62 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME 



Iircdalor.v jtiiiiuiils llial arc I'diiiiil cIscwIktc, and in Ixitli cases provide 

 all details. 



C At ail seasons, workers should lie on the aleri lo nole esiieciai <'ondilions 

 (such as deep snow, storm, extrenie cold, or heat, etc.) under which predatory 

 animals become particularly or more than ordinarily harmful to deer. It must be 

 • ■mpliasized here that we have little exact information relative ro the effect of 

 predatory animals upon deer. We wish to particularly stress this phase of the work 

 and the need for care in executing it. xVIl information must be positive or it is 

 worthless ; if there is a doubt in a case, express degree of same in your report ; if 

 the degree of doubt is large, better state "cause unknown" than to att('ni])t to 

 ascertain it from too scanty evidence. 



L). Htomachs of all predators shot or trapped should be labeled as lo date, 

 locality and condition.s under which same are secured and sent into the ottice for 

 examination. However, only in extreme cases where the death of numbers of deer 

 would result, should predators be removed from the Work Areas, because if they are, 

 i( will defeat the purpose of this study, which is to loam what happens to our deer 

 under natural conditions. 



IV. Disease, parasites, poisons. 



A. In the case of live deer that arc visibly diseased, same should be studied 

 as closely as possible for symptoms which should be recorded, but only in the case 

 of badly diseased or incapacitated animals should they be killed. All deer carcasses 

 found, whether or not on Work Areas, if fresh enough to permit of observation 

 should be carefully examined for the following diseases, symptoms of which are 

 provided herewith. Each case should be reported in detail with locality in inonlbly 

 report. 



1. Bacillus necrophorus, or, "calf-diphtheria." Symptoms already 

 known to most game wardens consist of highly inflamed, often nuicous 

 tilled throat or gullet, mouth, nasal passages or other head areas. The 

 best way to inspect a specimen for this disease is to slit the mouth back 

 from the rear corner of the lips to the neck, open the mouth wide and 

 examine it, especially in back of the tongue and the throat. If these 

 areas or parts of them are inflammed, show a mucous discharge oi- are 

 greenish-white in color, it is fairly safe to assume that the aninuil had 

 "deer disease," as this malady is locally termed. When such diseased 

 heads are found they should* be sent in for examination. 



2. Liver fluke. Remove the liver. If it has a blotchy, speckled 

 appearance with whitish blotches or mottlings on its surface, then the 

 animal most probably suffered from this disease, and its liver should be 

 sent into the office for confirmation. Sometimes the fluke can be found 

 as a thin whitish or reddish leaflike structure. If the examination shows 

 a noi-mal, healthy colored liver, that has one or more watery welts about 

 the size of a dime on its surface, the pi'esence of these "cysts" do not 

 indicate liver fiuke, but these are the larval stages of the dog tapewonn. 

 This condition is very common among our deer, but is apparently liarni- 

 less to them except in rare cases of extreme infesbition. However, record 

 should be made of all deer livers found to be so affected. 



3. Lung worm. Cut the lung open. If it is infested with lung 

 worms, these parasites will be seen as coiled whitish or gray strings on 

 close examination. 



4. Pink-eye. Pussy, mucous discharging and inflamed eye or eyes 

 are good indicators for this disease. In such cases, cut ofl' and send in 

 for examination animal's entire head. 



5. Bot larvae. The larvae of the hot fly are frc<iuciitly found in 

 the nasal passages of deer. In most cases, the presence of these "grubs" 

 do not appear to affect the animal's health at all. However, .some 

 cases of severe infestation are on record that have caused either great 

 incapacitation or even death in deer. To examine an animal for bot fly 

 larvae infestation, cut open the front of the head from nose to eyes and 

 expose the sinuses, or nasal passages. If bot fly larvae are present, they 

 will readily be seen as they are grayish oval or short "cigar" shaped 

 gnibs varying from one-quarter to one inch in length. Specimens (entire 



