THE GROUND SQUIRRELS OP CALIFORNIA. 



727 



and land commissions was slow, many fraudulent claims and titles 

 were unearthed. In spite of these delays agriculture and horticulture 

 began to flourish. 



FIRST LEGAL EXPEDIENTS. 



Contra Costa and Alameda counties from earliest times seemed to 

 forward complaints of farmers against ground squirrels quite regu- 

 larly, and the residents in these counties prevailed upon legislators and 

 supervisors for legal action before anything of note was done elsewhere. 

 Land titles gradually had been settled, thriving agricultural commu- 

 nities were becoming numerous, so that with the arrival of the decade, 

 1860-70, we find the records of rodent damage to be no mean items. 



The demands for legal expedients to relieve the situation prevailing 

 from these enormous numbers of squirrels became more numerous and 

 discussions arose which brought out ideas of many sorts as to the most 

 suitable laws or ordinances. It was generally agreed that nothing 

 short of compulsion would do. Some few, however, could see remark- 

 able results by payment of bounties. ' One amusing reference is made 

 to a ruling which should impose upon a neglectful landowner a fine 

 based on the acreage of his land, which fine would be collected upon 

 the expiration of 30 days, but if no action was taken a second period 

 was allotted at the expiration of which the initial fine was doubled 

 and trebled with a corresponding third failure and so on. While the 

 penalty would not be too severe for the first offense, still the remedy 

 offered here could in no way reach the nonresident owner. The neigh- 

 bor's squirrels were already complained of: " 'Twas ever thus." 



Fig. 47. Roconnaisance crew investigating rodent infestation upon 

 state lands preparatory to conducting eradicative measures. 



The state legislature of 1869-70 was the first to recognize the need 

 for action and this time it came in the form of a bounty law, applicable 

 to certain of the counties where damage had at this early time proved 

 to be most severe. Not only did California have bounty laws, but 

 •many states east of the Eockies which were troubled with prairie dogs 

 and squirrels had enacted similar legislative measures. The bounty 

 plan held sway in California for a considerable period until superseded 

 by the ordinance-inspector plan. Years of exceptionally heavy -depre- 



135 



