90 



CALIFOENIA FISH AND GAME. 



SEA OTTERS NEAR CATALINA 

 ISLAND. 



On March 18, 1916, 31 sea otters, two 

 being young ones, were seen to the south 

 of Catalina Island. Although one has 

 occasionally been seen in this locality be- 

 fore, this was the largest number, to my 

 knowledge, counted at one time. — Geo. 



FaRNS WORTH. 



THE LEOPARD FROG IN CALIFORNIA. 



Mr. George Neale has recently called to 

 our attention the fact that the leopard 

 frog (Rana pipiens) is now to be found 

 commonly at Lake Tahoe. The attempt 

 of Mr. Neale to obtain exact information 

 as to the introduction of this frog into the 

 state has not been productive of detailed 

 information, but evidence that it was in- 

 troduced is at hand. Mr. George T. Mills 

 of the Nevada Fish and Game Commission 

 reports that the leopard frog is found com- 

 monly at Washoe Lake, a few miles south 

 of Reno, Nevada, but that no one appears 



to know whether or not they were intro- 

 duced here. A restaurant man is said to 

 have introduced the leopard frog into the 

 Carson Valley reservoir, near Reno, where 

 it is now very common. According to 

 Lawrence and Comstock of the New 

 Brockway Hotel and Hot Springs, Brock- 

 way, California, this introduction took 

 place about eight years ago. A short time 

 after these frogs were planted the reser- 

 voir broke and Lawrence and Comstock 

 secured one hundred dozen, which were 

 planted at Tallac. Here they have in- 

 ci'eased rapidly in spite of the cold winter 

 weather. 



The regular occurrence of this frog in 

 the markets of San Francisco and the 

 constant attempts to introduce it into 

 other suitable localities in this state make 

 it important that all information as to in- 

 troductions of this kind be recorded so that 

 a history of attempts at introduction in 

 this state will be available.— H. C. 

 Bryant. 



UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE COOPERATION. 



L. H. Whiteman, Editor. 



GAME REFUGE PLAN SUCCESSFUL 

 IN NEW MEXICO. 



The proposed game refuge plan is ap- 

 proved in New Mexico. A report given 

 out by the Forest Service there confirms 

 the theory that deer will quickly recog- 

 nize and take advantage of areas pro- 

 tected against hunters. According to the 

 report made to the district forester at 

 Albuquerque, M. L. Cadwallader, owner 

 of a large pasture in one of the national 

 forests, forbade it to hunters. The deer 

 at once flocked to the pasture, and, it is 

 said by the local forest ranger, now to 

 contain more deer than all the rest of the 

 district. In commenting upon this, the 

 district forester said in part : 



"The instance is said to be valuable 

 in that it confirms the theory of the game 

 refuge now before congress, which author- 

 izes the establishment of a system of 

 protected areas throughout the national 

 forests of the entire West. The theory 

 of the plan is that game will find ref- 

 uge in the protected areas, where it will 

 increase and overflow into the surrounding 

 country, thereby improving the hunting 

 outside. The refuges will also afford a 

 means for preventing the extermination 



of rare species like mountain sheep and 

 antelope, and it is claimed will relieve 

 the present shortage of buck deer. 



■■Tlu> national game refuse bill, based 

 on what is known as the Hornady plan, 

 failed of passage at the last session of 

 congress, in spite of widespread popular 

 support. It is said that every game 

 protective association and almost every 

 chamber of commerce and stockmen's 

 association in New Mexico heartily en- 

 doi'sed it. Sportsmen and forest officers 

 are hoping that it will be enacted into 

 law by the present congress so that the 

 work of establishing a system of game 

 refuges can go forward." 



THE AUTOMOBILE A FACTOR IN 



GAME DECREASE IN EL DORADO 



NATIONAL FOREST. 



The exceptionally fine recreational 

 advantages to be had in the Sierra 

 Nevada Mountains within the El Dorado 

 National Forest draw many thousands of 

 tourists, campers and sportsmen to the 

 streams, lakes and favored hunting areas 

 during the hunting and fishing season. 

 The automobile has supplied a long felt 

 want of rapid transportation for sports- 

 men and has resulted in an increased 



