1924

g r OF THE I-10340t

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

Jolume ILI -- Sent 30,1924_

No.i a Yosemite l;ature Guido Service C. p_ Russell_ Park Naturalis-, This is one of a series of bulletins issued from time'to time for the information of those interested in the natural history and scienti'i'is featuresof the perk and, the educational opportunities the park affords for the study of these subjects. Utilization of these bulletins by those receiving them to the end that the information contained therein might be aid ex1enrively distributed as possible will be appreciated." W. B. Lewis, Superintendent.

THE EDUCATIONAL WORK OF 1924.

With the coming of September and its attendant school days, the Yosemite Nature Guide Service closed the 1W4 season. The members of the staff feel that the work.has been successful and in spite of th-fact that the mmber reached this year is smaller than, last year's total, a distimt upward step has been made. A splendid response on the part of those served has stimulated the Nature Guides, to exert every effort in supplying the demands of.,. Americans who are hungry for knowledge of their Parka. Sincere expresaiona of appreciation, written and verbal, from hundreds of Yosemite visitors have taken all drudgery from the business of teaching :pow "to read the treilside." The recognition accorded the wacrk by President Coolidge's Mild life Conference has added an impetus already felt. The splendid

sift of the Rockefeller Foundation assures Tosenite of a very firm foundation upon which to build further and at the same time holds a promise for Educatio al work in other Parks. It appears that 1924 marks the opening of a new era in the i ature Guide 'work of our Natioaali 'a 1 e. The activities of June, J.tly and August are here Summarized: Attendance at Lectures 37,736 Attendance at Nhiseum....s 31,061 Attendance on Field Trips 2.61 Total Served 71,415 81,346 visited Yosemite during this period.

NOTES ON THE NESTING OF BANDaTAILED PIGEONS IN Yosemite On the morning of July 22, a pair of Band-tailed pigeons were discovered at work on a nest. As is their custom the birds divided the work. The female sat at the point of construction and the male brought the material which he gathered by snapping dry twigs from a near by cedar tree. 01 July 24, the nest was again ' visited and ::e found, the female ird l rood+ Inge The nest was a flimsy affair made of course twigs carelessly flung together. It was placed ona horizontal limb about twenty feet above the ground:. The limb on which the nest was placed was eitht inches in diameter and the bird eat paralell to the limb, and fro :(.eneath she was almost concealed from view. July 22 seemed late in the season for pigeons toff e nesting„ but on July 28 two more nests "ero found,•and on each was aJ.rooding female. The nests wore all alike; flimsy affairs placed on a horizontal limb of such size s to forme base on which the incubati:v bird could rest, sitting paralexl to the limb. Hare it rli `ht f s well to state that nests found on. other occasions were not placed on horizontal limbs, ut1 tilt in the epr.. eadina crotch of smeller ! ?amebas.

ENID MICHAEL SNOW. HOE RABBITS..

Tuolumne iieada:: s affords the Nature lover place in which to studv r^:. n little ' ov:n forms of F'nirl life. t erg:"_ s :io' othor easily reached s„:ot in the Sio rra s _Jres:nts e o good am o:,pportunity for tourists to cor.e nc±ri-~t~~. with the most interesting suov,-Shoo Rabbet. Hera, those high mountain creatures have boco::eacoustoned to the presoace of men Ord have dismissed a part of their :_s ! l tiaidity. It ee no ueaeual ei t to observe n:.::,.f the :.ni als, in late eftornoon, boldly making its way on the open ridges at the edge of the forest. A ay of the r.hay,. trails which radiate from Tuolamne Eeadows will take one through I•od;.;•_eele -i'inc fcxaet i. hie...ese ^boue.. The trail to l n Bert Do..e and Dog l=1: e pauetrates especially good rabbtt territory end any hiker hey sae one of the long legged creatures by fol try: in;-, this trail. Should it he pen that no rabbit happen to;jam feu£: ee it ie only necessary to digress from the path sufficently to approach a few of the many fallen lodgePole pines along the way. The local Snow-shoe Babbitt; appear to hake; the debris of the to.s of t :a. 1. _. tr:.. ei*...y tine cover.. The writer has frightened dozens of rabbits fror such dead falls in the forests about Tuoin ::me Mbedowa.

<!-- Page 3 -->...i In the summer no "forms" are o0cupied. The animals merely hide themselves

between the trunk and the ground or in the maze of branches, yet on the

fallen trunk. Frequently these Tuolumne Meadows rabbits make no attempt at "freezing" while under the protection of this cover. Their long pars flop about edid they may even hop confidently from place to place within the dead fall. In fact only very close approach will frighten them :f£iciently to cause them to bound away through the timber. The su mer coat of the hare is_grey and blends well with the surroundings in. which it laves. " Int the fall a r. olt takes place and, like the weasel, the snow-shoe rabbit becomes white. At the high a?titudes 6000 foot and up) in which it lives, snow accumulates to a great dei :th, and of course, :the white coat of fur adds greatly to the chance of the ani mal escaping its many natty 1 enemies.

I a- 'an: Judge t?. Fry of the Sequoia ' Nature Wide Service recently p the lished a splendid account of the occuranee and habits of the Sierra Sna pShoe Rabbit, based upon his own careful observations. His entire account takes a;sloe for the protection of this Unique mamber of the California Fauna a h.ieh at present is not recognized as existing by our state& Conservation Laws. Nevada has seen in the animal a form to ho saved for the future and its is given protection. Only Cciza-emia and Nevada need be concerned in the matter for Lepus Campestris.=p iea is found in the Sierras -only. Nevada has seta good eaemple that Cali3ornia might well follow. CALIFORNIA =WAGGED FROG The Patk Naturalist was recent surprised to fia

Red-legged Frogs (RA 1A AURORA Xp !'TONII) quite abundant at Mather Station. The ate; itude of Mather is abont '1600 feet. This particular Rana has been rec e 'Dried at Smith Creek (O(r feet; in the Yosemite region but is known ds a re idene of the low a :l t.jtudes rather than a rioun,;ain form, The four inciv~,c'.ua:ls nor t L he 705,:n;jte Museum were taken from a drMing pond at the an Francisco Saw Mill Mather). Other frogs of the sane species were caught ana examined at the lorl;e rill pond oa the sane property. The Red-legged Frog is the largest frog of the Yosemite region. Because of its size and the edible quality of its hind leas it is known in some localities as 'Tanana Frog." It is ordinaeil.y more ` ry than the Yellowalegged frog,.-_hose;acre it invades slightly, and rerike )s for that reason ithis some :am-es oaorl.00ked. However the spec inene t.iet oceasian this "Note" were very eerily captured. In keeping with this surprise in asphibiann cns the discovery of more than a dozen Pacific Mud Turtles swimming themsel7ee along the shores of the rill pond. -

a.. BBRRL.ll OF ISM BIIC :. :. - - O&M& the day-and night, sinewg. 5, 3osezaita Tui Iwo been treatod to that fine, wild musl0 of the bugling ball elk. This year. as never before, the clear, ascending Cagle-motes of E: sin ale active altil of the►herd, are frequently, fallovied by - a series o} fieras. grunts. It now becomes_ more apparent why tf of oD i a;:1 i;e-.L;;-esc en likened by. spor. tsmen. of some.sections,_ to. the..braying of a. jackass. One ball l holds full dower over tt:z little herd of hrs. One ar. another of the less pugnacious melee may mischievously approach..t.wtU 4n a fear; u,::uc red. yards of the lord and his

bat Witls.tbc big `bull's first -4hallengilz note he stops short.. Tor ir; t etsps wfxe_; the possessorof ttp~ :.+sexYohex awe y in swift 1« "Tiere is-1ttt :e chance bf e combat in the Yose ite elk hard.