NON-NATIVE GAME BIEDS 31 



Tlu' ("oniitry ("luh of Marin County is known to have introduced 

 "English" Pheasants prior to 1889, but the birds soon disappeared. 

 W. E. Gerber, at one time a Fish and Game Commissioner, in 1904 

 began to propagate pheasants of several species on his country place, 

 the Del Paso Ranch, near Sacramento. Ring-necked Pheasants were 

 imported from China and Oregon and placed in charge of a game- 

 keeper. Hundreds were reared and most of them liberated on the 

 ranch, but all subsequently disappeared. 



The following statement by Mrs. Denny, wife of Judge 0. N. Denny 

 who was instrumental in inti'oducing the Ring-necked Pheasant into 

 Oregon, indicates that an early semi-official effort was made to obtain 

 birds from China. 



Before returning to the United States, my husband communicated with Mr. 

 Redding [one of the commissioners] of San Francisco, asking him if he would 

 like to have a shipment of game birds sent to California. Mr. Redding was 

 very enthusiastic and made all arrangements to take care of them on their 

 arrival. He arranged with the Spring Valley Water Company of California, 

 who were also in sympathy with the movement, and who arranged to have 

 the birds turned out upon their grounds. They sowed buckwheat seed in differ- 

 ent places and promised that every facility for the feeding and comfort of the 

 birds would be attended to. Between eighty and ninety birds were shipped, 

 extreme care being taken so that they would reach San Francisco in good 

 condition. The ship arrived at the wharf as the funeral procession of Mr. 

 Redding was taking place. He had died suddenly and no arrangements had been 

 made to receive the birds. In fact, no one knew anything about it. The birds, 

 of course, had to be taken from the boat, and, no one seeming to know any- 

 thing about them, the sailors finally gave them away along the waterfront and 

 some of them were sold to the city markets. California never knew of my 

 husband 's splendid gift, and the state received no benefit from it (Simpson, 

 1914, pp. 17-18). 



The first consistent public effort was begun on March 16, 1889, 

 when an appropriation of $2000 was made by the Legislature to pur- 

 chase foreign game birds for planting within the state and for pro- 

 tecting birds so planted. W. H. Shebley was sent to Oregon to procure 

 Ring-necked Pheasants and obtained from farmers and others who 

 were breeding the birds about 140 at ten dollars a pair. The pheasants 

 w^ere liberated in Monterey, Sacramento, Marin, and Nevada counties, 

 and in some localities in the San Joaquin Valley. This constituted the 

 first plant made by the California Fish Commission. 



Further distribution of Ring-necked Pheasants by the Fish Com- 

 mission took place in the spring of 1894, when sixty-seven of these 

 birds were obtained and distributed in various counties of the state 

 where it was thought they would thrive. The pheasants were placed 

 in charge of citizens who had met the commission's requirements and 

 built suitable aviaries. It was understood that all the birds produced 



