THE OREGON SPORTSMAN 



which we do not know at present, some of the weasels, even in 

 the high Cascades, do not change to the white coat in winter. 



A number of skins of the snowshoe rabbit were collected in 

 this locality. They were numerous in the thickets near the mouth 

 of Davis creek. Between March 13 and April 13, 1914, a series 

 of fourteen of these were collected, all from the same thicket of 

 lodgepole pine on the homestead of George Graft, about forty-four 

 hundred feet altitude. Four were in the white pelage, with a 

 few small patches of new brown fur. The rest were in the brown 

 pelage and were changing their coat, also, new brown fur grow- 

 ing in in small patches. The brown rabbits were by far more 

 numerous, judging from the number that were caught. 



On April 11, when a white and a brown rabbit were caught, 

 the snow was practically all gone, a few patches remaining in 

 the thickets. In this case it may be that the specimens which 

 were brown in winter and changed from the old brown to the 

 new brown pelage were likely younger animals, while those that 

 changed from brown in summer to the pure white in winter may 

 have been older animals, or vice versa. 



It is the same with the snowshoe rabbit as with the weasel. 

 The snowshoe rabbit in the Coast mountains or lower altitudes 

 does not change from brown to white in winter, but remains 

 brown the entire year. 



BIRDS AND INSECT PESTS. 



In the September-October, 1914, number of Bird-Lore, which 

 is the official organ of the National Association of Audubon 

 Societies, is an interesting article entitled "Birds and the Army- 

 worm. ' ' 



In Oregon, the horticultural and forestry interests are so 

 great that we feel every effort should be made toward educating 

 people to guard this wealth against the depredation of enemies. 

 Some day this state will have to wrestle to a far greater extent 

 with the advancing insect pests. For this reason, we are printing 

 the article mentioned above. It shows the economic value of 

 bird life in relation to insects. 



"The past summer has witnessed an unusual invasion of the 



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