REPORT OF STATE BOARD OF FISH COMMISSIONERS. 33 



In February and March of 1896, at the request of the 



CRABS AND fishermen and others of Los Angeles County, we trans- 



CLAMS. planted, in prime condition, from the waters about San 



Francisco to those off the coast of Los Angeles County, 116 

 large crabs ( Cancer magister) — 56 males and 60 females. At our request 

 the Supervisors of Los Angeles County passed an ordinance prohibiting 

 the taking of this crab for three years. To show his appreciation of the 

 above work, Mr. J. L. DeJarnatt, Vice-President of the Haniman Fish 

 Company, of San Pedro, presented us with 8,000 razor-back clams, and 

 these, together with 7,000 more which we purchased, were planted as 

 follows : 



San Francisco Bay, in outlet of San Leandro Creek 4,000 



San Pablo Bay, in outlet of Petaluma Creek 4,000 



Richardson's Bay .-.. 3,500 



Tomales Bay, near Hamlet 3,500 



15,000 



No attempt has yet been made to examine into the results of this 

 experiment. 



Reports upon the result of the attempt to acclimatize the 

 PHEASANTS. Mongolian pheasant in 1894 indicate that the experiment 



has not been altogether successful. It was deemed best 

 by our predecessors to pursue a method which has been fruitful of good 

 results in Oregon. The old birds were sent to citizens in different parts 

 of the State, and were confined in aviaries. They were to be held and 

 their young turned loose. The hen pheasant will not sit on her eggs in 

 confinement, and the attempt to hatch the eggs under domestic hens, as 

 is done in Oregon, was not encouraging, as most of the chicks died when 

 quite young. As a result of this experiment a few birds were turned 

 loose, but we believe that better results will be obtained by turning the 

 birds loose in favorable localities. A large number of birds have been 

 imported into different sections of the State, notably in Santa Clara, 

 Kern, and Tehama counties, and turned loose, and the most encour- 

 aging reports come to us regarding their welfare. We are of the opinion 

 that this pheasant can readily adapt himself to the natural 

 conditions of our State, and believe that the start already made to 

 acclimatize him will be successful. 



The Commission has given the matter of the protection 



GAME PRES- and cultivation of game considerable attention since the 



ERVATION. last Legislature made the appropriation applicable to 



game as well as to fish. It has been the practice of this 



and former Boards to give game all the protection possible, although no 



funds had ever before been provided for this work. With the small 



force of men at our disposal, the vast area to be covered, and the varied 



3— F 



