Brookdale
J. B. SOLLNER, Assistant in Charge Wawona Hatchery Wawona
A E. DONEY, Fish Ladder Inspector Sacramento
A. E. CULVER, Screen Inspector Sacramento
M. K. SPALDING, Assistant in Charge of Construction Sacramento
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES.
N. B. SCOFIELD, In Charge San Francisco
H. B. NIDEYER, Assistant San Pedro
W. F. THOMPSON, Assistant Long Beach
ELMER HIGGINS, Assistant Long Beach
EARLE DOWNING, Assistant San Francisco
S. H. DADO, Assistant San Francisco
C. S. BALDER, Assistant San Pedro
T. H. OYER. Assistant Monterey
L H. HELWIG, Assistant San Diego
BUREAU OF EDUCATION, PUBLICITY AND RESEARCH.
DR. H. C. BRYANT, In Charge Berkeley
PATROL SERVICE.
SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION.
E. L. Boaqui, Commissioner in Charge. Carl Westerfeld, Executive Officer.
J. S. Hunter, Assistant Executive Officer. E. C. Boucher, Special Agent.
Head Office, Postal Telegraph Building, San Francisco.
Phone Sutter 6100.
W. H. Armstrong Vallejo
Earl P. Barnes Eureka
Theo. M. Benson Fortuna
O. P. Brownlow Porterville
F. A. Bullard Dunlap
J. L. Bundock Oakland
J. Burke Colma
M. S. Clark San Francisco
8 L. N. Ellis Fresno
A. M. Fairfield San Francisco
J. H. Hellard Lavtonville
J. H. Hill Watsonville
D. H. Hoen San Rafael
I L. Koppel San Jose
Henry Lencionl Santa Rosa
Albert Mack San Francisco
B. H. Miller Ukiah
E. V. Moody Santa Cruz
W. J. Moore Napa
F. B. Nesbitt Salinas
J E. Newsome Newman
Chas. R. Perkins Fort Bragg
Frank Shook Salinas City
E. W. Smalley Hanford
H. E. Foster_Launch "Qulnnat," Vallejo
Chas. Bouton— Launch "Qulnnat," Vallejo
SACRAMENTO DIVISION.
F. M. Newbert, Commissioner in Charge.
Geo. Neale, Assistant.
Forum Building, Sacramento.
Phone Main 4300.
T. W. Birmingham Red Bluff
E. "W. Bolt Gridley
S J. Carpenter Maxwell
Geo. W Courtright Canbv
Euell Gray Placerville
W. J. Green Sacramento
G. O. Laws Weaverville
Roy Ludlum Los Molinos,
R. C. O'Connor Grass Valley
E. D. Ricketts Live Oak
D. E. Roberts Murphys
J. Sanders Tru^kee
C. A. Scroggs Loomis
R. L. Sinkey Woodland
L. J. Warren Taylorsvllle
J. S. White Castella
LOS ANGELES DIVISION.
M. J. Connell, Commissioner in Charge.
Edwin L. Hedderly, Assistant
Union League Building, Los Angeles.
Phones: Broadway 1155; Home, F 5705.
H. J. Abels Santa Maria
J. J. Barnett Ventura
H. D. Becker San Luis Obispo
J. H. Gyger Elsinore
W. C. Malone San Bernardino
E. H. Ober Big Pine
H. 1. Pritchard Los Angeles
A. J. Stout Los Angeles
Webb Toms San Diego
1919 ABSTRACT CALIFORNIA NSH AND GAME LAWS 1920
WHITE SQUARES INDICATE OPEN SEASON
NUMBERS IN SQUARES ARE OPEN DATES
DISTRICTS
c-l
•>
p
i
1
>
o
Bj
o
3
o
o
M
P
BAG LIMITS. ETC.
l-U-41
23-24-2.'i-26
pUJlI]
INo Does. Fawns or 8d
1 Bucks. No sale of venlsc
1 Two Bucks per season
See Notes 1-2-8-9-10-14
DEER
2-3
n
Ii.-..
4
|;JEJB]|
RABBITS, Cottontail and Brush
ALL
I,: :■
15 per day. 30 per we<
No limit In District 4
TREE SQUIRRELS
ALL
L
□E 'LEE
■ 1 1
12 per season
K, ANTELOPE, MOUNTAIN SHEEP
ALL
!
i ■ M2
77^
1 Klll.ng of Elk or poss(
|slon of Elk meat a felo
SEA OTTER, BEAVER
ALL
ii .
1 . J I..!;
| $1,000 fine for Sea Otta
BEAR, FUR ANIMALS
ALL
-r f f -,r- y
jju
See Notes 11-12
ES. GEESE, JACK SNIPE, MUD HENS
ALL
MjlG
See Notes 4-14-15-17
n>. WOOD DUCK, WILD PIGEON,
HORE BIRDS (Except Jack Snipe)
ALL
E
m
!,
QUAIL, Valley and Desert
1-14
2-3
■ :
lis
4-4}
■
Hit
15 per day. SO per wee
1-li
T
MOUNTAIN QUAIL
2-3
IN
11:
10 par day. 20 per wee
4-4J
Hie
SAGE HEN
ALL
Except 4
4
4 per day. 8 per week
DOVE
ALL
m
■ '
15 per day. 30 per wee
GROUSE
ALL 1
•
i
~rri
Iir
in
~~i ■
4 per day. 8 per week.
l-12a-12b |
"
u
• •
IJ See Note 44 50 fish or t
H— — poundsando
■ 8ee Note 43 flsh or one fl
2
OUT (Except Golden), WHITE FISH
3
— weigmng ie
See Note 45 pounds or ovc
— • See Notes 2i
37-39
See NoU 28
4-41
■
Lake
Almnnor |
— i
23-24-25 |
.
Isc
1
GOLDEN TROUT
ALL
-I'-
IftO
i Rjl
20 per day. None und
5 inches.
BLACK BASS
ALL
'■,1:
25 per day. None und
in Lake Co. 1
No sale. Hook and lln
ACRAMENTO PERCH, SUNF1SH
and CHAPPIE
ALL
'1A
i ;
* 1
25 per day. Hook an
STRIPED BASS, SHAD
ALL
See Note 23
SALMON
ALL
Except 1 5
15
«sa
L_J
|„
M
■
See Notes 27-45
CATFISH
ALL
1
C
ti
g.
Closed season only for
commercial fishing
CTvABS
ALL
30|
a
!■
|
See Note 28
ABALONES, Red
ALL
B
See Note 33
Green, Pink, Black
ALL
M
1
1
a
PISMO CLAMS
17
i
m
*
See Note 32
HUNTING LICENSES
License Year from July I to June 30
Residents, $1.00. Non-residents, $10.00. Certain
Aliens, $10.00. Other Aliens, $25.00.
ANGLING LICENSES
License Year from January I to December 31
Residents, $1.00. Non- Residents, $3.00. Aliens,
$3.00.
TRAPPING LICENSES
License Year from July I to June 30
Citizens, $1.00. Aliens, $2.00.
«< 'I'" l