CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 



51 



Fig. 33. Shore of Salton Sea showing numerous ducks which have died from a peculiar 

 disease. Each of the black spots in the photograph represents a dead duck. Photograph 

 by J. K. Heath. 



County, Nevada. They were caught in 

 Walker Lake with a net, during the 

 molting season, and were placed inside a 

 wire enclosure at my place near Alva- 

 rado. Alameda County, California, along 

 with some black swans. The swans im- 

 mediately attacked the geese, killed one 

 of them and injured another so that it 

 died soon afterwards. Of the four geese 

 that were left, one was a female and the 

 other three males. About a year ago 

 last August the female escaped by rising 

 on a high wind, but returned to me two 

 or three months later, joining the other 

 three geese. 



The enclosure in which they are kept 

 has a little artificial lake about 150 feet 

 in diameter, with an island in the center 

 about fifteen feet in diameter. Last 

 Spring (1917) my caretaker observed the 

 female trying to make a nest on this 

 little island. He accordingly gathered 

 some grass, weeds, etc., and placed them 

 on the island, with the result that the 

 goose laid six eggs, five of which hatched, 

 and four of the goslings are now fully 

 grown, making eight geese altogether. 



This appears to be the first instance of 

 wild Canada geese being bred at lower 

 elevations. — F. M. Smith. 



WHITE DEER IN TRINITY COUNTY. 



Hardly a season passes that a white or 

 cream-colored deer is not reported as 



having been seen in Trinity County. 

 Nor are these reports unfounded, for 

 there are many well authenticated in- 

 stances and several skins are in exist- 

 ence. The Indians of the Hoopa Reser- 

 vation have long utilized white deer 

 skins in one of their religious ceremon- 

 ies and at least one skin procured in late 

 years has become the property of an 

 Indian on the reservation. I saw a 

 white deer many years ago on the upper 

 Hayfork River. This animal was later 

 shot by the Shock Brothers of Hayfork, 

 who report that they have killed two 

 other white deer. Albinos have been 

 seen by eight different people whose 

 names I have in my possession. A few 

 years ago George Grieg of Junction City 

 killed a white spiked buck. He was 

 arrested, fined twenty-five dollars and the 

 confiscated skin was sent to the Fish and 

 Game Commission. The most recent 

 report of a white deer is of one seen by 

 Henry Morris and Charles Knowles in 

 May, 1917, on Redding Creek, near 

 Junction City. 



In my opinion white deer should be 

 protected by law, because of their rarity 

 and unusual interest. Owing to the 

 greater value of the skin, there is in- 

 creased incentive to kill such animals, 

 and consequently danger of exterminat- 

 ing them. — G. O. Laws. 



