December 31, 1924

DEPARTMENT OF ThE IN E IOR NaTIONAL.PAEK SERVICE YOSE I E NATIONAL Pe.RK

YOSEMITENATURHNOTLS

Volume III December 31, 1924 Number 22 Yosemite Nature Guide Service C. P. Russell, Park Naturalist This is one of a series of bulletins issued from time to time for the information of those interested in the natural history and scientific features of the nark and the educational opportunities the park affords for the study of these subjects, Utilisation of these bulletins by those receiving them to the end that the information contained thersin might be as extensively distributed as possible will be a preciated * W. B. Lewis, Superintendent PINE NUT HPRVEST,;'hen Major Savage and his Liar. iposa Battalion entered Yosemite Valley in March, 1851, they found but one decrepit squaw, too feeble to more than crawl under a huge slab of granite. However, numerous recently evacuated Indian lodges were evident, and with them were large caches of Indian proviso ns. In Bunnell's "Discovery of the Yosemite" we find the first descrip-ttons of Yosemite Indian foods as they were before the Yosemite tribe was influenced by white men.

Most important of these aboriginal foods was the acorn of the Black Oak, which has already been considered in "NATURE NOTES". But another product of local trees made up a big part of the Indian stores, is et, Pinon pine nuts. To the invading white men, if not to the Yosemites, the pine nuts were of greater importance than were the acorns. The acorn jelly, even after laborious Indian methods of preparation, was un palatable to the discoverers of Yosemite, while the pine nuts, on the other hand, were rich and delicious and only required cracking to be ready for consumption.

These nuts were of two kinds' those coming from the Pinon Pine (Pines rP.3??0"la), hle h grows en the J east C.I. e of the Cierras, and the core:"Jhav larger nuts from the,(,ic " er Pine t._L?~' -~:,~.. _~e.~.nlana). yTnis,' last name.L' grows ine gcommonly ly in the foothills y~ LTa'f:"u; of Jot the Sierras end is re ate_ti s j`o~,n~. there as hs 4,000 feet above s high sea t ve. In the c ryon cf the I`er ced the species is last seen at 'l iarii -.y te it is use-ally YJOt6'd by lreu:'_1 :;.tG1 vioiter's_ for it is the first conifer root is coming to gee Hate from the west. its ha hit of growth is remarkable in that the trunk usually divides into several seco !darT trunks about twenty feet, These. r.,, e f"ror~ the ground, ~se secondary ter.-k at first grow away from one another and then tx 1itC, T GCS i>tptiiai°d, forming individual 0rouns and giving a br'oom--shed. led sthu,, ~ " ot~;'e to-the tree. needles are long and slender and grey--green _n color. It is Usel_ees for the traveler to seek a cool resting spot on the sun baked slopes upon Digger Pines grow, for the stave rays strike through the needle tufts as then h no resistance were of f ered by them. The shade of a Digger PI.ne is not at all indulgent, The Cones are large and extremely heavy with pit.eho 'aloe unto the pate upon which one of these leaden icrojeetIles may fa.Ll. Each scale terminates in a murderous down-.curving hook of flinty consistency.. At the time of harvest, the Indians climbed the trees and beat the cones from their swppor'tin or perhaps out off entire 21m be, if they. Chanced to be especially f rl i tf u.?.. Squews then picked' thorn up and roasted them until the s,.',ulee would spread so that the nuts could be beaten oil" :,. Digger Pine nuts ar°e hard shelled. Ahah ner _tone was needed iio ' oraek them, and for that reason they were less desirable than the Pinon Pine nut of the east slope. Galen Clark, who best knew the habits and methods of the Indians of the Yosemite region of the period before the tourists oaeie, is au horit;V for the statement that the Pinon Pine nut was impor'ted from the east side of the Sierras. According to Clark, these nuts formed an important article of barer between the tribes of the None Lake region and the losemit.2s. To the Triter-s knowledge n,o pine thee of the species 2 ihi'G mono _"7~'t,T'~lo grove on the west side of the Si ~er_ra:. with ~ n in the region of =osemi :e wthe e eeptio n of a sindie specimen found in Pate Valley on the Tuo etare. It is beli_evect that

Pate Valley was annually oeednied, by Piates from the tih'e Ca-e at Basin ::Ou'.f.trZj'. POSSii:iy this single tree was introduced by thole ' hands, Since this tree will grow there., it seems remarkable that other s e imens have not sprung - up in other section :. of the western Slope ' to which tree s6ed5 were introduced through inter-tribal bar 's ro The desert ranges of the Great Basin are literally clothed with Pinon Pines. As one approaches a forest of these di.rmi_nutive trees, one is impresser', with the idea that the hillside' has been blackened by burning. Closer aepreaoh reveals the black mass to be an unbroken growth of P!nohs. Again, as In the case of Digger Pine s, if egad hopes to find refreshing shade in su :n a forest, disappointment is keen. The ground under the trees is naked, and the sun. beats through the thin foliage, its desert severity all nnabrated.. The needles et-cur singly, which fact has given the, ypecif ic' name monoohylla. The vegetation, _ as a whole, is gray-green, through which the black trl :nk and the limos chow

readily enough. A full-grown tree is about fifteen feet '.igh and perhaps covers an area, the diameter of which equals the height. The cones are but two inches long, but the nuts contained in them are of good size. The su'_all size of the tree makes it possible to gather the cones without climbing the kree. The cones are beaten with poles from the trees, gathered in heaps, and covered with brush. The brush cover is the'.. fired, and. the cones thus sufficiently roasted to remove the heavy ?itch ihich. seals cavities between the scales in which the nuts are contained, After roasting, the cones are sunbaked, and then the nuts are threshed out. They are about one-half an inch long and a quarter of an inch in diameter. The shells are thin, and it is not difficult to remove them with the fingers. The kernels are very w-ii.te (brown efter thorough roasting} and most delicious. At the present time, the nuts may be purchased in every candy store in Nevada. Snell wonder that early explorers fell upon the Indian stores of this particular food with avidity. John Muir in "Steen Trails" has described the Indian harvest of pine nuts as he witnessed it in Nevada in l78. The Pi:ate harvest in that region is not unlike the harvest of the Reno Flutes, and a part of Muir ='s description is here quoted: "When the crow is rise the Indians make ready their long beatingpoles; baskets, bags, rags, mats, are gotten together. The squaws out aicong the settlers at service, washing -and drudging, assemble at the family huts; the men leave their ranch work; all, old and young, are rncuated en ponies, and set off in great glee to the nut lands, forming cavalcades curiously picturesque. Flaming scars and calico skirts stream loosely over the Knotty ponies, usually two squaws astride of each, with the small baby midgets bandaged in baskets lung on their backs, or balanced upon the saddle-hoer, while the nut-baskets and water,--jars project from either side, and the long beating-poles, like old-fashioned lances, angle out in every direction. "Arrived at some central point already fixed 11pon, where water and grass is found, the squaws with baskets_ the men with poles, aseerd the ridges to the laden trees, followed by the chil=dren.; beating begins with Icahn noise and chatter; the burs fly right and left, lodging against stones and sagebrush; the sgaaws and children gather them with fine natural gladness; smokecolumns speedily mark the joyful scene of their labors as the rca.sting--f.reS are kindled; and, at night, assembled in circles, garrulous as jays, the first grand nut feast begins. Sufficient quantities are thus obtained in a few weeks to last all winter."

WINTER ROBINS FROM THE NORTH

Since the second week of October numerous robin--like birds have caused Yosemite visitors and residents to make inquiry as to the _entity of the newcomers. They are seen singly or in small locks about Its village street, in the occupied camps, and throughout the snow--blanketed valley, In general appearance they remind one of the departed robins; hoS:e'oer, they are quite obviously different from the familiar robins. ° First of all, there is a unique shyness about them. Even with the handicap of the snory cover that clothes the trees and covers the ground, these birds have a way of silently

disappearing before your very eyes. Then, too, when one obtains a clear view of them, it is apparent that the markings and celeration are net like a rohinst Their breasts are orange yellow. Some haVe a black hand across the breas' :,, some a slaty band, ard oth ers apparently have no band at all. Those with the very black collar are males, those with a slaty collar are females, and tense that seem,O lack the collar are young females. All have an Orange stripe behind the eyed Four common names have been given these winter visitors; VrineRobin Alaska Robin, Oregon Robin, and Varied Thrush. At this season they are foUnd from C'eelifornia to Southern Alaska. They nest in the mountadns from nortnera California to the extreme northern limits the spruce forests of nlas7tta.M:1h; Fnertes, the artist, says that the song he heard in. nlaska was' "most uniqne, and mysterioue, and may be heard fn the deep, still spruce forests for a great rlis,tence, being very loud. ana wonderfally-penetratinge it is a single longedawn

note, uttered. jm several different keys, some -ofh the high pitched ones with a strong vibrant trill. Each note grows out of nothing, swells to a full tone, an then fades away to nothing, until one carried away with the. myeterftous sbnga XIhen heard nearby, as is seldom possible, tie pnre yet resonant quality of the note makes one thrill with a strange leeling, and is as perfeetly the voioe of the cool, dark, peaceful solitude which the bird ohoosetfcr its-home as could be imagned."

VALUABLE HISTORICAL RELICS POU4TE1 TO YOSEMITE

Yore than one hnndred articles Of great historical interest were this month donated to the cse ire Museum by Ere. Fannie Crippen Jones of '.treed, Mrs.Jones, a daughter of Mrs. J. K. Barnard, who with Barnard operated tha famous Barnard's Yosemite Hetel in the 70's and SO'has for years cherished a?1 cared for innumerable objects of interest to Yosemite enthusiasts. Because she yet loves the 7fpsemite of her girlhood, Mrs. Jones has freely git= her prftzeO: keepsakes that vieiters of this day of motor transportationmay visualize the Yo eornite of the pioneer period, Included fca the Barnard cellection are - a score. or more photographs of. Yosemite pioneers sueh as Lamas Lemon J,,E, Httehings, Lambet, J,-Cook, r., 4 and Mrs, J. X. Barnard, HarkL. 1R:Cord, Leidig 1'lh-lnn7 olhersnbc dVt much ro meke the Yosemite known. Cii paintings, pastel-e, and water color paintings by Co D. Rehinsort, (7 : F. onion Gumming, and rPagerseen, in the early days, are highly prized because of their historical interest and true art valne.. There are also many photographs of Yosemite scenes hy the noted photographers Fieke and Taber in the eolleetion. carefullykept scrap hooks, made by Mrs :, Barnard and Mrs. Grippen Jones, make it possible to fill eerain gape n the history of Yosemite. A dozen old voln.mes pertaining to. 7 alhTernia general and Yosemite inapartionlar were obtained for. the Mather Library in the Yosemite Museum. Fine speoimene of Yosemite Indian baskets, obtained in the clay of Barnard's act iviijV, were donated by Miss Loya Crlppen Bell, In addition to the Barnard collection, other historical material Was obtained from sirs. Violette Crippen Bell, Dr. J. C. Smith, Mr. and I& s. Geo. Conway, all of leree04 111alter McLean, Coulterville; and Bruschi Brothers,