734 



THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



Francisco. This was also true for peoples of foreign birth to a large 

 degree, and it was not uncommon to see parties from the city out 

 gunning for squirrels of a Sunday afternoon. It was generally con- 

 ceded by the chefs, housewives and bachelors of the day that for 

 fricassee, old squirrels should be boiled at least three hours to make 

 them tender, the seasoning operation being left until this condition 

 had been reached. Young squirrels became very tender in two hours, 

 evidently due to the fact that the vicissitudes and trials of their ter- 

 restrial existence in searching for food as well as evading hawks had 

 not been extensive enough so that excessive activity had induced 

 toughness. A precaution to be observed immediately after killing was 

 to draw the specimen and scrape off some of the excess fat. The idea 

 prevalent at the time held fat to be productive of a strong flavor. 



How many tons of squirrels were shipped into San Francisco and 

 Oakland markets can not be estimated, but in the course of years, 

 until bubonic plague infection among these rodents was conclusively 

 proven in 1908, they would total a staggering sum. Squirrels brought 



Fig. 49. Squirrel poisoning crew operating on area of state land. 

 Poisoned grain is carried in bags suspended from saddle hoi^n. A defi- 

 nite distance is maintained between each man. Every burrow is treated. 



from 75 cents to $1.25 per dozen for many years, and when San 

 Francisco became famous for fine places to satisfy the discriminating 

 palate of the connoisseur, young squirrels brought an even higher price, 

 inasmuch as four "frog legs" could be produced from one specimen 

 without any serious stretch of the imagination. After all is said, the 

 squirrel still remains a delicate morsel of food, but in view of the fact 

 that he may be a spreader of contagious and infectious diseases, to 

 handle him is dangerous, especially in regions where the possibility 

 of such disease exists. This is applicable without question or reason 

 for doubt in the counties about San Francisco Bay to the present time. 



142 



