THE OREGON SPORTSMAN 297 
the Willamette. Returning to the main stream we continue up the 
river until Salmon Creek with 20 miles of fishing waters is reached, 
then comes Salt Creek, 18 miles long, then Kitson Creek, 9 miles, and 
we find ourselves 60 miles from Eugene. After reaching Kitson Creek 
we still have 20 miles of fishing, which is not excelled for trout from 8 
inches to two feet in length. 
Going back to our headquarters at Eugene, we start on our journey 
up the McKenzie River. This stream cannot be beat for a fishinz 
stream for a distance of 80 miles. It is a beautiful stream, very swift, 
but adapted to boat fishing, although there are a few places where it is 
not safe for a skiff. The South Fork of this stream is noted for the 
Dolly Varden trout. It is also a wonderful stream. The McKenzie has 
been fished more than any of the other streams in the county on ac: 
count of the good county road that parallels it. Many of the Rainbow 
caught weigh from 3% to 4% pounds and some as high as 5% pounds. 
When a fisherman wades out into this stream to his waist and gets one 
of these big fellows on his hook he knows he has caught something be- 
fore he lands him. Usually three or four of them is all he cares to rus- 
tle with before meal time. 
Western Lane county is also well supplied with excellent fishing 
streams. Wild Cat, the Siuslaw, Lake Creek and others. I caught 17. 
salmon trout in Lake Creek out of one hole and the weight of the fish 
was all that I cared to carry. This is a wonderful stream to fish in 
when the fish are running. West Lake is full of salmon trout and cut- 
throats; also Land Lake, which is three miles from the ocean—a beau- 
tiful body of water with 97 miles of shore line and heavy body of timber 
on the west and south. Wild ducks and geese also swarm in this lake, 
WHAT PANTHERS CAN DO AND WHAT 
THEY DID IN TWO WEEKS 
By Warven J. M. Tuomas. 
A year or so ago, I was making my rounds in Coos County trying 
to learn the conditions of the different game districts, to get acquainted 
with the people and see how they felt toward the protection of game 
and the game laws. 
I stopped over night with an old man who had lived in that dis- — 
trict for a long time. I told him my business and asked his opinion ‘on 
a number of things. He said: “I am in favor of protecting insectivor- 
ous song birds and would like to see Chinese pheasants get a good start, 
but there is no use in protecting deer. It would be best to turn the peo- 
ple loose and let them kill the deer as fast as they can and get some 
benefit of them; at the present time the pesky panther gets them all.” 
I asked him how he knew they got them all, and he replied, “Why, if 
four panthers will kill eighteen deer in twelve days, how many will 
they kill in a year? And if you don’t believe me, go to Rowland Prai- 
rie and get Jack Warner to go with you and look for yourself.” 
So I went to Mr. Warner’s and asked him if he had any evidence as 
to this story. He said: “Well, I think I have enough to convince you 
of the number of panthers without going very far.” So he took me into 
a shed where four panther pelts were tacked on the wall, two very 
large ones and two about half grown. (This was in March and the two 
small ones were probably born in May or June, making them almost a 
year old.) “Well,” I said, “Here are the four scalps, where are the 
carcasses of the eighteen deer?” Do you see that greesewood point 
yonder? (pointing to a wooded point near a large prairie), they are all 
