98 



CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 



BIRD PRESERVES IN RUSSIA. 

 Although birds receive little legal pro- 

 tection in Russia, there have been estab- 

 lished a few sanctuaries. One of these 

 has been established in Caucasia for the 

 protection of the francolin and several 

 for zibelines have been created in Siberia 

 by the Russian Department of Agricul- 

 ture, the largest of these comprising an 

 area of 50 by 45 miles, or 2,250 square 

 miles. The protection of bii'ds in the 

 parks of Kharkow is planned by a newly 

 formed "Commission for the Protection 

 of Birds" of that town.- — Current Items 

 of Interest. June 25. 1917. 



GOULD LEAGUE OR BIRD LOVERS IN 

 AUSTRALIA. 

 The Gould League of Bird Lovers, the 

 bird-protection organization of Australia, 

 continues to grow, having a membership 

 of 60,000 (mostly school children) in 

 Victoria alone. It is taking up the plan 

 of supplying state school grounds, parks, 

 and public gardens with nesting boxes, 

 food-tables, and bathing pools for the 

 birds. — Current Items of Interest, June 

 25, 1917. 



ARKANSAS REFORMS. 



In the recent game bill enacted by the 

 Arkansas legislature, all seines and nets 

 are eliminated from use by market fisher- 

 men except stationed hoop nets with lim- 



ited wings, the meshes of which must not 

 be less than three inches square. The 

 seasons on migratory birds were made to 

 conform with the federal regulations, so 

 there is to be no more spring shooting in 

 Arkansas. Only rabbits and .s(iuirrels 

 may be sold. It is illegal to sell other 

 game in the state or to ship it out to a 

 market. Market hunting is dead in 

 Arkansas. Bag limits in the state are 

 twenty-five ducks and fifteen quail in a 

 day. two deer, four turkeys and one bear 

 in a s:>ason. — Wild Life, September, 1917. 



LOUISIANA OPPOSES SUSPENSION 



OF GAME LAWS. 

 Conservationists have had to tight the 

 move to suspend all laws protecting game 

 birds "as a war measure." Commissions 

 Pratt of New York was the first one to 

 set right misguided enthusiasts on the 

 subject. Commissioner Alexander of ±jim- 

 isiana has also opposed any move to 

 allow a greater amount of hunting. He 

 shows that the proposed action would 

 undo the work of years and would not 

 lower the price of meat a single cent. 

 The point is also made that Louisiana is 

 host to almost 75 per cent of the migra- 

 tory waterfowl during the winter season 

 and hence there is thrust upon her an 

 obligation of guardianship which can not 

 be ignored. 



LIFE HISTORY NOTES. 



COYOTE KILLS QUAIL. 

 During the early part of October, 1917, 

 Deputy T. K. Duncan and myself were 

 going down Marsh Ci'eek, in Contra Costa 

 County. Near the oil pumping station, 

 just at break of day, we flushed some 

 quail from a creek bottom. These birds 

 fiew across the road as if greatly fright- 

 ened. In a moment a large coyote ap- 

 peared, but a few feet from us, carrying 

 in his mouth a valley quail. Evidently 

 the coyote is an enemy of quail, as well as 

 an enemy of other game. — M. S. Clark. 



HUNGARIAN PARTRIDGES SEEN IN 

 INYO COUNTY IN 1913. 



In July, 1913, I saw about a dozen 

 Hungarian partridges on the Walter's 

 ranch, near Independence, Inyo County, 



evidently part of the birds planted in the 

 vicinity. The following spring two old 

 ones were seen, but since that time the 

 birds have absolutely disappeared. — J. J. 



SliXGLAU. 



"VARMINT" DOGS CLEAN OUT 

 BOBCATS. 



Last winter, with the use of "varmint" 

 dogs "Tennessee Coon Hounds," we treed 

 and shot out twenty wildcats, and all of 

 these up to the time of spring lambing 

 had deer meat in their stomachs, and as 

 lambing came on some had lambs' meat 

 and wool in their intestines. This winter 

 we have caught five already and all full of 

 venison but one, and this one had a fill 

 of rats and mice. It seems only just and 

 fair to all concerned that a bounty, say 



