088 



above given, or i:util 1893. After 1893 bounties were 

 not paid in McKean oo-unty for any animals until 

 1897, when Judge A. G. Olmsted ruled 'That a bounty of 

 |2.00 be paid on each Wildcat." Wildcats and Foxes 

 are numerous in this county and they do much damage 

 to game and small wild birds. During first six months 

 of 188G McKean county paid for 17 Wildcats; 137 

 Foxes; 115 Minks; 120 Hawks; 81 Owls, and 22 Wea- 

 sels. 



MERCER COUNTY. 



No bounty records have been received from Mercer, 

 which, in the first few months of the act of 1885, was 

 one of the- banner counties in paying premiums, as indi- 

 cated by an outlay of |2,319.70. This is one of the 

 districts in Pennsylvania where the clover-loving and 

 burrowing Woodchuck gives the farmers so much trou- 

 ble, and at nearly every session of the Legislature the 

 representatives from this county make an effort to have 

 a bounty placed on this troublesome animal. A letter 

 received from Mercer county commissioners in June, 

 1886, contains this information: 



"Our people did not become apprised of the passage of the 

 act to which you refer until some time after its approval, and 

 as a result we did not have any certificates presented until 

 after the first of December, 1885. Since that time we have paid 

 nut $1,300, and of this amount fully $1,000 has been for Hawks 

 and Owls; mostly Owls. Have not paid for more than ten or 

 13 Foxes." 



MIFFLIN COUNTY. 



No bounty records received from this county. In the 

 first eight months that act of 1885 became generally 

 known, Mifflin paid 1357.60 in bounties. This is a num- 



