FROM THE GAME FIELDS. 



285 



peration I slung them into the sack, and 

 seeing an ash barrel near the curb, I hastily 

 tossed bag and 'possums into it, mentally 

 calling myself every kind of a fool for all 

 the trouble I had been to. 



Bunny, Somers Point, N. J. 



CAMPING IN THE HIGH SIERRAS. 



Last fall 7 of us went up into the Mount 

 Whitney country in the Sierra Nevada 

 mountains. This is the highest mountain 

 is the United States, 14,898 feet. It is on 

 the boundary line between Inyo and Tulare 

 counties in California. The country sur- 

 rounding it is as rough as one would wish 

 to find and the scenery is grand. 



We left Los Angeles the first day of Sep- 

 tember, 1902, with a covered wagon con- 

 taining our provisions for a 2 months' stay, 

 and 4 saddle horses. Traveling through 

 , Mojava, a place on the Mojava desert well 

 known in Southern California, and up into 

 Red Rock canyon to the desert between the 

 Panamint range and the Sierra Nevada 

 mountains, we came to Haiwee meadows, 

 220 miles from Los Angeles. There we 

 secured pack mules and other necessaries 

 for a trip by trail over the mountains. It 

 took us a day and a half to get over' the first 

 range and down to the South fork of the 

 Kern river, a small stream full of trout, 

 with the hills alive with deer and smaller 

 game, a place where hunters seldom get. 

 We camped there 10 days and then took up 

 the trail to Whitney, a pack of 3 days, pass- 

 ing through some rough country made 

 doubly hard on account of no distinct trail. 



Reaching the foot of Mount Whitney we 

 made camp and caught a number of golden 

 trout. This species is little heard of. It 

 is a most beautiful fish, and pure game. Its 

 home is in Whitney creek. This trout is in 

 general not more than 6 to 8 inches in 

 length. It resembles the common brook 

 trout in form, but has a dark, spotted back, 

 a brilliant golden stripe on each side and is 

 yellow on the under side. These fish will 

 only live at a certain elevation. Fishing 

 here seems as in a fairyland, where the 

 angler pulls out a gold nugget at every 

 cast. 



.Leaving that camp we followed Whitney 

 creek about 8 miles down a rough trail 

 over old lava beds and natural bridges and 

 into a country about 5.000 feet lower. There 

 we came to the Kern lakes, 2 lakes divided 

 by high mountains. These lakes were 

 formed by an earthquake, many years ago, 

 which started a slide of loose rock, etc., on 

 the mountain sides and dammed up the 

 Kern river where it passes between 2 high 

 peaks. We had some good hunting there, 

 for deer and bear. Grouse and mountain 

 quails were numerous and the lakes w r ere 

 full of large trout. That place I regard as 

 the ideal spot for hunter, angler or moun- 



tain climber. It would seem to me difficult 

 to find any mountain country to compare 

 with it, and why it is so little known I can 

 not understand. The views are unexcelled 

 The trail is not difficult for anyone pre- 

 pared. Anyone who appreciates a trip in 

 the mountains will find this high Sierra 

 country a pleasure long to be remembered. 

 There are several ways in which a party 

 may get into this country, but the easiest 

 and best is by way of the Kings river can- 

 yon and Mineral King trail. That route 

 passes through the Giant forest and Sequoia 

 park, where are the largest trees in the 

 world. No guns are allowed in these parks 

 without a special permit. 



Harry R. Palmer, Long Beach, Cal. 



KILL THE CATS. 



Farmers' cats play an important part 

 in the destruction of game. Many cats live 

 by killing and eating vermin that overrun 

 the granaries, but " cats are more destruc- 

 tive to insectivorous birds and to small 

 game than all other known causes. I know 

 a farmer who owns 5 cats. He told me 

 they kill an average of one rabbit or ruffed 

 grouse every night during spring, summer 

 and fall. 



"I reckon them cats 's good fer a couple 

 hundred head er game, 'sides small birds 

 an' sech last year, 'thout any help frum 

 hunters," said he. 



I have repeatedly seen cats in the woods 

 and along the hedges and fences, hunting 

 with a patience unequaled save by human 

 beings. I have compared notes on finding 

 the remains of animals and birds killed by 

 owls, foxes, weasels, minks, red squirrels 

 and cats, and am firmly convinced the lat- 

 ter destroy more than all the others com- 

 bined. These comparisons were made on 

 snow, when one can see the telltale tracks. 

 I have tried in the summer, too, but with 

 less success. Although I have often seen 

 cats catch birds of all kinds, and full grown 

 rabbits and squirrels, only once have I 

 caught a cat in the act of killing game 

 birds, and that was while watching a brood 

 of ruffed grouse and a nest of black ducks, 

 not 20 rods apart! The grouse hatched 

 only 5 eggs, the others not being fertile. 

 On the following day I found only 3 chicks, 

 which seemed queer, as no foxes or weas- 

 els were near. Next day a friend said th? 

 duck brood had increased considerably, and 

 on my way to shoot frogs I looked for 

 them. Presently I heard a commotion 

 near, and saw the drake circling about, 

 while the duck was diving and quacking in 

 distress. Just then the boarding house cat 

 emerged with a duckling in her mouth, and 

 I stopped her with a .22. This cat had 

 traveled a mile from the quarries. The 

 owner forbade hunting at all times, and 

 the employee who brought a dog there was 



