176 



THE OOLOGIST 



California Fish and Game. 



California Fish and Game for Octo- 

 ber, 1915, contains much interesting 

 reading for the bird student, a refer- 

 ence to some of which may be of in- 

 terest. 



The disease which is carrying off 

 many thousands of ducks, waders, etc., 

 around Great Salt Lake, Utah, is re- 

 ported to have appeared at Tulare 

 Lake, California. This is a most re- 

 markable disease, which seems to baf- 

 fle all scientists. The Biological Sur- 

 vey through its experts being entirely 

 unable to ascertain either the cause, 

 or suggest a prevention. It is certain- 

 ly destroying many, many thousands 

 of birds. 



H. R. Walmsley is quoted as saying 

 that he had not met a single sports- 

 man or farmer in Oklahoma who knew 

 a Mocking bird from a Wren. That 

 the hunters there shot at all seasons 

 of the year and killed everything with 

 feathers and fur. That he saw a man 

 there shooting Cardinals and feeding 

 them to his dogs! (The man ought to 

 have been shot. — Editor) That the 

 farmers boasted of killing all kinds 

 of birds, including the Quail, at all 

 seasons. This is a disgrace to the 

 state. 



H. C. Bryant reports a colony of the 

 American Egret as breeding in Stanis- 

 laus County, California. It is to bs 

 hoped that they will be protected and 

 increased. 



An interesting reference, accompan- 

 ied by a half tone, is made to the hy- 

 brid geese reared at Redwood City, by 

 Chase Littlejohn, being a cross be- 

 tween the Chinese Horned Goose and 

 the Canada Goose. The picture shows 

 a number of oddly colored hybrids; 

 however, the head and neck and gen- 

 eral carriage is typically Canadensis. 

 This is especially interesting to the 

 writer because of our own experience 

 in raising Canada Geese; and also 



from the fact of our having so many 

 splendid eggs bearing the data of Mr. 

 Littlejohn taken during his Alaskan 

 sojourns. The remarkable statement 

 is made in this notice that "the wild 

 Canada goose has never been success- 

 fully bred in California." All the more 

 wonderful because of the fact that 

 the Canada goose breeds in confine- 

 ment and takes to semi-domesticity 

 better than any other member of the 

 goose family. 



It is also stated that "the State 

 Game Warden, General Speaks (of 

 Ohio) however, succeeded in having 

 a bill introduced in the Legislature 

 and it was signed by the Governor" 

 providing for a bounty on Hawks; 

 among others, the "Chicken Hawk." 

 This is indeed a startling bit of in- 

 formation. Everybody supposed that 

 an enlightened state like Ohio produc- 

 ed men with sense enough to know 

 that the destructions of hawks would 

 be an injury to the agricultural in- 

 terests of the state. The Cooper Hawk 

 and the Sharp-shinned Hawk are the 

 only Hawks in Ohio that should be 

 killed. That state ought to superanu- 

 ate or retire "General" Speaks and see 

 that he is superceded with a man hav- 

 ing more sense, and then elect a Leg- 

 :slature having more brains in the ag- 

 gregate, and then repeal this law, as 

 did the State of Fennsylvania, before 

 it is too late. 



Louisiana is reported as removing 

 protection from the Turkey Buzzard 

 on the ground that the Turkey Buz- 

 zard aids in dissiminating the diseases 

 of cattle and hogs; — a more errone- 

 ous objection it would be hardly pos- 

 sible to make. The Conservation Com- 

 mission should reverse its decision in 

 this matter, and all possible protection 

 should be accorded this useful bird. 



It is strange indeed that those most 

 interested should endorse and indulge 

 in the destruction of their best friends 



