CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 155 
ber of residents of this locality—A. G. 
BARRETT. : 
DESTRUCTION OF GAME BY PREDA. 
TORY ANIMALS. 
Mountain lions are getting very numer- 
ous in District 2-21, the southern edge of 
which borders on the Yosemite National 
Park, which forms an ideal breeding 
ground for them, since no hunting or 
trapping is allowed, and dogs are pro- 
hibited as well. Ranger Hlliott states 
that he had noted several instances where 
deer have been killed by these animals. 
Gordon McGrue, a trapper who winters 
in the high country, reports finding the 
carcasses of five deer which were killed 
by one lion. He has attempted to trap 
or poison the lion, but so far has been 
unsuccessful. Ranger Fowler also reports 
that he found four careasses of deer killed 
by lions. The cases mentioned, which 
were reported by only three men, would 
show that lions are about the most serious 
problem to contend with when the whole 
forest is considered. We know that four 
were killed in District 3 and four in 
District 2 within the last year, although 
it is quite probable that several more 
were caught during this time.—HRNESTT 
BACH. 
BEARS NUMEROUS IN SHASTA 
NATIONAL FOREST. 
About thirty-five bears were killed in 
the country between the McCloud River 
and Kosh Creek in the Shasta National 
Forest during 1916. Thirty coyotes and 
ten lions are also reported as being killed 
in this section during December of the 
same year.—W. M. GRACEY. 
THE FISHER IN THE TRINITY 
NATIONAL FOREST. 
Fisher usually inhabit the higher, 
heavily timbered slopes and are seldom 
found at lower elevations except during 
the winter months when the country is 
covered with snow. It is thought that 
their food consists chiefly of field mice, 
gophers, tree squirrels and other small 
bird and animal life. On New River a 
settler is attempting to raise fisher in 
captivity, but so far has had only indif- 
ferent success. It is estimated that 
twenty to twenty-five fisher are taken 
each year on the Trinity National For- 
est, although the species is becoming 
more rare.—F. V. JOTTER. 
WILD LIFE IN RELATION TO AGRICULTURE. 
MOUNTAIN RATS INJURE YOUNG 
WLW ZISSF 
Forest Examiner Munns of the United 
States Forest Service has made an inter- 
esting study of the damage done by pack 
rats to young pine growth on the Angeles 
Forest. In one locality where the rats 
were numerous it was discovered that 43 
per cent of the young trees have been 
severely injured or killed by these animals. 
The rats seem to work chiefly during the 
late summer and fall and usually more in 
a dry season than in a wet one. Mr. 
Munns concludes from this that the rats, 
which often have no access to water, tear 
off the tender bark in search of moisture. 
—Weekly Bulletin of Forest Service, Dec. 
23, 1916. 
IT PAYS TO DESTROY GROUND 
SQUIRRELS. 
A word in regard to the economy of 
the ground squirrel eradication is at the 
present peculiarly appropriate, at a time 
when such stress is being laid on the con- 
servation of the country’s agricultural 
resources. During the past year it was 
estimated that squirrels on Union Island, 
in San Joaquin County, caused a damage 
to crops amounting to $65,000. An ex- 
penditure of $10,000 would practically 
completely free this land of squirrels and 
$1,000 a year thereafter would insure 
continued freedom. Surely it is more 
important to eradicate such a damaging 
pest from land now under cultivation than 
to cultivate even very large tracts of now 
uncultivated lands.—Cal. State Bd. of 
Health Month. Bull. 12, p. 321. 
BURLINGAME 
PUBLIC 
5a. 
