CALIFORNIA nSH-GAME tONSERVATIOM OF WILD UFE THROUGH EDUCATION^ Volume 33 San Francisco, Julv, 1947 83418 STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION OF FISH AND GAME San Francisco. California EARL WARREN Governor WARREN T. HANNUM Director of Natural Resources nSH AND GAME COMMISSION LEE F. PAYNE, President Los Angeles H. H. ARNOLD, Commissioner WILLLAM J. SILVA, Commissioner Sonoma Modesto HARVEY E. HASTAIN, Commissioner PAUL DENNY, Commissioner Brawley Etna EMEL J. N. OTT, Jr. Executive Director Sacramento and San Francisco CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME CARLTON M. HERMAN, Editor Berkeley Editorial Board RICHARD S. CROKER San Francisco BRLA.N CURTIS San Francisco JOHN E. CHATTIN Berkeley California Fish and Game is a publication devoted to the conservation of wildlife. It is published quarterly by the California Division of Fish and Game. All material for publication should be sent to Dr. Carlton M. Herman, Editor, Division of Fish and Game, Strawberry Canyon, University of California, Berkeley 4, California. Manu- scripts should be typed, double spaced, and conform to the style of previous issues. The articles published herein are not copyrighted and may be reproduced in other periodicals, provided due credit is given the author and the California Division of Fish and Game. This publication is sent free of charge to interested persons, who may have their names placed on the mailing list by writing to the editor. Subscriptions are for one year and must be renewed annually. A postcard will be included with each October issue for renewal of subscriptions. Subscribers are requested to notify the Division of Fish and Game, University of California, Berkeley 4, California, of changes of address, giving old address as well as the new. California Fish and Game "conservation of wii dmkk THROiJon education" Voi.UMi;:;.". ISSUED JUIA' ir>, T.M7 X'». :{ TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Pismo Clam Increase J. A. Aplin 120 The Status of Pine Martens in California Howard Twining and Arthur L. IIensley 1;3;J Ecolojiv and Life History of the California Gray Squirrel Lloyd G. Ingles 139 Ecolofiy of a Cottontail Rabbit {Sylvilagiis cmduhoni) Populalion in Central California IIenky S. Fitch 1'}'.) Distinctive Characters of the Species of Andromous Trout and Salmon Found in California Lko Siiapovaluv 185 Notes — Rare Fishes Taken Near Los Angeles John E. Fitcli 101 In Memoriam 193 John II. Davis Samuel llittcki)is 103 George Neale J. S. Hunter 194 Walter R. Krukow E. L. Maccnday 194 Reports 195 (127) 83418 PISMO CLAM INCREASE ' T'.y J. A. AiM.iN Bureau of Ufarine Fisheries Colifoniia Jticinioii of Fixh and (Innw Begrinning in 1919 a systematic survey of the Pismo clams (Tivela stultoruni), on the beach near the town of Pismo has been made each year by the Bureau of Marine Fisheries. The first portion of this study was carried out by Weymouth (1923). Later additions were made by Her- rington (1930) and other members of tlie stall' of the California State Fisheries Laborator^^ The present article adds information gathered since the last report and indicates the present conditon of the clam population. Each year sections have been made across the beach in three locations some distance apart. The section consisted of a trench 16 centimeters wide and 20 centimeters deep made across the beach and extending from high tide to as low as it was possible to dig during one of the lowest tides of the year. The sand from this trench was forced through a screen of one-fourth inch mesh to make sure no small clams would be missed. The locations of these sections were 100 yards north of the pier at Pismo (Pismo section), 1.1 miles south of the pier (Oceano section), and one- half mile south of the north boundary of the clam refuge (Le Grande section). The number of clams taken in these three sections are given by age groups in Table 1. Data for the period 1942 to 1945 are missing as there was insufficient staff available to carry on this work during the war. Although the total number of clams found in 1946 was greater TABLE 1 Number of Clams by Age Groups Taken in the Three Sections Dug Each Year on Pismo Beach Age in Tears Year O I II III IV V VI VII VII+ Total 1925 23 265 6 17 5 5 7 328 192fi 5.-^ 15 87 3 5 1 1 165 1927 38 61 27 23 1 l.'iO 1928 6 32 40 24 15 117 1929 472 5 23 23 15 7 545 1930 360 188 5 4 6 4 3 570 19.31 885 157 58 2 3 3 1 1,109 19.32 44 277 125 99 28 3 2 578 1933 199 38 122 99 110 52 25 2 647 1934 1 70 23 81 81 31 8 4 1 300 1935 770 6 57 15 69 41 23 6 2 989 1936 144 368 3 45 9 56 28 17 12 682 1937 747 102 247 8 19 7 32 15 2 1,179 19.38 9 233 96 175 7 11 9 6 2 548 19.39 24 4 54 75 143 2 5 4 7 318 1940 25 34 11 19 29 85 11 8 30 252 1941 19 6 7 1 2 6 23 3 13 80 1946 607 167 57 204 220 51 21 8 13 1,348 1 Submitted for publication, March, 1947. (129) 130 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME than in any previous year in which a census was taken there is no reason to believe that the clam population is near the total that the beach could support. Reports of persons who were on the beach before extensive digging had depleted the natural stock state that once there were many more clams on the beach than at present. Beaches at other locations where these clams are found also indicate that the saturation point has not been reached at Pismo. As has been pointed out in former publications and is evident from Table 1, the number of young clams less than a year old, 0 age, is quite variable. In some years sets have been heavv, in others very sparse. Outstanding sets occurred in 1929, 1930, 1931, 1935, 1937, and 1946. In the years 1928, 1934, and 1938 the numbers of young clams were negligible. It would appear that the size of any year's spawning is not mainly determined by the number of adult spawning clams on the beach. The good sets of 1929 to 1931 followed an interval when the number of clams of all sizes was at low ebb, whereas the poor sets of 1934 and 1938 and the mediocre sets of 1939 to 1941 followed years when mature adults were again plentiful. The variation in the number of mature adults is shown more clearly in Table 2. Here are listed by sections the total numbers of clams four years and older found each year in which a sample was taken since 1925. Following the good sets of 1929 to 1931 the number of adult clams reached a peak in 1933, remained at a fairly high level through 1936, and then decreased to low level in 1938. Good sets in 1935 and 1937 again produced increases in 1939 and 1940. This correlation between the numbers of adults in a population and the success or failure of spawn survival is characteristic of a population exposed to heavy exploitation by man. Such is true of the Pismo clam where individuals are removed TABLE 2 Number of Clams Four Years and Older Found in Each Section Dug on Pismo Beach Section year Pismo Oceano Le Orande Total id2r, 4 1926 0 1927 0 1928 12 1929 11 19.30 2 19.31 2 19.32 1.5 19.33 80 1934 53 1935 47 19.36 24 19.37 1.5 1938 15 19.39 91 1940 50 1941 9 1946 169 Average 33.3 20.6 28.5 82.4 8 4 16 3 2 5 0 0 0 2 2 16 3 8 22 8 8 13 3 2 7 10 8 33 72 37 189 34 38 125 42 52 141 19 79 122 18 42 75 9 11 35 26 44 161 39 74 163 5 33 47 75 69 313 FISMO CLA.M INTREASI': lijl from the beach as soon as they have reached the lef^al size of 127 centi- meters (five inches) and in many instances Ix^fore that time. Tlie lai-^e nnmber ol" clams I'onnd in ]fJ4G is of special interest since the increase occurs not oidy amonj? the 0 group clams but also among the larger older clams. The numbers of three- and four-year olds were greater than at any time in the previous 17 years in which a census was made. Part of this increase may result from good sets in 1 942 and lIM.'i but if that were the only cause those sets would liave had to have been greater than any previously known. It seems reasonable to assume, therefore, that part of the increase was brought about by decreased digging during the war years. For defense reasons the public was not allowed on the beaches at night and fewer people were able to take annual vacations or to travel any distance when a vacation was possible. An 18-year average of the number of clams over age three is given by sections in Table 2. Since 1933 the numbers of older clams have increased as the result of several successful spawnings. For the combined sections the 1946 total is more than three times the average. "With the exception of 1933, in none of the previous years has the total reached twice the average. For the Pismo and Oceano sections the 1946 numbers exceeded the average by 5 and 3-| times respectively. In the Le Grande section the increase was slightly more than twice the average. This section lies in an area closed to clam digging and should not reflect an increase in the number of older clams which might have occurred wdth less digging during the war. These differences between the open and closed portions of the beach further suggest that the large number of clams found in 1946 resulted to some extent at least from protection afforded the beach during the war. It will be of interest to determine how long this larger population can be maintained, especially as the number of people visiting the beach is increasing each year. A parallel increase of the Pismo clams has been noted during the fall and wdnter of 1946-47 on the beaches in the neighborhood of Long Beach and Seal Beach. These clams, however, comprise younger indi- viduals of less than four years. No census has been made in this area but presumably the increase has resulted from good protection during the war when diggers could not frequent the beaches. References Herrington, William C 1930 The Pismo Clam, Further Studies of Its Life History and Depletion. California Division of Fish and Game, Fish Bulletin No. 18, 67 pp., IG figs. Weymouth, Frank W. 1923 The Life History and Growth of the Pismo Clam {Tivela stidtortim Mawe). California Division of Fish and Game, Fish Bulletin No. 7, 120 pp., 15 figs., 18 graphs. 2 — 83418 THE STATUS OF PINE MARTENS IN CALIFORNIA ' By Howard Twining and Arthur Hknslky Bureau of dame Conservation California Division of Fish and Game The pine marten, also called American sable by virtue of its close relationship to the rare and valuable sable of the Old World, is much sought by a few hardy trappers in the higher mountains of California. The marten has a body about the size of a slender house cat, and like other members of the weasel family, to which it is affiliated, it has short legs. The tail is bushy and the head broad, tapering sharply to a pointed nose. It is rich golden-brown in color except for a vivid orange patch on the throat and chest. Furriers work the skins into scarves and neckpieces or occasionally use them as trimming for high quality coats and wraps. Marten fur usually sells for two or three times the price of mink. Grinnell, Dixon and Linsdale (1937) describe two subspecies of pine marten from California : the Sierra Nevada pine marten (Maries caurina sierrae), which occurs in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Moun- tains and across to the Trinity, Salmon and Marble Mountains; and the Humboldt pine marten (M. c. humholdtensis), a slightly smaller and darker subspecies found in the northern Coast Eanges of California (Fig. 40). If the pine marten were a denizen of the lowlands of California, its valuable pelt would presumably have encouraged too-intensive trapping, resulting in serious reduction in its numbers, much as once occurred to the beaver and sea otter. Its haunts, however, are the forests of the higher mountains and the rockslides and moraines of the Arctic-alpine zone. Roads into marten country are usually blocked by snow during trapping season and a marten trapper must be equipped to live in a rigorous climate and usually to trap in steep, rugged country. Conse- quently, much marten country is not trapped and the species has been able to survive. For many years some fur buj-ers, trappers, and other people inter- ested in the welfare of the fur-bearing animals of California have been concerned over an apparent scarcity of martens and have recommended complete protection for the species in California. Another recommenda- tion made by certain trappers was that the season on marten be shortened in order to protect the females which, they said, run more in January and Februarj^ and thus are more liable to be caught at this season. In order to study the advisability of putting the above two recom- mendations into effect, a study of pine martens was included as part of a general survey of the fur resources of California.^ Among those who have favored a closed season on marten in Cali- fornia are Grinnell, Dixon, and Lindsdale (1937, p. 206), who state: 1 Submitted for publication March, 1947. 2 Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration, Project California 5-R. A Survey of the Fur Resources of the State of California. (133) 134 CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME ''Reports of the trappers of California show a marked decline, amounting to fully 75 percent, in the number of martens trapped in a four-year period. The reported catch for each of these years is as follows: 1930, 452 ; 1921, 227 ; 1923, 137 ; 1924, 121. This decrease is not believed to be Figure 40. Map showing distribution of pine martens in California, and area closed to trapping a part of any natural periodic fluctuation such as has been reported of this and other mammals elsewhere, because the data at hand indicates that the number of martens living in a general area in California usually does not vary much from year to year ; on the contrary, it is probably caused hy overtrapping. If this species continues to decline in numbers, and if efforts are not made to give it more adequate protection, in a short time it will be scarce or entirely absent in the State except in such protected areas as national parks." PINE MARTKNS IN CALIKORNIA 135 The catch records (piotcd jiltovc wci-c lakcii from reports that licoused trappers arc required to make animully to the; ('alifoniia T'lsh and (Jame Commission. A comparison of the al)ove fij^ures witli those received for the five years previous to the termination of tliis study seems sij,'tiificant : Year lU.H /H3S lU.V) l'.)',n l'J',l 19 ',2 Number marten trapped 1120 200 '2'.)~> f.lO loij ',r.'. If, as the above-mentioned authors assume, catcii records can be relied upon to indicate the status of an animal population it would seem that the marten population as a wliole recovered from its temporary condition of depletion and t lin-c was no need Tor a stati-wldc closed season. In the course of the study 41 marten trappers were interviewed personally bj^ the authors. All trapjiers who caufjht marten in the winters of 1940-41 or 1941-42 "svere furnished questionnaires aiid requested to record their catch by sex for each month of the season. Certain trappers had informed us that they thoup:ht their lines caught more females in January and February because females run more in the breeding' season. If it were found that the proportion of females in the catch rose sharply in these months an early closiu": of the marten season might have been recommended to protect the breeding stock. A tabulation of results from the questionnaires (Table 1) shows that males in the catch outnumbered females in every month of the season. There was an exceptionally high proportion of males caught in December of both years. TABLE 1 Data From Marten Questionnaires N^ ov. Dec Ja M. Feb. ItO-J,l 1,1-1,2 1,0-1,1 kl-1,2 1,0-1,1 1,1-1,2 1,0-1,1 1, 1-1,2 Days trapped _— 115 184 358 592 477 476 370 220 Marten caught ___ 26 58 69 109 81 69 50 49 Days per marten_- ___ 4.4 2.9 5.2 5.0 5.9 7.3 7.6 4.5 Male ___ 16 24 48 60 36 32 19 24 Female _-_ 10 21 21 32 29 27 12 21 Unsexed 13 17 16 10 19 4 Males per 100 fema les_ 160 114 229 187 124 191,0- lis 158 19',l->,2 114 Average length of line- . 8.7 miles 8.8 miles Average number of traps used. . 48 45 Number of tri appers answerins ; questionnaire . 23 26 Number of trappers re; porting their catch. . 54 49 Total nunibrr of marten repor ted. . 428 551 Average price paid per pelt by fur buyers. . $15.64 $14.87 There is an unexplained peculiarity in marten breeding habits which should be pointed out at this time. Some light is throAvn on this by Ashbrook and Hanson (1930) who found that the mating season for pine martens in captivity is in July and August. Further investigations by Markley and Bassett (1942) verified these findings and set the period of gestation at 259 to 275 days. This seems exceptionally long for an animal the size of a marten. Further study is needed on this and related species to clarify our knowledge of their breeding habits. 136 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME The uteri of eight female marten taken in trapping season were examined by the writer but no sign of pregnancy could be detected. Similar observations are reported by Grinnell, Dixon and Linsdale (1937, p. 198) and, in the case of the spruce marten and sable, by Schmidt (1934). Evidently noticeable embrj^onic development does not begin until late February or thereafter. If these facts are true, namely that breeding takes place in summer, and that noticeable embrj^onic development does not start until the next spring, then trapping does not interfere with the breeding season nor impose a hazard on the females heavy with young. Markley and Bassett (1942) found that marten differ in their mating habits from other members of the weasel family in that mating does not take place until the female is over a year old, and in over 50 percent of the cases not until the age of two or three years is reached. The size of the average marten litter is only three as compared with five or six for mink. It can be expected then that this low reproductive potential would result in slow recovery of a depleted stock. In the course of the study particular attention was given to the status of the Humboldt pine marten of northwestern California. Trap- pers told us that martens in former days ranged as far south as Hull Mountain in Lake County and Fort Ross in Sonoma County. Martens have not been taken in Lake or Sonoma Counties for many years and recent records are scarce from Mendocino County. A few martens remain on the high ridges of Humboldt and Del Norte Counties and the occa- sional trapper willing to fight heavy brush and down timber in remote country can occasionally catch one. In 1941 the six trappers who took martens in these counties caught an average of two apiece. In 1942 the eight trappers who took martens in these counties caught an average of two martens apiece. This apparent depletion of the Humboldt pine marten in the coastal ranges prompted a recommendation to the Fish and Game Commission that the season be closed in this vicinity. Accordingly, in 1946 the com- mission closed the season on pine marten in District No. 1|, which includes all or parts of Del Norte, Humboldt, Siskiyou, and Trinity Counties. (Fig. 40.) Very few trappers will be affected by this closure and if it results in the repopulation of the depleted marten range the regulation will have served a worthy purpose. Summary 1. The pine marten is found in the higher mountains of California ; its valuable fur encourages trappers to seek it in the remote country where it lives. 2. People interested in the welfare of fur bearers have made two recommendations for management of marten : (1) that the marten season be closed in California, (2) that the season be closed early in order to protect the females which they believed are caught in greater numbers in January and February. 3. Results of an examination of trapping records of past years plus . a series of 41 interviews with marten trappers indicated that the marten population except in the north coast portion has not suffered serious depletion in California. A state-wide closed season is not recommended. PIXE MARTKNS IN CALIFORNIA 137 4. Infonnatioii Irum (lucstioiiiiaircs shows that males in tiie catch outnninber fcmalos in every montli of the season. Tlio inatinj^ season for marten is in -)nl\' and August. Noticeable embryo deveU)i)mcnt does not start until after February. Early closin'4 of the season for pine marten is not reconnnonded. 5. A shrinkiiij;' of llic orii^inal ran^e of tlic Iliinihohll pine inarttMi of the Coast Ranges in northwester] i California was indicated and reports of catch suggested depletion of the marten popidation in this area. 6. Upon the recommendation of this project the Fisli and Game Commission in 1946 closed the season on pine marten in District li (Del Norte, Humboldt, Siskiyou, and Trinity Counties). References Ash brook, Frank (i. and Karl B. Hanson. 1927. Breeding martens in captivity. Journal of Heredity, vol. 28, no. 11, \>yi. 499-503. Grinnell, Joseph, Joseph Dixon and .lean M. Linsdale. 1937. Fur-bearing mammals of California. Their natural history, systematic status, and relations to man. In 2 vols. Vol. 1, XII -r 37"> pp. I^niversity of California Press, Berkeley. Markley, Merle H. and Charles F. Bassel t. 1942. Habits of captive marten. American Midland Naturalist, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 604-616. Schmidt, Fritz. 1934. Uber die Fortpflanzungsbiologie von sibirishem Zobel (Martes zibelliua L.) und europaischem Baummarder (Martes martes L.). Zeitschrift fur Saugetierkunde, vol. 9, pp. 392-403, 7 figs. Walker, Ernest P. 1929. Evidence on the gestation peri(.d of martens. Journal of Mammalogy, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 206-209. 1 pi. ECOLOGY AND LIFE HISTORY OF THE CALIFORNIA GRAY SQUIRREL J.i.oYi) (J. l.\(ii.i;s Professor of Zooloi/i/, Fresno Stulc i'ollvgc, Fresno, California The gray squirrel (Sciurus (friscus Ord) in California inhabits forested areas west of the Sierra Nevada divide from Oregon to Lower California. There are three subspecies within the boundaries of the State ; anthonyi, in the Southern California mountains; 7iigripes, in the coast belt south of San Francisco Bay to San Luis Obispo County ; and rjriseus, over the Sierra and in the Coast Kanges north of San Francisco Day. This squirrel is found chiefly within the Upper Sonoran and Tran- sition life zones, extending locally into the lower Sonoran and up into the Canadian. In spite of the wide distribution of this squirrel only a few life history and ecology references occur in the literature. The present paper records data gathered during a six-year period between November, 1940, and July, 1946, on the subspecies griseus. Areas Studied Many observations were made throughout the State w'ithin the range of the species, but most of the work was done in Butte County, particularly in Bidwell Park near Chico. This park comprises 2,400 acres of naturally wooded land along Big Chico Creek, and extends from the floor of the Sacramento Valley well up into the foothills. The park lies in the Lower Sonoran and is characterized by virginal growths of such trees as western sycamore (Platanus racemosa), Fremont cottonwood {Populus fremontii), valley oak {Qnercus lohata), and California black walnut {Juglans hindsii). In this life zone the two latter trees furnish the greater part of the food of the squirrels. Certain botanists claim the black walnuts were introduced into this area by the early settlers, but there is considerable evidence that they became established around certain old Indian camps long before the advent of the white man. In the foothills the park lies in the Upper Sonoran life zone, and trees are not nearly so dense as they are in lowland groves of valley oaks, syca- mores, and cottonwoods. Important foothill trees include the digger pine {Pinus sahiniana), blue oak {Qucrcns douglasii), interior live oak {Quercus wislizenii), and scrub oak {Quercus dumosa). In other counties, most of the observations were made at different places in the transition life zone where chief food trees were yellow pine {Pinus ponderosa) , white fir {Abies concolor), Douglas fir {Pseudotsiiga taxifolia), sugar pine {Pinus lamhertiana), big tree {Sequoia gigantea), redwood {Sequoia sempervirens) , and California black oak {Quercus kelloggii). Methods The time-area method of Goodrum (1940) was used, with slight adaptations to fit local conditions, to ascertain populations of squirrels. The observer carried at all times a good pair of 8 x 30 binoculars and (139) 140 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME any seemingly significant observations were recorded on the spot. A 6.31 acre area was selected in Bidwell Park for special intensive daily study during March and April, 1945. Here natural food-producing trees were supplemented by certain introduced species. The area was surveyed and all important trees were located on a map with the aid of a plane table. Eight mature gray squirrels were determined by markings distinguish- able with binoculars, and their activity on the area was followed daily. s-"^ FiGUKE 41. A riparian association of valley oaks (Quercus lobata) , western syca- mores (Plalanvs raceomosa) , California black walnut (Juglans hindsii) , and California wild grapes {Vitis calif ornica) , in the Sacramento Valley which supports a large popu- lation of California gray squirrels. CALIFORNIA QUAY SQUIRREL 141 The individual liome ranp:os of tliose sfjuiiTols and tlic tcrritorios of two of them were plotted on the map. Tlie areas of the liome ranj,'es and ter- ritories were computed with ;i phuiinieter. The home range and terri- torial concepts used in this study are essentially those described by Burt (^943). Outlines of the liome raniafes and territories were repre- sented by connecting points on the periphery of each of the areas. This representation, as Burt pointed out, indicates slightly more or le.ss than the actual area. Observation trips were made at various times of the day under varying conditions of weather, each trip lasting about one and one-half hours. Records made when it was difficult to classify the day as, "clear," "cloudy," or "rainy," were discarded. The Beaufort system of indicating wind velocity was used. Farther up stream in the park another area was selected, because of natural conditions that prevailed, for a study of habitat preference (Fig. 41). A trail closely following the stream for 1.7 miles passed through a riparian habitat including numerous large sycamores, cotton- woods, alders {Ahms rhonibi folia), and festoons of California wdld grapes (Vitis calif ornica) suspended from the tops of the trees. These, with several species of undergrowth shrubs, provided excellent nesting sites, cover from enemies, and protection from strong winds. The return trail paralleled the stream 200 yards distant through a pure stand of valley oaks. In this habitat there was little undergrowth to provide cover and wind protection, and there Avere few holes in the trees suitable for nesting sites. In season the mast production was enormous. The method used in making observations here was to walk slowly over the 3.4 miles of trail, stopping at frequent intervals to look and listen. Activity and Behavior Seventy-four trips were made between dawn and dusk on the 6.31 acre plot in Bidwell Park during March and April, 1945. More squirrels were seen in the early morning hours than at any other time. x\bout half as many were observed per hour after 4 p.m. as w-ere seen per hour before 10 a.m. These findings (Table 1) differ from those reported by Goodrum (1940) on Sciurus carolinensis, which practically ceases activity after 9 a.m. but becomes active again late in the afternoon. None of the 325 squirrel observations was made before sunup. Although 14 observation trips extended from dawni to dusk only two squirrels were observed to TABLE I Daily Activity During March and April, 1945, in Bidwell Park Squirrels oiserved from — Sunup 10 a.m. ffp.m.to to to sundoicn Sundown JO a.m. ^p.«i. (aloutl p.m.) to dark Daion to sunup (about 7 a.m.) Observation trips 14 March 0 April 0 Total number of squirrels observed per hour in each category 0 60 65 51 38.6 60 93 63 26 60 19 32 17 14 0 o 142 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME be active after sundown. One of these spent the night lying on a limb after another squirrel had chased it away from a tree-hole it had attempted to enter. Goodrum's observations regarding regular activity of the eastern species on moonlit nights apparently do not apply to 8ciurus griseus. _ . Although notes were kept on ecological factors that might con- ceivably affect the behavior and population of the squirrels, weather relationship was especially noted for the two months during which daily observation trips were made. A Beaufort 6* was the strongest air move- ment noted during the two months period. An observation trip in the riparian and oak habitats during a Beaufort 6 north wind revealed five squirrels on the ground or in the low shrubbery of the riparian habitat where air movement could scarcely be felt. None was seen in the oak habitat where the wind was strong, even close to the ground. The animals, by choosing protected places, were found to be about equally active under all conditions regardless of the wind (Table 2). Although there was no opportunity to observe behavior in very strong wind, there was no noticeable reduction in activity in winds of moderate velocity as described by Goodrum (1940). TABLE II Response to Weather During M arch and Apri 1, 1945 Clear Cloudy Rainy Wind Beaufort 0-4* Wind Beaufort 4-6* Observation trips 46 Squirrels observed 156 Average squirrels per trip — 3.4 11 54 4.9 10 30 3.0 66 329 4.5 12 36 3.0 A few more squirrels were seen on cloudj^ days than on a correspond- ing number of trips made on clear or rainy days (Table 2) . In the spring months the squirrels were more active in the warm, moist, and less windy air than immediately after the passing of a cold front. Several squirrels were observed moving about in moderate rain storms. They frequently jumped, shaking the feet and tail to free them from water. When eating in the rain they curl the tail up over the head and body in such a way that the water runs off the long tail hairs without wetting the animal. After being active in rain or morning dew they lick themselves extensively before retiring into a nest. Although the California gray squirrel may be active at any time between sunup and sundown, there may also be long periods of rest during the day. Resting periods are usually taken in a tree-hole. On very hot days the animals become noticeably less active. They were frequently seen spread out on some shady limb with the legs and tail hanging over the edges, and the chin resting on the limb. Gray squirrels usually retire to a tree-hole at night. Except when the young are in the drays, it is doubtful if outside nests are used for nocturnal sleeping. When asleep a captive squirrel lay on its side with its nose and forefeet pressed lightly against its lower abdomen with the large tail spread over all the body. It was difficult to awaken this animal. *A classification of wind velocities: Beaufort 4 — 13-18 miles per iiour ; Beau- fort 5 — 19-24 miles per hour; Beaufort 6 — 25-31 miles per hour. CALIFORNIA GRAY SQUTRRF.L 143 There was considcral^Ie opjjorl unity lo observe the acuity of the senses and behavior of the California f?ray squirrel. A younj^ captive squirrel taken from the nest shortl}^ after llie eyes were open exhibited manj'- interesting- traits of boliavior. Apparently this animal could not see even though the eyes were open, for it located the me Mar. 23 ;506 150 CO is 17!) Mar. 31 _ _ _ _ 240 Apr. 6 _ _ _ _ 270 Apr. 13 _ _ _ - 353 Upon comparing weights of this sqnirrel with those of the litter described by Storer (1922), which he estimated to be one week old, it would appear that this one was about three weeks old when taken from the nest. At this time there were several well developed instincts, a few Figure 4 4. A young California gray squirrel approximately 3 weeks old of which follow : It would scramble wildly with all four feet when held about the body in such a way that it could get no hold with its claws. It would sit squirrel-like and nibble on objects held between the forepaws 152 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME even thougli it would eat only liquids. When not hungry it resented being taken from the nest, would attempt to bite and would utter little bark- like ''quaffs." When about two months old it would bark, flick its tail, and vibrate its forepaw. It had no opportunity to observe any of these beha\aor traits in other squirrels after being taken from its nest. This squirrel was fully grown by September. Little is known regarding the longevity of this species. Eoss (1930) called attention to two that were kept as captives for 11 years. This pair had a male offspring that was 8 years old. Whether they ever attain these ages in nature is not known. Home Range and Territory The daily activity of the eight marked squirrels, three males and five females, on the 6.31 acre area previously described was observed (March and April, 1945) to ascertain the shape and size of home ranges and territories (Figs. 41 and 42). Although nearly all of the 2400 acres in Bidwell Park is still under natural conditions, this particular area was not. On it were growing such introduced jDlants as almonds, Monterey cypresses, elms, and silver maples, all of which greatly increased the food supply and nesting sites over that provided by the native Digger pines, valley oaks, black walnuts, alders, cottonwoods, and sycamores. As many as 11 adult squirrels were seen on this area although part of the home ranges of a few were just outside of it. Four litters were known to be raised on the area at this time, and another pregnant female established her home range there before the following May. Male squirrels are apparently much more compatible than are the females. The three marked males were frequently seen feeding within a few feet of each other on the ground or in the trees. Home ranges of females varied from .30 to .85 acres, and as a result, there was considerably less overlapping than was the case with the home ranges of the males which varied from 1.15 to 1.53 acres each (Figs. 45,46,47). _ Three territories defended against other squirrels were studied at a time when the females were nursing young. Only two of these were entirely within the area, however, and are shown in the diagrams in relation to the home ranges (Fig. 47) . Territories of these two lactating females were one-fourth to one-third the size of their respective home ranges. All squirrels regardless of sex were chased from the territory whenever they were seen by the female that occupied it. When she was in her nest other squirrels sometimes would cautiously enter and take food from the trees. How long the territory was defended after the young squirrels left the nest was not determined. CALIFORNIA GRAY SQUIRREL 153 Figure 45. The home ranges of three marked male California gray squirrels on a 6.31 acre tract in the Sacramento Valley during March and April, 1945. Scale .25 mm. equals one foot. 154 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME Figure 46. The home ranges of five marked female California gray squirrels occupying- at the same time the same area as shown in Figure 45. Three other unmarked animals of undetermined sex also occupied this area during this time. CALIFORNIA GRAY SQUIRREL 155 ? 1 ? 4 Figure 47. The home ranges and territories (stippled) of two marked female California gray squirrels in the Sacramento Valley during March and April, 1945. Scale .25 mm. equals one foot. There was considerable daily movement of squirrels between nesting and loafing places, and feeding places. This was particularly noticeable between the riparian habitat, which provided excellent nesting and resting sites, but little food, and the pure oak stand habitat which had plenty of food but little else. Squirrels could be found feeding in the oak habitat fully 200 yards from the stream (or other water) at nearly any time of the day, but when surprised they would invariably climb a tree and take an arboreal route back to a hole or dray in the sycamores and cottonwoods by the stream. The animals seemed to sense their greater security in the riparian habitat and were more likely to be seen there. Six round trips through both these habitats revealed 24 squirrels, 18 of which were in the riparian and six in the oak habitat. Populations The populations of gray squirrels in California have been variously estimated. Grinnell and Storer (1924) believed there was only about one squirrel on each 10 acres of native range in the foothills. They estimated the squirrel population in the Yosemite Valley to be about one squirrel on each acre. Stanley (1916) reported gray squirrels to be com- mon enough in the Plumas National Forest to enable one to see 30 to 40 a day. During March and April, 1945, on the 6.31 acre area that was inten- sively studied in Bidwell Park, there were 11 adult squirrels. At this time four of these were known to be lactating and another was pregnant. As was previously pointed out, this area contained several nonnative trees that doubtless supplemented materially the food and nest sites provided by the native trees and enabled this area to support a larger number of squirrels than it would in a truly native state. There was at no time insufficient squirrel food, but there was much evidence of com- petition for nesting holes. On this small protected area predators play a negligible part, the population being kept down by accident on a nearb.y road and possibly by diseases which might account for the occa- sional reduction in numbers from 75 to 100 percent, such a reduction having been pointed out by Peterson {op. cit.). ]156 CALrPORNTA FISH AND GAME Economic Status Near Paradise, Butte County, a nut grower reported the killing of hundreds of gray squirrels over a period of 10 years because of the damage they did to his English walnut grove. This grove borders a yellow pine-white fir woods Avhere squirrels are very numerous. Almond trees that grow on small lots in the suburbs of Chico are rarely harvested because of squirrels and acorn woodpeckers. The flesh of the California gray squirrel is delectable, and the animal was formerly considered as game with an open and closed season. It was first given a closed season in California in 1901, when the open season extended from August 1st to February 1st. In 1905 there was no open season, and in 1907 the season extended from September 1st to January 1st, and the bag limit was 12. In 1923 the animal was taken from the game list because of a serious reduction in its numbers and it has been given protection ever since, until 1946 when the season was again opened. Sugg-estions for Habitat Improvement The habitat of the gray squirrel can be improved in places where more squirrels are desired, by planting certain trees. Western sycamore and Fremont cottonwood provide more holes for nests than any other trees in the lower Sonoran life zone. In the upper Sonoran life zone, blue oak, and in the transition life zone black oak provide best nesting sites and best food trees. Trees which may be introduced to supplement the local native food supply are silver maple, black walnut, mulberry, and Monterey cypress. Digger pines and yellow pines are the most important native conifers in the upper Sonoran and the transition zones respectively. The frequency with which the animals are found in the vicinity of abandoned and even occupied foothill ranches attests their adaptableness to man-made environments, especially to the food on the ornamental and nut trees. Walnut trees grown from seeds planted along the foothill streams throughout California would greatly, increase the food of these animals and might be the decisive factor in maintaining sufficient breeding population in years when the acorn or the digger pine cone crop fails or is greatly reduced. A few nut-bearing walnut trees close to a stream will, after a few years, establish young trees in favorable places for miles below the original parent trees. Summary 1. A study was made of the ecology and life history of the California gray squirrel in some limited areas of California between 1940 and 1946. Two areas in the valley oak association in the Sacramento Valley were selected for daily observations on some marked animals during March and April, 1945. 2. The daily activity and response to weather conditions was found to differ from that described for the eastern gray squirrel. The animals were more active in the morning than at midday or late afternoon. Activity before sunup and after sundown was rarely observed. The kind of weather had little effect on activity. CALIFORNIA QUAY SQUIKRI'X 157 3. The souse of smell seorned to he fairly well developecl and used to locate food buried in the ground. The sense of si<^dit likewise a[)[)(';irc(| to be well developed. 4. Gray squirrels are important and beneficial animals in refor- estation in the valley oak association not adjacent to agricultural areas. 5. The most important competitors are the acorn woodpecker, Beechey ground squirrel, and the Douglas chickaree. Very few predators are known. Many squirrels are killed on highways by cars. 6. Four species of fleas are known to parasitize these squirrels. Devastating diseases apparently sometimes entirely eliminate or greatly reduce the numbers of gray squirrels over large areas. One of these is caused by a scabies mite. 7. The fruits of a large number of native and introduced plants are used for food. Flower buds and leaves of chickweed are frequently eaten by lactating females. The squirrels were rarely seen to use animal food. 8. The rut may occur any time during the first six months of the year. Each female appears to have but one litter of two to four young each year. The gestation period is probably over 43 days. Two kinds of nests are built. 9. A captive young squirrel exhibited a sequence of inherited behavior patterns as it grew older. 10. The home ranges of the males varied from 1.15 to 1.53 acres each. These overlap greatly the ranges of other squirrels. Males are generally compatible. The home range of individual females varied from .30 to .85 acres. Females were generally incompatible during the breeding months. The territories of lactating females were about one-quarter to one-third the area of the respective home ranges. 11. The population varies with the type and amount of plant cover. The greatest concentration noted was 11 adults living on a 6.31 acre tract in the Sacramento Valley. By means of habitat improvement the populations in most areas might be increased by planting certain intro- duced trees to supplement the food during the non-producing period of the native trees. References Bailey, Vernon 1936 The mammals and life zones of Oregon, U. S. Dept. Agric, Bur. Biol. Surv. N. Amer. Fauna, No. 55, pp. 1-416, illus. Bryant, H. C. 1921 Tree squirrels infested with scabies. California Fish and Game, San Fran- cisco, 7 : 128. Burt, William Henry 1943 Territoriality and home range concepts as applied to mammals. Journ. Mammalogy,' 24 : 346-352. Fitch. Henry S. Freeman Swenson and Daniel F. Tillotson 1946 Beiiavior and food habits of the red-tailed hawk. The Condor, 48 : 205-237. Fritz, Emanuel 1932 Squirrel damage to young redwood trees. Journ. Mammalogy, 13 : 76. 158 CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME Goodrum, Phil D. 1938 Squirrel management in eastern Texas. Trans. Third North American Wildlife Conference, pp. 670-676. 1940 A population study of the gray squirrel in eastern Texas. Texas Agri. Exper. Sta. Bulletin, No. 591, p. 34. Grinnell, Joseph and Tracy I. Storer 1924 Animal Life in the Yosemite. Univ. Calif. Press, pp. xviii + 741, illus. Hubbard, C. Andresen 1943 The fleas of California. Pacific University Bulletin, Forest Grove, Oregon, 39 : 1-11. Merriam, C. Hart 1930 A nest of the California gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus) . .Journ. Mam- malogy, 11 : 494. Murie, Adolph 1936 A predator eliminates a sick animal. .Journ. Mammalogy, 17 : 418. Peterson, G. 1945 (By letter). Ross, Ronald Case 1930 California Sciuridae in captivity. Journ. Mammalogy, 11 :76-77. Seton, E. T. 1928 Lives of the game animals. New York: Doubleday Doran, vol. 4, Rodents, pp. 1-949. Sperry, Charles C. 1941 Food habits of the Coyote. Wildlife research bulletin No. 4. Fish and Wildlife Service, pp. 1-70. Stanley, A. J. 1916 Gray squirrels in the Plumas National Forest, California Fish and Game, San Francisco, 2 : 112. Storer, Tracy I. 1922 The young of the California gray squirrel. Journ. Mammalogy, 3 : 188-189. ECOLOGY OF A COTTONTAIL RABBIT (SYLVILAGUS AUDUBONI) POPULATION IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA 15y lIiONUY S. Fncii United States Finh and Wildlife Service The cottontail rabbit of the western Sierra Nevada foothills (Sylvilagus auduhoni vallicola) is sufficiently abundant in some areas to figure in the ecology and economy of the region in various ways — as a game animal as a reservoir of disease potentially transmissible to humans; and as a destroyer of vegetation, either cultivated crops or forage on range lands. During the course of wildlife studies at the San Joaquin Experimental Range, data were collected bearing on various phases of cottontail ecology. Especially during ]939, 1940, and 1941, many rabbits were live-trapped incidental to the trapping of ground squirrels, and information was obtained as to their numbers and activ- ities, and various other factors, on an 80-acre area. The experimental range is situated in, and typical of, a foothill belt used primarily for grazing of beef cattle. Interest in the rabbits iu this region centers in their effect on range forage. The species is little hunted in this part of the State, partly because other more popular small game species are abundant, partly because it is heavily infested with fleas, and partly because it is considered unsafe to handle since it is a carrier of tularemia. This region is mainly open woodland of oak (Quercns dougJasii and Quercus wislizenii) and pine (Pinus sabiniana), occasional patches of chaparral and an annual type forage of broadleaf herbs and grasses ; mostly it is rolling land, but there are occasional bluffs and ravines. The soil is generally shallow and rocky ; outcrops and loose piles of decom- posing granite rock are prominent features of the terrain. The brush patches and rock piles provide shelter for numerous wildlife species including the cottontail. The climate is one of mild winters and hot, rainless summers with temperatures over 100 degrees F. Annual precipi- tation averages approximately 22 inches. This study was part of a program of wildlife investigation planned and initiated by Everett E. Horn of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in collaboration with the California Forest and Range Experiment Station, U. S. Forest Service. Lowell Adams, Freeman Swenson, Frank Hagarty and Bernard Mitchell helped with the live-trapping. Howaid Twining, Daniel F. Tillotson and John E. Chattin analyzed scats and pellets in connection with the predation phase of the work. Assistance rendered by WPA Project No. 165-2-08-225 is acknowledged. Methods The rabbit population was intensively studied on an 80-acre area by marking for future identification and releasing all that could be live trapped. At each capture, sex, weight, catalogue number or formula, and exact location of the animal were recorded in the field. Those taken in 1939 and 1940 were marked with serially numbered aluminum ear tags (159) 160 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME and colored celluloid disks manufactured for use by commercial rabbit breeders ; those trapped in 1941 were marked by toe clipping. Food habits data were obtained on this same area by following rabbits as closely as possible recording the kind and amount of vegetation taken. Seasonal Bait Acceptance During 1939, 1940 and 1941, trapping effort was fairly constant year-round ; on the 80 acres where population studies were made, approxi- mately 200 traps were kept set for several daj^s each week. Differences in the catch of rabbits reflected both actual changes in their number and changing seasonal acceptance of the grain baits used. Throughout the growing season, October through May, while green food was abundantly available, rabbits only rarely entered the traps. It is assumed that natural foods were much preferred to the grain mixture of wheat and milo maize with which the traps were baited. In summer after the main forage crop had dried out, grain was taken freely, and nearly all recorded captures of rabbits were in the dry season — summer and early fall. The total number of captures recorded each month during the three-year period in which live trapping was in progress is shown in Fig. 48. Each year the catch was highest in August at the peak of the dry season. Trends were similar for all three years, but in 1939 bait was taken much more readily. During the dry season that year natural food was scarce due to the short forage crop and early drying. In 1941 the forage crop was heavier and succulence longer persisting than in 1940, and the catch of rabbits was correspondingly light. During the course of live trapping, 250 ^ o/ \ '>>/ \ o/ \ "^1 \ 200 1 \ 150 / \ 100 / \ 1 oA \ / ^/ \ \ / CK/ \ \ / "^Z \ \ 50 ^-^ 1^41 \ L ■ — ^> Pocket gopher 100 115 4.3 Ground squirrel 500 13 2.4 Reptile (at least 8 kinds) variable 44 5.0 Bird (at least 12 kinds) variable 45 2.3 Other (including many insects) variable 608 2.5 Totals 1,471 100.0 It is indicated that cottontail made up more than half the food by weight, though taken in slightly smaller numbers than woodrats. Barn Owl. These are much less common than horned owls on the Range, and were seen at only a few places. In a collection of 240 pellets there were 517 prej^ items of which 415 were pocket gopher and pocket mouse. Only four were cottontail (all young) which were computed to make up around 3 percent of the total prey weight represented by the sample. Rattlesnake. This reptile is probably the most common of all rodent and rabbit predators on the Range. Over a three-year period 679 were marked and released, and the ratio of these recaptured to others seemed to indicate a population of two or three per acre, but accurate census is impracticable as the figures might be distorted by many unknown variables. Of the rattlesnakes recorded, nearlj^ half were adults. A total of 271 prey items were identified from stomachs and droppings of the snakes. For the principal prey species, number of occurrences and computed percentages of total weights see Table 6. TABLE 6 Composition of Rattlesnake Food (Based on 271 food items) Average tveight Numier of Percentage of Kind of prey in grams occurrences total prey weight Ground squirrel 206 111 70.5 Cottontail 206 24 15.2 Kangaroo rat 60 32 5.9 Gopher 67 12 2.5 Other variable 92 5.9 Totals 271 100.0 178 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME Though this food sample is small, as compared with those obtained for carnivores and raptors, prey weights were determined with a precision not practicable for the predatory mammals and birds. Food items were palped from snake stomachs, and were actually weighed, except those in which digestion had reached an advanced stage. From these figures it appears that cottontail make up nearly one- sixth of the snakes' food. As a result of the winter and early spring breeding season most of the young were already too large for the snakes to eat when the latter emerged from hibernation. The peak of rattlesnake activity occurs during April, May and early June and all the records of predation of rabbits occurred during that time, involving late litters of young rabbits in the nest and large adult snakes in every instance. Squirrels and kangaroo rats were often found dead, showing evidence of rattlesnake bite, but some of the snakes involved were known to haye been too small to eat the animals they had killed. Some rabbit mortality may occur also. On June 28th, an adult rattlesnake was seen to strike a cottontail in the field. Rabbits are probably less liable to be killed in this way than are burrowing rodents which often encounter the snakes under- ground. Gopher Snake. This species is much less common than the rattle- snake locally — perhaps only one-fourth as numerous. A total of 70 food items were palped from gopher snake stomachs ; and an analysis of these is presented in table 7. TABLE 7 Composition of Gopher Snake Food (Based on 70 food items) Average weight j^ umber of rerccnfnge of Kind of prey in grams occurrences total prey weight Cottontail 400 3 37.1 Ground squirrel ISO 5 27.9 Woodrat 200 3 18.6 Bird egg 8.5 20 5.3 Gopher 130 2 4.0 Other variable 37 7.1 Totals 70 100.0 The high percentage of cottontail in this small sample may be unrep- resentative. One giant gopher snake, nearly seven feet long, had eaten an adult cottontail which weighed as much as most of the smaller food items combined. Such incidents as this must be rare, and comparatively few gopher snakes are big enough to swallow any but nestling cottontail. Discussion. The data set forth above suggest that the cottontail bears the brunt of predation pressure from most of the larger species of mammal, bird, and snake predators. The breeding season is long, and adult females may soon replace lost litters, or may normally rear two or more litters in a year, thus offsetting the heavy losses to natural enemies. The summer population of adults and well-grown young after the breeding season amounting in 1939 to one per 1.2 acres, represents a rabbit-weight of about 670 grams per acre, a figure to be borne in mind in connection with measured predation factors. COTTONTAIL POPULATION 179 Compntntion of the ral)bit-\v('i^lit per acre eliiniiiatc.l hy predation has been attempted on the basis of the known or estimated population of each predator species, the normal daily food requirement, and the per- centage of the food weight which rabbits comprise. The popiiji'i^inn nf coYotL^s was comoutcdjit one to more than :'"<| nci-u.< ; t j i c .fny [i(>[tuliitifiii» at possibly the same fi"y^ure_(or probably somewhat moinO. the rcd-tailcjl laj^'lt at one to ibU acres: h^^rn^*;^ W'^ ^* ""^^ ^" "I^Q fteres- ratthisuakc 2^ per acre ; gopher snake'.G per acre, lleducintr tliese fiL''nres to popubutum tensity, per acre ancT multipb^m^ by the food rcniiiremcnt. and the per- centage comprised b}'- ra|)bit. we^ obtain the data presented in Tal)le P, . TABLE 8 Cottontail Weights Consumed by Predators l2 coo C « rt^ •03 TS'S rio tto -ao ^ -> so-a — I S§ -| 5- ^« oS ^3- 1 Drag vs^ i " o_? ^ssr I 32 I " I S^ ■= = § 1 i i^ it- il" i ! ! I I g: I-- 'I I I -i ' i ' 11" I 1 I I I I 1 Coyote .0033 x GOO = 1.98 x 365 = 722 x 45.4 = 328.0 Rattlesnalve 2.5 x 2 = 5.00 x 365 = 1825 x 15.2 = 277.4 Horned owl .010 x 120 = 1.20 x 365 = 437 x 61.1 = 267.0 Gopher snalce .6 x 2 = 1.2 x 365 = 438 x 37.1 = 162.5 Fox .0033 X 300 = .99 x 365 = 361 x 35.6 = 12!).0 Red-tailed hawk .0062 x 120 = .74 x 365 = 270 x 24.2 = 05.0 Total 1228.9 grams This summation does not include the rabbits eliminated by bobcats and badgers, but both are among the more important cottontail predators. Thus it appears that predation annually might eliminate a rabbit- weight of about double the nonbreeding population of adults and well gro"\vn young present in summer. Admittedly, at each stage of the com- putation a substantial margin of error is probable so that the figures obtained cannot be considered more than a rough indication of the magni- tude of losses to each kind of predator. If, in the food composition of a predator, the proportion of young were higher among cottontail than among other kinds of prey, the percentage of cottontail computed would be too high. However, it is probable that the proportion of young among the ground squirrel, woodrat, and gopher snake, in prey samples was fully as large as among cottontail. Each of these species has, like the cottontail, a high reproductive potential and a rapid population turn- over with even greater differentials between young and adult weights. and they were the only ones other than cottontail comprising substantial percentages of the diet in any of the predators. The populations of predator species are variable according to time and place, and all of them are computed on a somewhat doubtful basis for application to the experi- mental range as a whole ; for the red-tailed hawk and horned owl, how- ever, the figures used represent the absolute minimum. For rattlesnakes, gopher snakes, coyotes, and especially foxes, the population figures are less definite. The average daily individual food consumption under natural conditions is somewhat speculative. This is especially so in the 180 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME case of the snakes, and the figure used is based on the average individual weight, assuming that each snake consumes twice its body weight during the growing season as suggested by data obtained from several kept in confinement. For the rattlesnake most feeding records were obtained in April and May when small cottontail are available — but from June "through October rabbits are not breeding and their young have grown too large to be swallowed. Few feeding records were obtained for snakes during this latter two-thirds of their active season, as they are then secretive or nocturnal. But it may be surmised that kangaroo rats and gophers are then substituted for the young rabbits and squirrels taken in spring. For the horned owl there is a probability that the numbers of cotton- tail assumed to have been eaten was too high, for, unlike the other prey species, the cottontail is large enough to furnish several owl meals. Thus one might be counted several times from its limb bones and vertebrae appearing in several pellets, whereas the other prey species were generally identified from skulls revealing accurately the actual numbers eaten. The predation calculated is not necessarily too high; it seems entirely possible that the rabbits are adapted to withstand such pressure by virtue of high reproductive potential. Ingles (1941 : 243-6) records an instance of a female marked soon after birth, which had matured and produced a litter of its own at the age of six months. Many of the young born early in the breeding season, in fall, may mature in time to produce litters before the breeding season is ended by the drought con- ditions of the summer. Females that are mature in the fall at the beginning of the breeding season might be expected to produce nine young apiece during the seven or eight months of green growth if the average of 3.6 young per litter and two or three litters annually mentioned by Orr (loc. cit.) is representative. Females which lose their litters early might produce an even greater number. The young at birth probably weigh around 30 grams, and upon leaving the nest from 11 to 14 days later, they have increased to several times this weight. Growth during subsequent weeks is extremely rapid (Fig. 52), In recent years eeologists have tended to minimize the importance of predation factors in controlling vertebrate populations. Errington (1946) has summed up the literature of predation, and presents a fairly convincing case to show that " intraspecific self -limiting mechanisms basically determine the population levels maintained by the prey.'" ('* * * ^]^g patterns revealed may look remarkably little influenced by variations in kinds and numbers of predators. ' ' Concerning rabbits, Errington (op. cit. 154-155) states that though more tolerant of crowding without intraspecific strife, "they are by no means free from automatic mechanisms [determining their upper and lower population limits in a given habitat.] * * * again and again lagomorphs recovering from depressed levels show rapid popula- tion gains from one year to the next, the attentions of wild flesheaters notwithstanding. ' ' The matter is not merely one of lagomorphs being prolific or of making their gains when enemies are either numerically or proportionally scarce, as there are too many instances of lagomorph populations appar- ently conforming to patterns, even despite pronounced differences in numbers of such able hunters as horned owls and foxes. ' ' COTTONTAIL POPULATION 181 On the San Joaquin Ranj^e there is no direct evidence that predation actually holds the cottontail population to any given level. The situa- tion is complex, however, because several common predators take larj^e numbers of cottontail without being entirely dependent on tliom ; all could probably adjust themselves to absence of cottontail by taking larger numbers of the abundant ground squirrels, woodrats, and other rodents. The predators also prey to some extent upon each other, at least hawks, owls, coyotes and foxes all prey upon both rattlesnake and gopher snake. Individual predators are long-lived as compared with their rabbit or rodent prey, and survive fluctuations in the populations of the latter. Even on areas of a few acres, the cottontail, or rodents, are not uniformly abundant but are concentrated where conditions of food and cover favor them ; they are sensitive to changing weather conditions which result in expansion or contraction of their preferred ecologic niches, and their numbers change in response. Each species is, however, favored by a different set of conditions, so that increase in one kind is apt to be accompanied by a more or less compensatory decrease in another. The kangaroo rat, for instance, is favored by arid conditions with sparse vegetation and its peak in numbers on the Experimental Range followed a series of dry years. The ground squirrel is also favored by a sparse forage crop, whereas the cottontail prefers a habitat with thickets providing surface cover. Response to such conditions can be seen in the varying abundance of rabbits and rodents on different parts of the Range; on the ungrazed headquarters area, having chaparral thickets and rank growth of swale vegetation, cottontails are more numer- ous than elsewhere, squirrels and kangaroo rats less so. While changes in abundance of both cottontails and predators are known to have occurred since 1935, records are too fragmentary to show either clear cut correlation or lack of it. Coyotes were first controlled in the winter of 1935-36, and 35 were trapped during a few weeks period. Nearly as many were caught in each of several succeeding years, but by 1939 the population was much reduced. In August, 1936, at the time they were still numerous, Kenneth A. Wagnon recorded in his field notes that cottontail were extremely abundant around the Experimental Range headquarters, where as many as 50 congregated on the lawns in the evening, and he speculated that this high rabbit population might be the attraction for the coyotes. The reduction of coyotes to a fraction of their former numbers did not result in any noticeable increase in rabbits. The hawk and owl populations have been stable, but rattlesnakes over the Experimental Range as a whole, have doubtless been somewhat reduced by the continual drain on their population imposed by human activity. Intraspecific, self-limiting mechanisms in the cottontail population of the Experimental Range were not evident, either. It is doubtful whether any mortality results from intraspecific strife — no fighting or other evidence of intolerance was observed even when many rabbits were concentrated on a small area. Their food supply is subject to even heavier use by other herbivores, particularly domestic stock, so that the amount remaining at the end of the dry season is not determined primarily by th? number of cottontail. Conditions of critical severity with respect to 182 ■ CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME availability of moisture may occur late in the dry season, for at this time cottontail congregate at water, and avidly seek any remaining succulent vegetation. Eabbits in situations where no water is available may com- pete severely with each other for preferred foods such as rushes, already so closely cropped as to be unavailable to grazing stock. For young in the nest, weather conditions may be critical and heavy rains may result in their death by chilling or even drowning. So far as observed, however, actual mortality in nearly all instances involved predation, upon individuals which were not obviously handi- capped or diseased and which were well provided with food and shelter. That is, they were not part of a surplus population crowded out into a precarious marginal existence in critical periods, as in cases cited by Errington (op. cit.). ,:, "Vunerability" of the cottontail population may depend n!pt so much on the conditions of food and shelter available to the rabbits as on the numbers of predators present and the relative availability to them of ground squirrels, woodrats, pocket gophers and kangaroo rats. At least it seems fairly certain that the medium to high populations of these several rodents make possible the existence of the predators which account for most of the rabbit mortality. Disease. Evidence of disease was rarely noticed among the rab- bits trapped, though nearly all of them were heavily infested with large fleas. On one occasion a cottontail died suddenly for no apparent reason when it was being removed from a trap, suggesting the possible exist- ence of shock disease in the population, but no autopsies or laboratory tests were carried out to verify this hypothesis. On February 7, 1941, a cottontail evidencing sluggish behavior was noticed, and it allowed an observer to approach within eight feet, then crawled into a rock crevice. It made no effort to escape when picked up and died two hours later. There was a swelling about the size of a walnut on the lower jaw, containing a yellowish white mass of cheesy consistency, and a slightly smaller inguinal swelling. The liver was somewhat dark- ened with well-separated yellowish spots on its surface. This rabbit had an unusually heavy infestation of fleas ; it was estimated that there were at least 100 on its head alone. Other rabbits seen at this location on the same day and during subsequent weeks appeared to be normally healthy. Herman and Jankiewicz (1943) examined 43 cottontails from the experimental range, and found coccidia infections prevalent ; six different types were described. The infections did not appear to be acute and their effect on the rabbits is not known. Cottontail experimentally infected with Eimeria stiedae, a coccidial liver pathogen of domestic rabbits did not develop severe infections, as do domestic rabbits, suggesting partial immunity. The only ectoparasite recorded by these authors was a flea (Ctenocephaloides felis). The animals were shipped to these authors in Los Angeles and the ectoparasites were probably lost during handling prior to shipment. Internal parasites found by them included two intes- tinal protozoans (Trichomonas, Chilomastix), two nematodes (Ohelis- coides cuniculi and Nematodirus leporis), and several cestodes (Taenia pisiformis, Cittotaenia variahilis and other species of the same genus and Raillietaenia retractilis). COTTONTAir, I'OIMI.A'riDX 183 Summary The cottontail is abundant in open woodlands of the Sierra Nevada foothill belt in central California. At the San Joafiuin Exporimontal Kanjiv it compotes heavily with livestock in use of the vegetation. Dnrinf? the suumicr dry season, the rabbits look - season they preferred succulent natural foods. Knowledge of the chanpinfr seasonal bait acceptance is of practical value in connection with ninnafrement operations. At timos, locally, it may be desirable to remove, by poisoninjj-, cotloutail populations which are known to be diseased, or which are causing obvious damap^e to culti- vated crops or range forage. More often it may be desirable to retain the cottontail population while removing certain harmful rodent species. Ground squirrels, for instance, are controlled by annual poisoning on many of the foothill ranges. Squirrel poisoning operations during the winter or spring months would result in relatively light losses to the cottontail population since grain bait is not especially attractive to the rabbits at that season ; but summer or early fall squirrel poisoning might at the same time reduce the rabbit population even more drastically. Live trapping and marking of rabbits through a three-year period resulted in 1,159 captures of 228 individuals, and indicated that these animals are attached to definite small areas. Diameters of "foraging areas" within which individual rabbits usually stayed were roughly perhaps 700 feet, but were variable and occasionally long foraging trips were made. Immature animals appear to range less widely than adults. Of 23 rabbits released at a distance from the point of capture, three made homing movements of 4,400, 3,550 and 3,150 feet respectively; 10 were recaptured near the place of release, and the others were not again recorded. One rabbit was recorded to have shifted its range a distance of 3,300 feet. Such movements may be fairly common and important in the population turnover of small areas. Water and succulence in the dry season attract unusual concentrations of cottontails. In censusing the population by the ratio of marked ones to others during the dry season of each year on the 80-aere study area, the following numbers were recorded : 1939, 153 ; 1940, 53 ; 1941, 95. Allowing for movements outside the 80 acres, the population density was calculated as one per 1.2 acres in 1939 and one per 2.6 acres in 1940. In its cottontail population, the 80-acre study area was below the average of the experi- mental range as a whole. Road counts over 1,754 acres of the experimental range compared with similar counts on the trapping area, indicated a population density for these pastures 1.7 times that of the study area. Observations on the feeding habits indicated that in spring the common forage plants most used by cattle, soft chess, foxtail fescue, broadleaf filaree, popcorn flower, and gold fields, make up the bulk of the cottontail diet. Through the summer heavy use of soft chess continues, but as the forage crop in general dries out, there is a distinct tendency to concentrate on swale vegetation where succulence remains. Clovers, rush, and dock are swale plants especially sought at this time. Leaves, seeds, and stems of tarweed, and leaves and stems of turkey mullein are often taken in summer. These along with dock, constitute plants rather unpalatable to livestock, so that competition is somewhat reduced during 184 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME the dry season. Cast seeds of foxtail fescue constitute an important food source during the dry season. Numerous wildlife species predatory on cottontails occur in the region of the experimental range. In order of their importance, predators included the coyote, rattlesnake, horned owl, gopher snake, gray fox, and red -tailed hawk. From the proportion of rabbit found for each species in the course of numerous scat, pellet, and stomach examinations, the population density of these predators, and the individual food require- ment of each kind, it was estimated that predation factors annually might consume a cottontail weight of 1,229 grams per acre. This greatly exceeds the weight of the cottontail population actually present in late summer, before the breeding season begins. Nevertheless, the cottontail may be able to withstand this severe predation pressure by virtue of its long breeding season with possibly several litters of young annually for each adult female. One diseased and dying rabbit was found, but no evidence was obtained that disease causes extensive mortality or affects population trends in this locality. References Errington, Paul L., Francis M. Hamerstrom and Francis M. Hamerstrom, Jr. 1940. The great horned owl and its prey in north-central United States. Agric. Esper. Sta., Iowa State Coll. of Agric. and Mech. Arts Research Bull. 277 : 758-850. Errington, Paul L. 1946. Predation and vertebrate populations. Quart. Rev. Biol. 21 : 144-177 and 221-245. Fitch, Henry S., Ben Glading and Verl House 1946. Observations on Cooper hawk nesting and predation. Calif. Fish and Game, 32 : 144-154. Fitch, Henry S., Freeman Swenson and Daniel F. Tillotson 1946. Behavior and food habits of the red-tailed hawk. Condor 48 : 205-237. Fitch, Henry S. and Howard Twining 1946. Feeding habits of the Pacific rattlesnake. Copeia 1946 : 64-71. Grinnell, Joseph, Joseph S. Dixon and Jean M. Linsdale 1937. Fur-bearing mammals of California. Vol. 2 Univ. Calif. Press, pp. xiv and 377-777, pis. viii-xiii and figs, in text 139-345. Herman, Carlton M. and Harry A. Jankiewicz 1943. Parasites of cottontail rabbits on the San Joaquin Experimental Range. Journ. Wildlife Management 7 : 395-400. Horn, Everett E. and Henry S. Fitch 1942. Interrelationships of rodents and other wildlife of the range. Univ. Calif. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 663 : 96-129. Ingles, Lloyd 1941. Natural history observations on the Audubon cottontail. Journ. Mam- malogy 22 : 227-250. Murie, Olaus J. 1946. Evaluating duplications in analysis of coyote scats. Journ. Wildlife Man- agement 10 : 275-276. Orr, Robert T. 1940. The rabbits of California. Occas. Papers of Calif. Acad. Sci., No. 19 : 1-227. Talbot, M. W., and Harold H. Biswell 1942. The forage crop and its management. Univ. Calif. Agric. Bull. 663 : 13-49. DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERS OF THE SPECIES OF ANADROMOUS TROUT AND SALMON FOUND IN CALIFORNIA ' By Lro SirAPOVAi.ov Bureau of Fish Conservation California Division of Fish and Game Common and Scientific Names Five species of salmon and two species of anadromous trout have been taken in California.^ Our official common names for them and their scientific names are given in the following list : Steelhead Rainbow Trout Salmo gairdnerii Cutthroat Trout Salmo clarkii King Salmon Oncorhynchus ishawytscha Silver Salmon Oncorhynchus kisntch Pink Salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha Chum Salmon Oncorhynchus keta Red Salmon Oncorhynchus nerka Some persons will recognize these fishes under other names. Other common names that have been used for the King Salmon are black salmon (applied to individuals that have become dark because of long presence in fresh water), chub salmon (applied to young males), dog salmon or hookbill (applied to males with hooked snouts), silver salmon (applied to young fish fresh from the ocean in the Sacramento River system), Chinook salmon, spring salmon, quinnat salmon, and tyee salmon. Other common names applied to the Silver Salmon include jack salmon (applied especially to young males), dog salmon or hookbill (applied to males Avith hooked snouts and red sides), coho, and silversides. Other common names which are sometimes used for Steelhead Rainbow Trout include rainbow (applied to individuals that color up in fresh water without going to sea), half-pounder (applied to small sea-run individuals or large, silvery individuals that have remained in fresh or brackish water, Aveighing usually from one pound to two and one-half pounds, especially in the Eel River system), summer salmon (applied to sexually immature spring-run fish, especially in the Middle Pork of Eel River) , salmon trout, steelhead, and steelhead trout. Pink Salmon are also known as humpback salmon. Chum Salmon as dog salmon, and R^d Salmon as sockej^e salmon or blueback salmon. The non-anadromous form of the latter, recently introduced into California, is known as the Kokanee, but elsewhere has also gone under the names little redfish and silver trout. Distribution The Steelhead Rainbow Trout is the most widely distributed of our anadromous salmonids, spawning in practically every coastal stream, 1 Submitted for publication, April, 1947. 2 Anadromous fishes are those which spend a portion of their lives in the ocean and then ascend streams to spawn. (185) 186 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME small or large, that has not been rendered unfit by man, from the Oregon line to the Mexican border. The sea-going Cutthroat Trout is confined to the northermost portion of the State, to streams in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. The King Salmon spawns extensively in the Sacramento-San Joaquin river system, although now blocked from the majority of its natural spawning grounds by dams, and in the larger streams to the north. The spawning range of the Silver Salmon in California is from some of the streams tributary to Monterey Bay to the Oregon line. Like the steelhead, it enters both large and small streams, but appears to be absent from the Sacramento-San Joaquin river system. The Pink Salmon spawns in some of the streams in j\Iendocino County, but these runs are irregular, and in the State as a whole the species is of minor importance both for angling and commercially. The other two species, the Chum Salmon and the Red Salmon, are only occasional visitors to our waters. Living things are prone to provide us with exceptions, and so it is with trout and salmon. Individuals or small spawning runs of the various species have on occasion entered scattered streams outside their normal range. For example. King Salmon have been recorded from as far south as the Ventura River, in southern California, The ocean range of at least the King Salmon extends to the south of its normal spawning range. The commercial catch in Monterey Bay has totaled millions of pounds annually, although spa-^ming does not occur normally south of the Golden Gate. Eecognition of Specimens in Hand Belonging to the same family of fishes, the Salmonidae, all of the species in general resemble each other, but possess certain characters by which they may be distinguished (Fig. 54) . n Snout Dorsal fin lateral line nostril 1 Adipose fin Caudel Branchiostegal fays Right pectoral fin Left pectoral fin Right ventral fin ■Anal fin I Caudal (tail) fin Left ventral fin . Figure 54. Diagram showing some of the external structures which are used in identi- fying salmon and trout TROUT AND SAIjMON IN CALIFORNIA 187 If the fish are in liatul, t.iie most usel'iil characters for distiii^'uishiti;,' sea-run trout from salmon for the layman and the an^'ler unfamiliar with fish anatomy are the deep caudal peduncle and whitish mouth parts of the former, in contrast to the relatively slender caud.-il jx-duncle (Ki<,'. 55) and blackish mouth parts of the salmoli. It is dinicuit to pick up a steel- head or cutthroat by grasping the tail, but a salmon may be readily held in this manner. In addition, the caudal (tail) fin tends to be squarish in the fronts, while in the salmons it lias an inward curve. Finally, the dorsal fin of adult salmon, except King Salmon, is plain or witli dark bh)tciies, but without definite spots, while the trouts possess definite blackish spots on the dorsals. Steelhead Rainbow Trout King Salmon Figure 55. Outlines of the posterior portions of a steelhead and a salmon each of the same length, showing characteristic differences in depth of caudal peduncle and shape of caudal fin. Figure 56. Diagram illus- trating method used in count- ing dorsal and anal fin rays. The last ray is often branched at base and is counted as one. Although the above general rules are useful, it is best to rely on the characters which remain unchanged throughout life, such as numbers of rays in different fins, oblique rows of scales crossing the lateral line (one such oblique row is sho^^Ti in Fig. 54 but not labeled), pyloric caeca (the small, fingerlike appendages of the stomach), giU rakers, and branchiostegal rays, for definite recognition when the fish are in hand (See 188 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME Figs. 54, 56, and 57). These characters are Sill ftroh^^^^^^^ used in the following key, which is based on alternate characters. One character is given under la and the contrasting character , . , under lb, and so on through 2a and 2b and flimments. Subsequent numbers. If your fish fits under Figure 57. Diagram of 1^, proceed to 2a and 2b and choose between gill arch, showing gill rak- them. But if it fits Under lb, proceed to 3a ers. The count includes the I ^ upper and lower halves of and 3b and choosc between them, and so on the arch. Always count all ,•■, -, i j n i rudiments. Until you have placed your fish. KEY TO THE SPECIES OF ANADROMOUS TROUT AND SALMON FOUND IN CALIFORNIA la. Rays in anal fin not more than 12. Trouts. 2a. Red dash in cleft under each side of lower jaw. Cutthroat Trout, Salmo clarkii. 2b. No red dash in cleft under each side of lower jaw. Steelhead Rainbow Trout, Salmo gairdnerii. lb. Rays in anal fin more than 12. Salmons. 3a. Gill rakers 30 or more on first arch. Red Salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka. 3b. Gill rakers fewer than 30 on first arch. 4a. More than 170 oblique rows of scales crossing the lateral line. Pink Salmon, Oncorhynchus goriuscha. 4b. Fewer than 170 oblique rows of scales crossing the lateral line. 5a. Pyloric caeca fewer than 100. Silver Salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch. 5b. Pyloric caeca more than 100. 6a. Rays in anal fin 13 or 14. Chum Salmon, Oncorhynchus keta. 6b. Rays in anal fin 15 or more. King Salmon, Oncorhynchus tshaivytscha. Recognition in the Water Recognition in the water is more difficult, but must be used, for example, at counting stations. Here, general body form and coloration and configuration of different parts of the body must be relied upon. These characters vary not only with the species, but also with the sex, size, degree of sexual maturity, and length of stay in fresh water of the individual fish, so that experience is necessary to use them. The fish counter should check his identifications of fish in the water by dipping up individuals until he is sure that he is distinguishing his fish correctly. Since many California streams contain steelhead. King Salmon, and Silver Salmon, but only a few of any of the other species, the following discussion of field characters will place emphasis on the above-named three. The statements made are based on experience in California, but are set down advisedly, and all field workers are requested to inform the writer regarding those which are of little use or do not hold good under all conditions and in all localities, and also of any useful characters which have been omitted. TROUT AND RAI>MON IN CALIFORNIA 189 In general body form the trouts are .sliianier than the salmons. In the salmon males the snout tends 1o become much more hooked, elonf,'ated, and deformed at spiiwnini; time than it does in the males of the trouts. Some Kinf? Salmon reaeli a lar^'er size than is attained by any of the other salmoinds, and may be distinguished on this basis alone. The pectoral fins of the Silver Salmon are relatively longer than those of the steelhead. The Silver Salmon usually has a more conical head than do either steelhead or King Salmon. It may also be distinguished from the other two, particularly the steelhead, by its white nostrils. As the season progresses, however, the nostrils of the King Salmon also tend to appear Avhitish. At sea all species of salmon and trout take on a general silvery coloration, but after they enter fresh water and ripen sexually, they assume colors which are characteristic. The King Salmon of both sexes tend to become blackish, with dark coloration on the sides of the head. Little red color is shown by this species except in the large males, and even in these it never approaches the brilliancy that it does in Silver Salmon. The silver males often become quite red — usually a brick red — while the females become dull bronzy. In the steelhead the sides remain more or less silvery, but develop a broad flesh-colored or rosy lateral band or wash, brightest on the gill covers. In the Pink Salmon, the spawning males become quite red, more or less blotched with brownish. The fleshy dorsal hump becomes much developed and the jaws exceptionally elongated and hooked. The females are olive-green on the sides, with dusky stripes. The breeding males of the Chum Salmon also become much distorted, with coloration generally blackish above, sides brick red, often barred or mottled, and fins blackish. In the Red Salmon, the spawning males possess brilliant red backs and sides, with the reddish color extending to most of the fins, under parts that are dirty white, and heads olivaceous above and on the sides. The mature females are dark red, with green and yellow blotches. The sea-run cutthroats are extremely variable in coloration and form. Generally, the color is olive green on the sides, darker green above, and silvery below. The sides of the head have a pinkish wash, and the lower fins are largely reddish orange. Movements in the water of the different species tend to be char- acteristic. In jumping over a low obstacle, such as a counting board, both King Salmon and Silver Salmon tend to go over with a sort of rolling motion, while the steelhead tend to jump straight ahead. Similarly, in breaking water in a pool the salmons tend to come out with a rolling motion, while the steelhead usually come out with a straight thrust. In some instances it has been noted that in leaping the salmons have extended their pectoral fins fully, while the steelhead have folded them partially against the body. The sexes are best distinguished externally by the elongated snout of the males, by the ' ' razor back ' ' and generally slimmer appearance of the males, and by the generally cumbersome, roundish appearance of the females. These characters become marked only as the fish approach sexual maturitv. 190 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME Recognition of Mutilated Specimens Another type of problem in recognition is encountered by the law enforcement officer. Often he obtains as evidence a cleaned fish, or only part of a fish. To aid in identification in such cases, various characters possessed by the different species are here summarized and will prove useful if some of the needed characters given in the key are missing. Steelhead Rainbow Teotjt : Cutthroat Tbout : King Salmon SiLVEB Salmon Pink Salmon Chum Salmon : Red Salmon Rays in anal fin usually 9 to 12 (rarely 13) ; pyloric caeca 42 to 80 ; gill rakers 16 to 22 on first arch ; branchiostegal rays 10 to 12 ; 115 to 180 oblique rows of scales crossing the lateral line ; no red dash in cleft under each side of lower jaw evident in life ; rays in dorsal fin 10 to 13 (usually 11 or 12) ; hyoid teeth (those located behind the patch of teeth on tip of the tongue) always absent. Maximum weight about 80 pounds. Rays in anal fin 9 to 11 (usually 10) ; pyloric caeca about 45 ; gill rakers 14 to 21 on first arch ; branch- iostegal rays 10 to 12; 120 to 180 (usually 150 to 160) oblique rows of scales crossing the lateral line ; red dash in cleft under each side of lower jaw usually evident in life ; rays in dorsal fin 8 to 11 (usually 10) ; hyoid teeth usually present but few and scattered. Maximum weight about 12 pounds. Rays in anal fin 15 to 19 ; pyloric caeca 93 to 214 ; gill rakers 20 to 31 on first arch ; branchiostegal rays 13 to 19 ; about 135 to 155 oblique rows of scales crossing the lateral line; characterized by' small black blotches on both lobes of tail. Maximum weight over 100 pounds, but individuals over 50 pounds .a,re rare. Rays in anal fin usually 13 or 14 (rarely 12, 15, 16, or 17) ; pyloric caeca 45 to 83 ; gill rakers 19 to 25 on first arch; branchiostegal rays 11 to 15 (usually 13) ; about 120 to 145 oblique rows of scales 'crossing the lateral line; blackish spots on back as a rule smaller than those in King Salmon, and extending only to upper lobe of tail. Maximum weight about 27 pounds, but individuals over 15 pounds are rare. Rays in anal fin 13 to 17; pyloric caeca 165 to 195; gill rakers 26 to 85 on first arch ; branchiostegal rays 9 to 15 ; about 170 to 240 oblique rows of scales crossing the lateral line ; large and oblong blackish blotches on caudal fin. Maximum weight about 10 pounds. Rays in anal fin 13 to 17 (rarely 12) ; pyloric caeca 135 to 185 ; gill rakers 19 to 26 on first arch ; branch- iostegal rays 10 to 16 (usually 13 to 15) ; about 120 to 153 oblique rows of scales crossing the lateral line ; back and sides with no defined spots. Maximum weight about 30 pounds, but individuals ov€r 15 pounds are uncommon. Rays in anal fin 13 to 17 (usually 14 or 15) ; pyloric caeca 66 to 95 ; gill rakers 30 to 50 on first arch ; branchiostegal rays 11 to 15; about 125 to '145 oblique rows of scales crossing the lateral line. Max- imum weight about 16 pounds, but individuals over 8 pounds are rare. NOTES RARE FISHES TAKEN NEAR LOS ANGELES The following list ol" fislies is made uj) from records of those rare and unusual fislies turned over to or ac(|iiired by the California State Fisheries Laboratorv since the last list published in "Califoi£NIA Fish AND Game," by J)auglierty, Vol. ;}2, No. ;j, pp. 157-158, July, 1940. Lathrypnns dalli (Gilbert). Goby : A specimen approximately one inch in length was taken September 15, 1946, at Emerald Bay, Santa Catalina Island, in about 20 feet of water by T. S. Davis of Ilermosa Beach. Mr. Davis while skin diving brought up a barnacle-encrusted beer bottle with the goby living inside. The fish was too large to be removed from the bottle and only after it had been dead a couple days and shrunk in size was it removed without breaking the bottle. This species attains a length of one and one-quarter inches and has been reported from Santa Catalina Island in waters as deep as 300 feet. In life this goby is a very beautiful fish with a bright coral red body bearing several vertical blue bands which almost meet on the ventral side. Blue streaks and bands also occur on the head and around the eyes. Luvarus imjjerialis (Kafinesque). Louvar : On September 29, 1946, S. E. Edmundson, operator of the mackerel scoop boat "Nahra" brought in the anterior portion of a femal louvar which had been found floating on the surface of the ocean approximately 10 miles southwest of Santa Catalina Island. It had been cut off just behind the insertion of the dorsal fin, was about two feet long and weighed 48 pounds. The mutilation may have been the result of sharks attacking the fish. Several louvars have been taken on the coast from as far north as Monterey but little is known of the life hisitory or activities of this strange and rare visitor to our coast. It has previously been reported in "California Fish and Game" by the following authors : Bolin, Volume 20, Number 3, pp. 282-284, 1 figure, 1940; Croker, Volume 25, Number 3, pp. 252-254, 1939; and Thompson, W. F., Volume 5, pp. 202-203, 1919. Enophrijs taurinus (Gilbert). Cottid : This quite rare fish was found in a load of sardines on the San Pedro seiner ''Clermont" which made the catch on December 20, 1940, halfway between Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands in 30 or 40 fathoms of water. The specimen, approxi- mately four inches in length, had red coloring on the pectoral and pelvic fins which has not been reported in previously described individuals. Verrunculiis polylepis (Steindachner), Trigger Fish : A specimen caught in a trammel net December 23, 1946, just north of the San Cle- mente pier, was turned over to the laboratory by Morris Souder and Emery S. (Casey) Jones of the Bayside Fish Market, Newport. The fish was approximately one foot long, though the species attains a length of two and one-half feet. It is numerous in Lower California waters but only a rare visitor as far north as San Pedro. The trigger mechanism of this species is described by Clothier in "California Fish and Game," Volume 25, Number 3, pp. 233-236, 1940. (191) 192 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME Buvettus pretiosus (Cocco) . Oilfish: One specimen turned over to the laboratory by the skipper and crew of the seiner " Sparton" was caught in a blufin tuna haul near Guadalupe Island, Lower California, in 50 fathoms of water January 28, 1947. The fish was 49 inches in length and weighed 34 pounds. This is apparently the second known record of this species from the eastern Pacific. It has also been recorded from the two sides of the Atlantic, the East Indies, Hawaii, Japan, South Africa, and various South Sea Islands. The other specimen is recorded from our coast by Barnhart and Hubbs in ' ' California Fish and Game, " Volume 30, Number 1, pp. 52-53, 1 illustration, 1944. v" '?*, !C~ .. t '^/^ i-fe.**"^ NCH Figure 5 8. Young Black Sea-bass, Stereolepis gigas. Photo by Haden and Carpenter, San Pedro Stereolepis gigas (Ayres). Black Sea-bass ; Jewfish : A small black sea-bass, approximately three and one-half inches long, was found in a load of Pacific mackerel taken by the seiner "St. Augustine" about seven miles off the town of San Clemente on the night of February 24, 1947. The black sea-bass known to most people is a veritable giant of a more or less dull blackish color. This young specimen was a brick red color with black spots over the body which gave a polka-dot effect. Local fishermen report that they often see young black sea-bass in and around the kelp beds. A decription of the change in color and form which occur with growth in this species is given by Higgins in "California Fish AND Game, ' ' Volume 6, Number 1, pp. 5-6, illustrated, 1920. John E. Fitch, Bureau Marine Fisheries, California Division Fish and Game, March, 1947. IN MEMORIAM JOHN H. DAVIS John II. Davis, probably the oldest of the old-timers of the California Fish and Game Commission, died early in 1947 in San Francisco at the age of 90. For approximately 25 years, spanning the centuries, Mr. Davis served as a deputy. He was a license collector from Crescent City to San Diego and later was on the patrol boats. It is said he named the first "Quinnat" and it is known he was her first skipper. Mr. Davis told many interesting stories of exciting experiences in his w'ork for the commission. One related how he hid on shore, in the midnight darkness, nnder the willows of the Noyo River, to reach out and nab Phil Roselle, an early-day poacher as he came singing in his boat to take in his illegal net. When Roselle, described by Mr. Davis as the "arch-conspirator of the Noyo" went to the county jail to serve his time, the sheriff regretted the end of his sentence, because he turned out to be the best cook the jail ever had ! At another time Mr. Davis stopped a Salvation Army parade on San Francisco's Embarcadero to arrest the bass drummer, whom he recognized as a wanted violator. The band played on without its big drum. With horses and wagon, he hauled hatchery trout in milk cans from the railroad at Merced to plant them in the waters of Yosemite. He directed the planting of black bass in the Russian River. A postmaster in the Napa district tipped him off that he could find out-of-season hunters in a nearby area. Davis went to another area and found that same postmaster violating the game law. Mr. Davis had many friends among the older commercial fishermen. In later years, after retirement, one of his great joys was to visit Fisher- man's Wharf at San Francisco and hobnob with the first-generation crab fishermen, talking Italian and waving his arms, too. He could speak Spanish, Portuguese and seven Italian dialects. A Chinese fisherman testified falsely against Mr. Davis in court. Later, when the latter chugged up in the patrol boat to visit the Oriental's camp at McNear's Point, the conscience-stricken Chinaman hid in a shack during the deputy 's stay. The man wms ostracized by his fellows. John Davis served under four California Governors — James H. Budd, Henry T. Gage, George C. Pardee, and Hiram W. Johnson. On the commission he served under John P. Babcock and Charles A. Vogel- sang, Chief Deputies; and worked with Manuel Cross, Hugh Walters, Walter Welch, and Alonzo Lea, brother of Congressman Lea. For many years he resided at San Pablo, California, where, for a period, he was constable. Family tradition has it his father and mother were the first white couple married in Oakland. He was born at Stege. Mr. Davis retired some 40 years ago and is survived by eight daughters, eight grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren. His wife preceded him in death in 1940. — Samuel Hawkins, San Francisco, March, 1947. (193) 194 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME GEORGE NEALE George Neale, former employee and executive officer of the Division of Fish and Game, passed awav at his home in Sacramento, November 30, 1946. Mr. Neale was born in London, England, October 9, 1857. He came to the United States in 1876 making his home in Sacramento where he engaged in private business. He was naturalized in Sacramento in July, 1880, by Judge Denson of the superior court. Always an ardent hunter and fisherman, he was interested in the protective laws and was made county game warden in Sacramento in January, 1903. A few weeks later, in April, he was given an appoint- ment as warden by the then Chief Deputy, Charles A. Vogelsang. With the appointment of Frank Newbert on the commission in 1911, Neale was placed in charge of the Sacramento office and in March, 1922, was appointed executive officer, resigning in December, 1925. He again entered the service of the division in August, 1928, and later was put in charge of the Bureau of Fish Rescue work, resigning in August, 1934. He is survived by his widow, Ada Roberts Neale, and by several nieces in England. — J. S. Hunter, Chief, Bureau of Game Conservation, California Division of Fish and Game, May, 1947. WALTER R. KRUKOW On April 20, 1947, while on patrol duty on Boulder Creek, 16 miles west of Redding, Fish and Game "Warden Walter R. Krukow was shot and instantly killed by Sanford L. Johnson, a 17-year old high school student who was fishing for trout during the closed season. According to the youth's own statement, the warden warned him to cease fishing and to wait until the first of May, the legal opening date. Johnson then traveled several miles on foot to his residence, procured a rifl^e and ammuniton and returning to Boulder Creek shot Warden Kurkow from ambush to prcA^ent the arrest of his fishing partner for a similar game law violation. The j^outh is in jail at Redding awaiting trial. Walter R. Krukow was born at San Pedro, California, on May 28, 1905, and graduated from Glendale High School. He went into business for himself as a landscape gardener prior to joining the division March 23, 1937, as an assistant warden. He served in Southern California prior to his assignment in Shasta County and was promoted warden March 1, 1944. He leaves a widow, a young son and an infant daughter in Redding, as well as a sister in Southern California. To these innocent victims of a needless tragedy we wish to extend our deepest sympathy. — E. L. Macaulay, Chief, Bureau of Patrol, California Division of Fish and Game, June, 1947. REPORTS FISH CASES January, February, March, 1947 Offense iViimhcr arrcsta Fines imposed Jail sentences (days) Abaloiie: tnkinc from shell below high water, taking to sell commercially, under- sized, ovcrlimit, no license - Angling: using set lines, no license, more than one rod, possession gaff 300 feet stream, illoKal net, within 150 feet dam, closed area, near fish ladder, transfer license, with hand line Bass: undorsi/e, ovcrlimit, more than one rod, night fishing, possession for sale.. Catfish: undersized, ovcrlimit, selling and purchasing, undersized Crappio: Ovcrlimit Claras: undersized, ovcrlimit, without license, in refuge.. Commercial: no license; receivins and selling fish taken closed season; gill net Dist. 11; purse seine Dist. XX; failure to keep trawler log; untagged fish Crabs: undersize, taking on Sunday Lobster: closed .season, undersize, traps, closed district, oversize Pollution _ Salmon: undersize, within 150 feet of dam, snagging, taking in spawning area, shore limit, spe irina, spearing closed area, drift gill net, shooting, gaffing, illegal posses,sion, taking in Dist. XII Sunfish : closed season Trout: untagged, ovcrlimit, set lines, chumming, closed area, closed season, snag- ging, with spear at night Totals.. 85 107 59 2 3 99 12 23 12 6 13 3 44 528 $2,450 00 3,722 .50 1,007 .50 525 00 50 00 2,762 00 2,025 00 1.930 00 215 00 350 00 Sin 00 75 00 1,460 00 $17,382 00 750 491H 52SJ2 GAME CASES January, February, March, 1947 Offense Number arrests Fines imposed JaU sentences (days) Beaver.. 1 8 35 45 4 87 1 17 6 105 14 70 16 31 2 3 2 5 $50 00 200 00 4,105 00 3,121 00 200 00 3,607 50 10 00 770 00 125 00 2,714 00 655 00 4.332 00 435 00 950 00 60 00 75 00 65 00 55 00 Coots: Closed season . . . . Deer: closed season, illegal possession, unmarked, female, spike buck, take in refuge, altering tag, transferring tag, spotlighting, killing fawn, taking forked horn, 22 rifle 500 Deer meat: illegal possession, unstamped 139H Doves: Closed se.ason, ovcrlimit, no license . Ducks: Closed season, ovprliniit, shooting from motor boat, offering for sale, game refuge, with 22 rifle, after hours Grebe Geese: ovcrlimit, with automobile, after legal hours, with shotgun Grev squirrel Hunting: no license, night hunting with spotlight, from motor vehicle, unplugged gun, in refuge, closed season, citizen's license, shooting from motor boat, after legal hour, nonresident with resident license .. . . 3 Non-game birds... 30 Pheasants: hen, closed season, no license, shooting from automobile, before hours, taking with gun holding more than three shells 191 Quail: closed season, ovcrlimit Rabbits: taking at night, closed season, no license, operating snares Shore birds Swans Taking fur bearing mammals without license ... Trapping; no license, nonresident Totals 452 $21,529 50 863.4 (195) 196 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME SEIZURES OF FISH AND GAME January, February, March, 1947 Fish Abalone- 549 Abalone, pounds 1>237J^ Bass 56 Bass, pounds 734 Catfish, pounds 150 Clams 1,327 Crab 180 Crappie 14 Lobster 128 Lobster, pounds 424J-^ Salmon 7 Trout 38 Trout, pounds ,_.. 2,027 Game Coots 21 Deer 11 Deer, pounds... 1,158 Doves 10 Ducks . 107 Geese 58 Non-game birds 9 Pheasants 49 Quail 98 Rabbits 20 Shorcbird': 4 83418 12-17 300 STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION OF FISH AND GAME SAN FRANCISCO. CALIFORNIA Personnel OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATION EMITj J. N. OT r, .TR., ICxoculivc iJirector . S.icianiento and San Francisco William II. Uoslwiclc, Supervisor of Conservation lOducatiori Sairaniento Robert K. Itctcly, Administrative Aid Sacramento BUREAU OF FISH CONSERVATION A. C. TAFT, Cliiof San Francisco EAUL, LI'^ITIUTZ, Supervisor of Fish Hatcheries San P'ranclsco J. William t'uoU. Assistant Supervisor of l-'ish Hatcheries San I'rancisco Kdward Clessen, Foreman, UrooUdaie Hatchery Brookdale Carl FreyscliIaK, Foreman, Central Valleys Hatchery Elk (Jrove SlepluMi Sniedlcy, l^'orenuin, I'lairie Ci eek Hatchery Orick R. C. Lewis, Assistant Suiiervisor of Fish Hatcheries l-'resno Ross McChiud, i>'oi'eman, liasin Creek Hatchery Tuolumne A. N. Culver, Foreman, Kavveah Hatchery Three Rivers Cecil Ray, Foreman, Kern River Hatchery Kernville C. Ij. l'"rame, l''orenian. Kings River Hatchery Fresno L. K. Nixon. Foreman, Yosemite tiatchery Yosemlte G. S. tiunderson, Fish Hatcheryman, Sequoia Hatchery Exeter Terence Potter, Fisli Hatcheryman, Moorehouse Spring Hatchery Camp Nelson Allan Pollitt, Assistant Supervisor of Fish Hatcheries Tahoe City Harold E. Roberts, Foreman. Mt. Tallac Hatchery Camp Richardson William Fiske, Foreman, Feather River Hatchery Clio Harry Cole, Foreman, Yuba River Hatchery Camptonvllle George McCloud, Assistant Supervisor of Fish Hatcheries Mt. Shasta City Preston Bills, Foreman, Mt. Shasta Hatchery Mt. Shasta City James Hinze, Foreman, Fall Creek Hatchery Copco D. A. Clanton. Assistant Supervisor of PMsh Hatcheries Fillmore C. W. Chansler, Foreman, Fillmore Hatchery Fillmore Donald Evins, Foreman, Mojave River Hatchery Victorville Byron Unruh, Fish Hatcheryman, Whittier Hatchery Whittier Leon Talliott, Assistant Supervisor of Fiah Hatcheries Independence William O. White, Foreman, Hot Creek Hatchery Bishop Carleton Rogers, Foreman, Black Rock Ponds Independence M. O. Talbott, Foreman, Mt. Whitney Hatchery Independence Harold Hewitt, Assistant Supervisor of Fish Hatcheries Burney John Marshall, Foreman, Lake Almanor Hatchery Westwood BRIAN CURTIS, Supervising Fisheries Biologist San Francisco Joseph Wales, District Fisheries Biologist Mt. Shasta Harry Hanson, Senior Fisheries Biologist Red Bluff E. W. Murphey, Fish Hatcheryman, Stream Improvement Yreka William A. Dill, District Fisheries Biologist Fresno Scott Soule, Junior Aquatic Biologist Fresno C. K. Fisher, Jr., Junior Aquatic Biologist F'resno Leo Shapovalov, District Fisheries Biologist Stanford University Garth I. Murphy, Junior Aquatic Biologist Lakeport Alex Calhoun, Senior Fisheries Biologist San Francisco Chester Woodhull, Junior Aquatic Biologist Stockton J. C. Eraser, Junior Aquatic Biologist San Francisco H. P. Chandler, Junior Aquatic Biologist San Francisco Elden Vestal, Senior Fisheries Biologist June Lake R. V. Beck, Junior Aquatic Biologist June Lake Willis A. Evans, Senior Fisheries Biologist -- Whittier John Maga, Assistant Sanitary Engineer San Francisco BUREAU OF GAME CONSERVATION J S. HUNTER, Chief San Francisco BEN GLADING, Assistant Chief San Francisco R. E. Curtis, Game Manager in Charge San Francisco R. N. Hart, Assistant Game Manager San FYancisco A. L. Hensley, Assistant Game Manager San Francisco Nathan Rogan, Assistant Game Manager San Francisco L. H. Cloyd, Game Manager Gridley J. B. Cowan, Assistant Game Manager Gridley R. R. Noble, Assistant Game Manas^er Gridley R. M. Wattenbarger, Assistant Game Manager Los Banos J. D. Stokes, Game Manager Alturas G. L. Bolander, Assistant Game Manager Alturas James H. Gilman, Assistant Game Manager Red Bluff Verne F. Fowler, Assistant Game Manager Wendel R. M. Bushey, Sr., Assistant Game Manager Madeline Robert Lassen, Assistant Game Manager Doyle D. M. Selleck, Game Manager King City Fred T. Ross, Assistant Game Manager, Federal Aid Project 26D_Halcyon BUREAU OF GAME CONSERVATION— Continued John Laughlin, Game Manager Riverside C. R. Kniglit, Assistant Game Manager Calipatria R. L. Reedy, Assistant Game Manager Calipatria W. P. Dasmann, Game Range Teclmician San Francisco D. D. IilcLean, Game Biologist San P'rancisco J. E. Chattin, Game Biologist Berkeley D. F. Tillotson, Assistant Game Biologist, Federal Aid Project 25R Berkeley J. F. Ashley, Game Biologist San Francisco H. A. Hjersman, Assistant Game Biologist San Francisco H. Twining, Assistant Game Biologist, Federal Aid Project 22R Chico C. M. Herman, Parasitologist Berkeley J. R. Wallace, Supervisor, Predatory Aninial Control San Francisco G. McNames, Supervising Hunter and Trapper Redding George Seymour, Supervising Hunter and Trapper Sacramento O. R. Shaw, Supervising Hunter and Trapper King City N. J. Jeffries, Supervising Hunter and Trapper Monrovia Carlisle Van Ornum, Supervisor, Game Farms San Francisco Fred Hein, Game Farm Foreman -_ Fresno Eugene D. Piatt, Game Farm Superintendent Yountville George H. Metcalfe, Game Farm Foreman Yountville Val H. Francis, Game Farm Superintendent Los Serranos Richard B. Kramer, Game Farm Foreman Los Serranos BUREAU OF MARINE FISHERIES RICHARD S. CROKER, Chief — San Francisco S. H. DADO, Assistant Chief San Francisco B. R. Saunders, Auditor San Francisco Frances N. Clark, Senior Aquatic Biologist Terminal Island Donald H. Fry, Jr., Senior Aquatic Biologist Modesto W. L. Scofield, Senior Aquatic Biologist Terminal Island John F. Janssen, Jr., Associate Aquatic Biologist Terminal Island J. B. Phillips, Associate Aquatic Biologist Pacific Grove "William E. Ripley, Associate Aquatic Biologist Stanford University J. A. Aplin, Assistant Aquatic Biologist .Stanford Unis-ersity Paul Bonnot, Assistant Aquatic Biologist Stanford University Charles R. Clothier, Assistant Aquatic Biologist Terminal Island H. C. Godsil, Assistant Aquatic Biologist Terminal Island Howard H. McCully, Assistant Aquatic Biologist Stanford University Phil M. Roedel, Assistant Aquatic Biologist Terminal Island John G. Carlisle, Jr., Junior Aquatic Biologist Pacific Grove Robert D. Collyer, Junior Aquatic Biologist Terminal Island Keith W. Cox, Junior Aquatic Biologist Pacific Grove Anita E. Daugherty, Junior Aquatic Biologist Terminal Island John E. Fitch, Junior Aquatic Biologist Terminal Island Richard J. Hallock, Junior Aquatic Biologist Sacramento Edwin K. Holmberg, Junior Aquatic Biologist Stanford University Eldon P. Hughes, Junior Aquatic Biologist Berkeley Robert C. Wilson, Junior Aquatic Biologist Terminal Island Parke H. Young, Junior Aquatic Biologist Terminal Island Geraldine Conner, Fisheries Statistician Terminal Island Lars J. Weseth, Captain, M. V. "N. B. SCOFIELD" Terminal Island Robert Mills, Engineer, M. V. "N. B. SCOFIELD"___Terminal Island Peder Stockland, Boatswain, M. V. "N. B. SCOFIELD" Terminal Island Harry A. Peters, Radioman, M. V. "N. B. SCOFIELD" Terminal Island BUREAU OF LICENSES H. R. DUNBAR, Chief -- Sacramento C. LAWRENCE O'LEARY, Assistant Chief Sacramento Emil Dorig, Senior Account Clerk, Licenses San Francisco Enid L. Mullen, Intermediate Account Clerk, Licenses Redding Ren E. Nickerson, Supervising Account Clerk Grade 1, Licenses Los Angeles ACCOUNTS AND DISBURSEMENTS D. H. BLOOD, Deputy Director and Comptroller Sacramento E. ARONSTEIN, Accounting Officer Sacramento BUREAU OF PATROL E. L. MACAULAY, Chief of Patrol__-- San Francisco H. C. JACKSON, Assistant Chief of Patrol (Training Officer) Los Angeles A. L. Reese, Warden-Pilot Sacramento North Coast District WILLIAM J. HARP, Assistant Chief San Francisco LESLIE E. LAHR, Captain, Humboldt and Del Norte Counties Eureka Otis Wright, Warden, Del Norte County -- Crescent City Jack Finigan, Warden, Humboldt County Areata Larry Werder, \Varden, Humboldt County Eureka William F. Kaliher, Warden, Humboldt County -- I^^ortuna Robert Perkins, Warden, Humboldt County Garberville BUREAU OF PATROL— North Coast District— Continued SCOTT FKLAND, Caritiiln, Mondocino and Lake Counties- "*rt Jack Sawyer, Warden, I^ake County.. " ]Ji)U^;l!is Dowcll, Wuriicn, hake <,'nunty__ Ovid Jlolmos, Warden, Mendocino Ooimty Flovd i^(i<;tH, Warden, Mendocino County Oarri.' lleryford. Warden, Mendoeino County J. G. McKorlie, Warden, Mendoc^liio (bounty i LEK C. SIIIOA, Cnptain, Sonoma, Marin and Napa Counties •' T;,iy Jiruor, Warden, Sonoma (bounty - — -— — - lliiloy CirovcH, Warden, Sonoma County -, . BerL Laws, Warden, Sonoma County R. J. Yates, Warden, Marin County M. P. Joy, Warden, Napa County . ; Karl Lund, Warden, Napa (bounty Nai>a T. W. SCHILLING, Captain, San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties San Fr: C. R. Peek, Warden, San Mateo County Burl Chas. KaniR, Warden, San Francisco County San Vrnw i>.- •> J. W. Uarbuck, Warden, Contra Costa County Antloch James Ruetffen, Warden, Alameda County Martinez RALPH CLASSIC, Captain, Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz and Santa Clara Counties Monterey Fred H. Post, Warden, Monterey County Salinas Owen Mello, Warden, Monterey County Monterey Warren Smith, Warden, Monterey County Klnp City J. P. Vissiere, Warden, San Benito County HolUster C. E. Holladay, Warden, Santa Clara County San Jose R. A. Tinnin, Warden, Santa Clara County Morgan Hill P. J. McDermott, Warden, Santa Cruz County Santa Cruz Northeast District A. A. JORDAN, Assistant Chief Redding William Royston, Warden, Siskiyou County Tulelake Louis Olive, Warden, Siskiyou County Yreka Delmor Baxter, Warden, Modoc County Nubieber Don Davison, Warden, Modoc County Alturas Bert Mann, Warden, Shasta County Redding Don Chipman, Warden, Siskiyou County Dunsmulr Harold Erwick, Warden, Tehama County Corning R. W. Anderson, Warden, Tehama County Red Bluff Arthur Barsuglia, Warden, Siskiyou County Fort Jones C. L. Gourley, Warden, Trinity County Weaverville W. D. Hoskins, Warden, Shasta County McArthur North Valley District C. S. BAUDER, Assistant Chief Sacramento JOSEPH H SANDERS, Captain Sacramento Albert Sears, Warden, El Dorado County Placervllle William Hoppe, Warden, San Joaquin County --Lodi Charles Sibeck, Warden, Sacramento County Sacramento Eugene Durney, Warden, Sacramento County Sacramento C. O. Pisher, Warden, Yolo County Woodland R. E. Tutt, Warden, Solano County Dixon Ed. Hughes, Warden, Sacramento County Sacramento H. S. Vary, Warden, Sacramento County Sacramento W. B. Bradford, Warden, San Joaquin County Stockton A. H. WILLARD, Captain Rocklin Nelson Poole, Warden, Placer County Auburn William LaMarr, Warden, Placer County Tahoe City Earl Hiscox, Warden, Nevada County Nevada City Taylor London, Warden, Colusa County Colusa Hal Waggoner, Warden, Sutter County Sutter City Edward Dennett, Warden, Yuba County Wheatland E. O. WRAITH, Captain Chico L. E. Mercer, Warden, Butte County Chico Chester Ramsey, Warden, Butte County Oroville Rudolph Gerhardt, Warden, Butte County Gridley L. M. Booth, Warden, Lassen County — Susanville Paul Kehrer, Warden, Plumas County Greenville George Shockley, Warden, Plumas County Portola James Hiller, Warden, Glenn County — Willows T. O. Borneman, Jr., Warden, Lassen County Chester South Valley District S. R. GILLOON, Captain Fresno R. J. Little, Warden, Amador County Pine Grove L. R. Garrett, Warden, Calaveras County Murphys C. L. Brown, Warden, Fresno County Coalinga R. J. O'Brien, Warden, Fresno County Clovis Gilbert T. Davis, Warden, Fresno County Reedley Lester Arnold, Warden, Kern County Bakersfield Donald Hall, Warden, Kern County Kernville Ray Ellis, Warden, Kings County — Hanford H. E. Black, Warden, Madera County Madera Hilton Bergstrom, Warden, Merced County Los Banos 'm BUREAU OF PATROL— South Valley District — Continued George Magladry, Warden, Stanislaus County Modesto W I. Long, Warden, Tulare County ^f;--^^ •,, Hoswell C. Welch, Warden, Tulare County Porterville F. P. Johnston, "\Varden, Tuolumne County ^^°'^°'^^ R. Switzer, Warden, Merced County — Merced Southern District EARL MACKLIN, Assistant Chief Los Angeles WALTER SHANNON, Captain Los Angeles L R. Metzgar, Warden, Los Angeles County L^s Angeles A. F. Stager, Warden, Los Angeles County Pomona Fred Albrecht, Warden, Los Angeles County Los Angeles Walter F. Emerick, Warden, Los Angeles County Palmdale Theodore Jolley, Warden, Los Angeles County ^^__Norwall£ C. L. Towers, T^^arden, Los Angeles County Los Angeles Otto Rowland, Warden, San Bernardino County __Victorville W C. Malone, Warden, San Bernardino County San Bernardino Erol Greenleaf, Warden, San Bernardino County Big Bear Lake Leo Rossier, Warden, San Bernardino County -^^^f?^ George Werden, Jr., Warden, Riverside County Blyme W. C. Blewett, Warden, Riverside County . -Indio Cliff Donham, Warden, Riverside County Idyllwiid William H. Jolley, Warden, Riverside County K,Isinore R. L. Eraser, Warden, Riverside County .Banning WILLARD GREBNWALD, Captain La Mesa James Reynolds, Warden, Imperial County Brawley Henry Shebley, Warden, San Diego County Escondido Henry Ocker, Warden, San Diego County f — ^iv^^"^ Frank Bartol, Warden, San Diego County -— .L-^^ Mesa F. W. HECKER, Captain San Luis Obispo Orben Philbrick, Warden, San Luis Obispo County Paso ivopies Vincent Dona, Warden, San Luis Obispo County San Luis Obispo R. E. Bedwell, Warden. Santa Barbara County Santa Barbara H. L. Lantis, Warden, Santa Barbara County Santa Maria Leslie F. Edgerton, Warden, "Ventura County FiUrnore John Spicer, Warden, Ventura County -Ojai HOWARD SHEBLEY, Captain Independence A. F. Crocker, Warden, Inyo County ^tv?,^?^ j^® Henry J. Bartol, Warden, Inyo County Little Lake James Loundigan, Warden, Inyo County VT"^ °? W. S. Talbott, Warden, Mono County Bridgeport Robert Stedman, Warden, Mono County__ Leevmmg MARINE PATROL L. F. CHAPPELL, Assistant Chief of Patrol San Francisco RALPH CLASSIC, Captain Monterey Ellis Berry, Warden — Monterey E. R. Hyde, Warden ^^rMonterey J. Ross Cox, Warden WatsonviUe LESLIE E. LAHR, Captain Eureka Walter Grey, Warden •- ^--Eureka T. W. SCHILLING, Captain --San Francisco Ralph Dale, Captain Patrol Boat Greenbrae, San Rafael Kenneth Hooker, Warden r°J^^2 Bolton Hall, Warden _ Antioch Ralph Miller, Warden San Francisco G. R. Smalley, Warden Richmond Glenn Whitesell, Warden —Stockton TATE MILLER, Captain Terminal Island N. C. Kunkle, Warden Newport Beach Carmi Savage, Warden Santa Monica R. C. Schoen, Warden Terminal Island Niles J. Millen, "Warden Terminal Island Donald Glass, Warden —Terminal Island John Barry, Warden Terminal Island Will Payne, Warden Terminal Island Robert Kaneen, Warden Terminal Island Jacob Meyer, Warden ^^Newport Thomas J. Smith, Warden San Diego Frank Felton, Warden San Diego Lester Golden, Warden Arroyo Grande MARINE PATROL BOATS Cruiser Bonita Catalina Warden Millen Cruiser Yelloiotall -San Pedro Warden Glass Cruiser Broadbill Newport Warden Meyers Cruiser Grunion Santa Monica Warden Savage Crui.ser Perch San Rafael Captain Dale Cruiser RainJ)ow III Antioch Warden Hall Cruiser Tyee Stockton Warden Whitesell Cruiser Bass Lake Millerton Captain Gilloon Cruiser Shasta Redding —Warden Mann Launch Minnow Clear Lake Warden Sawyer