A Sportsman 31 



tions, on lands which they do not possess. Neither 

 the State nor the General Government has ever given 

 them any reservation or aid. Some work and others 

 beg, but are unable to compete with the white people 

 in the economic struggle for life. Exertions are now 

 being made for them by the Northern California 

 Indian Association, in which I am interested, from 

 which it is expected that the remaining Indians in 

 the State will have their conditions improved. 



AFTER returning to San Francisco from the moun- 

 tains, I found myself still indisposed toward the 

 confining life of business, and besides I was more in- 

 dependently situated than before, having funds to 

 my credit. 



Australia was attracting attention, and several 

 newly-made friends of mine were engaging passage 

 in a ship about to sail for Melbourne, and I se- 

 riously thought of going with them, and selected 

 a berth in the ship, but delayed in taking passage, and 

 finally gave it up. I was largely influenced in this 

 decision from the appearance of the ship, as it was 

 a bad-smelling, unattractive old tub which gave me 

 an unfavorable opinion of its capacity. Fortunate 

 for me that I gave it up, for the ship was never heard 

 of again after sailing, and it is not likely to be now, 

 after the lapse of half a century. 



I continued to frequent the markets and shipping. 

 One day I saw on a freshly arrived ship from China 

 a lot of canary birds, several hundred in a large 

 cage on the cabin deck, which interested me, and 

 which I found belonged to the captain of the ship, 



