443 



and bark peelings, where, in the impenetrable and 

 tangled recesses, it is comparatively safe from pursuit: 

 and it is also able to prey upon many varieties of ani 

 mals which ha^e a permanent or temporary residence 

 in such unfrequented wilds. 



There are large tracts of land in the mountainous 

 districts of Pennsylvania, from which the marketable 

 forest trees have long since been cut. These places. 

 called slashings and bark peelings, in many instances 

 are thickly strewn with decaying logs, fallen trees thai 

 were cut down for the bark, brush piles, tree tops. 

 Such situations so overgrow-n with bushes, young trees, 

 briars, and frequently large patches of buck laurel 

 (rhodcdendrc.n) as to be almost impassable unless one 

 selects the old log roadways which traverse extensive 

 areas. In these places Rabbits and other quadrupeds, 

 Pheasants and many different kinds of small birds tind 

 an excellent cover. 



WIDD CATS INCREASING IN SOME PLACES. 



Through my own personal observations in the field 

 and also from the statements of thoroughly trust- 

 worthy hunters, trappers and lumbermen I am of the 

 opinion tJiat this species has been increasing during the 

 last four or five years in several of our counties, 

 namely, Elk, Clearfield, Forest, Cameron, Centime and 

 McKean, where large districts have been denuded of 

 their forest trees. 



At the last session (1897) of the Legislature when the 

 bounty bill was under discussion both in committee 

 and before the House of Representatives, it was clearly 

 shown that Wildcats were not only a cause of consid- 

 eiable loss annually to poultry raisers, but that they 

 also killed many deer (both adults and fawns), great 



