January 1929

NATURE NOTES

Volume VIII, January 1929 Number

This is the official publication of the Educational Department of Yosemite National Park. It is published each month b y the National Park Service with the cooperation of the Yosemite Natural History Association, and its purpose is to supply dependable information on the natural history and scientific features of Yosemite National Park. The articles published herein are not copyrighted as it is intended that they shall be freely used by the press. Communications should be addressed to C. P. Russell, Park Naturalist, Yosemite National Park, California.

F. P. LEAVITT

Acting Superintendent

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES THE PUBLICATION OF THE YOSEMITE EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENT AND THE YOSEMITE NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION

Published monthly Volume VIII January 1929 Number 1

THE BODIE STAGE, - AN OLD MANUSCRIPT

By C. P. Russell Bodie, that fascinating relic-town assayer's equipment were there in profusion, and all were more or less frequent mention in these ravaged by time and the elements. pages. Neglected as it has been in Among these effects were more literature of the state, it is perhaps more than a few objects of historical interest. These were gathered from authentic accounts of the affairs that the wreckage and brought to transpired there during the years Yosemite Museum. activity. In order that collection might be made and facts gathered, members of the Yosemite in a neat hand, bearing no date, but museum staff have journeyed to apparently written for the enlightenment of the readers of some the final one of these trips Indiana newspaper. This portrayal Cain, last of the old-timers, of transportation and communication free access to many of the between early camps anticipates nothing of our present-day tumbling buildings that line the gas motor. We believe it will interest our readers and reproduce it deserted streets. One of the most verbatim. The sketches of the interesting of the structures was vehicle discussed were made by the two-story assayer's office, in Ranger William Godfrey from old which A. Soderling did business photographs in the Yosemite Museum. in the 70's. What may have happened to Mr. Soderling was not The Bodie Stage clear, but the technical equipment (Author Unknown) of his office and the personal The stage coach is to California quarters of his living quarters were what the modern express train is all in place. Apparently, a great to Indiana, and people unaccusmany years have elapsed since the tomed to mountain life can form gentleman made use of this but little conception of the vast dwelling, and the storms of winter amount of transportation carried found entrance through warping on by means of coaches and freight doors and roof. Beds and bedding, wagons. culinary utensils, furniture, books, wearing apparel, and assayer's equipment were there.

Even though California may truly officer perched beside the stage be termed the "Eden " of America, driver, with two or three doubleyet there is not a county in the barreled shotguns. He, of course, is state but has more or less traffic serving as a kind of scarecrow to for the stage coach, and in the the would-be stage robbers. northern and eastern part of the The average fare for riding on a state, especially, there is an entire stage is 15 cents per mile. network of well graded roads, reThe manner in which freight is sembling eastern pikes. These transported is quite odd, especially roads are mostly owned by corporato a "Hoosier." Wagons of the tions and, consequently, are toll largest size are used. Some of roads. these measure twelve feet from the Over these are run the fast stages ground to the top of the wagon drawn by from two to ten large bed; then bows and canvas are horses, and the great freight wagplaced over this, making a total ons drawn by from fourteen to height of fifteen feet, at least. Usutwenty mules. ally three or four of these wagons The stage lines have divisions, as are coupled together, like so many do railroads, and at the end of each cars, and then drawn by from division there is a change of horses, fourteen to twenty large mules. All thus giving the greatest possible these are handled by a single means for quick conveyance. Over driver. A team of this kind traveach line there are generally two els, when heavily loaded, about f ifstages per day, one each way. These teen miles per day, the same being carry passengers, mail and all exspoken of always as the slow press traffic. At each town is a freight In some mining districts, Wells Fargo office, and business is however, where business is flush, carried on in a similar manner to extra stages are put on for' freight that of railroad express offices. alone. These are termed the fast Telegraph lines are in use along the freights This business involves a most important roads. large capital, and persons engaged The stage lines have time cards in it are known as forwarding corn. similar to railroads, and in case a panies. Even the freight or exstage is a few minutes late, it press on goods from New York is causes as much anxiety as does the sometimes collected a hundred delay of an O. & M. express. A miles from any railroad, and so crowd is always waiting at the exeven to those living in the remote press office; some are there for mountain regions, this is about as business, others through mere curiosity and to size up the passengers. life as well as if living in a railroad The Shotgun Messenger town. A stage from a mining town usuThe city of Bodie has its entire ally contains a bar of gold bullion freight and passenger traffic carworth $25,000, which is being ried on as mentioned above. A shipped to the mint. Bullion is short time ago its population was shipped from each mine once a 10,000; there were three daily month, but people always know papers and free mail delivery, and when this precious metal is aboard all the improvements necessary to by the appearance of a fat, burly any modern town or city.

THE BODIE STAGE WITH A LOAD OF SLOW FREIGHT

In the days of Bodie, wagons of the largest size were coupled together like so many cars.

NOTES OF A MID-WINTER WANDERER IN YOSEMITE VALLEY

By George M. Wright

SLEEPLESS BEARS

At least a few Yosemite black species for more thrilling activities. bears have decided to keep pace Though winter snows came fully a with the sports. Now that the valmonth earlier than in the seasons ley is making its name as an alljust passed and low temperatures year playground, the bruins seem prevailed thereafter, these individto have decided to stay up and see uals have ignored the portents. the funSweet music of their discus play Former years have seen the with neighborhood ash can tops bears making tracks for their dens still assails the light sleeper. among the cliff rockpiles after the Abundance of food supply is the first storm which left a lasting most nearly tenable theory adblanket of snow. Even then an ocvanced so far to explain this uncaslonal belated Individual, though usual departure from the habits rare, was not unknown. But this of countless forebears. There are winter, at least a few of the bears many watchers in the valley who are giving up the orthodox and unwill wait to see when the bear vigil interesting hibernation of their will end.

WILD CREATURES OF HABIT

In the summer.of 1928, Mrs. to Jiggs encouragingly. To a polite John Clark, a resident in Yosemite, query she replied that, whereas it befriended an orphan mule deer was her usual custom to walk to fawn. This time, bottle feeding the old village store from the new proved to be successful. The helpvillage postoffice, today she had less little creature clung to its proheaded straight towards home. tector, and the sight of the fosterJiggs was standing over by the mother closely followed by "Jiggs, " postoff ice very evidently puzzled by as he has come to be called, is a this interruption of daily routine. familiar one to everybody in YoLingeringly and longingly his nose semite. pointed towards the old village. Recently we encountered Mrs. Such are the chains forged by Clark standing in the path, calling habit.

THREE LITTLE ELK

"Three little sisters are we,"—or cording to the belief of many. maybe it would be more accurate The three little calves of 1928 to say half-sisters. For their father have prospered wonderfully and is the old bull who has lorded the are fairly two-thirds as large as tule elk herd ever since its estabthe old cows now that they emerge lishment in Yosemite valley, acinto their yearling age. The fact

that the 1928 crop proved to be all hoped that females will preponderfemales is particularly fortunate, ate greatly among the calves for until then the herd had ten dropped next May, for the herd bulls and only six cows. Now the would be more nearly ideal if there number is almost evenly divided were twice as many or more cows `'between the sexes. It is to be than bulls.

RING-TAILED CATS AT GLACIER POINT

By J. B. Herschler We usually think of ring-tailed They appeared inquisitive but after cats (Bassariscus astutus raptor) a few minutes they disappeared. as belonging to the foothills region Some nights later the pantry door or Upper Sonoran zone, but it has had not been fastened securely and been my good fortune to observe shortly after midnight I was atthem at Glacier Point, an elevation tracted by a noise inside and upon in Yosemite of 7200 feet. entering found that two ring-tails While assigned there as ranger were the originators. When the naturalist, employes at the cafelight was turned on, one took refuge teria told me of seeing them occabehind some food cases while the sionally and it was my desire to other perched on a beam oversee them also, but when my assignhead. Evidently the latter had ment was completed, ring-tailed taken a piece of meat along for it cats remained more of a myth and soon began chewing and eating as a mystery than a reality, for not a though no one were near. It was single one had shown itself while perhaps only four or five feet above I was there. my head but was not uneasy when While preparing to return to the I walked under. The other one, not floor of the valley a way became feeling so secure, made several apparent that observations might frantic trips around the pantry and be made. The night watchman was finally crawled behind a screened leaving and I could have his place food container where it was pretty if I cared to. Willingly it was 'acwell cornered. Having a clear cepted as the work took only a view of it through the screen I part of the time leaving the balreached around behind and stroked ance free for nature study, it on the tail, which made it very ' The first appearance of cats nervous, but even with this, discame one evening about 7 o'clo'ck. comfort it did not try to escape. They had been seen in the woodInstead it started making a sort of. shed but by the time I arrived chuckling, hissing noise accompathey had gone. While making the vied by a slight, rapid up and down midnight round several nights movement of the head. later I did see two of them near One morning later while making the roof on top of the wood which the 1 o'clock round I heard a thud was piled there. They were far on the veranda and hurriedly turnenough away to feel secure and did ing on the flashlight saw one go not object to the ray from the down over the edge. Upon looking flashlight being thrown upon them to see where it had jumped from and were not at all frightened. when I heard the noise, I found a

window open in an unoccupied commit murder but when it got the room. Curious to know what it taste quieted down immediately and was doing I went inside and found began to eat, not stopping until the a second one still there. Closing whole piece had been finished. the window so it could not escape In order to get pictures I placed I tried to make friends with it the animal in a large wooden but it hid behind the radiator and bucket until morning, when I got a would not be driven out until I put series of seven passable photoa cord around its neck. By pullgraphs that I prize highly. ing on the cord and pushing with a Always I was on the lookout for stick it was dislodged. After some cats and did see them several times minutes of frantically trying to get more but it would usually be from away it became quiet and sullen. 11 p. m. to 2 a. m. The earliest in And not until after about an hour the evening I saw them was about of handling and petting did the 7 o'clock and the latest in the beautiful little creature seem to morning was about 4 and never in realize that no harm was intended the daytime. Having never seen and it began to be more friendly. more than two at a time I conFinally I perched it on one arm and eluded it was a single pair that had held out a piece of beefsteak. It ventured so far up the mountain made a fierce grab as though to and had decided to make a home under man's protection.

THE BAND-TAILED PIGEON'S NEST

By Enid Michael On August 3, 1928, a pair of bandmovement. When he decides on tailed pigeons (Columba fasciatal the dead twig he wants, he flies to was discovered at work on a nest. the branch, walks slowly out along The nest was placed on a horizontal the limb, leans over, grasps the twig branch of an incense cedar. It was firmly in his mandibles, and with a some 20 feet above the ground and quick twist of his head the twig is but a few inches from the main snapped off. Now with a great stem of the tree. As is the usual clatter of wings he flies to the nestcase when we find the nest of a tree. If the limb containing the pigeon, our attention was first atnest-site is limber, he does not tracted by the sound of snapping alight directly upon it but comes to twigs. The band-tailed pigeon gathperch above or below and apers no nesting material from the proaches the nest ' by a series of ground. The male bird flies into e. "flight hops." While the male is tree, usually a living cedar here out foraging for nesting material, in the valley, takes a perch, and the female waits more or less pagazes about in search of a suitable tiently at the nest-site. She receives twig. While making up his mind the material from her mate and as to just which twig he really does the actual work of construe wants, he has a strange way of tion. And between the two, if the bobbing his head. He draws his truth must be known, the nest is head back deliberately and then no work of art. jabs it forward with a quick, jerky By climbing a Douglas spruce

that stood about six feet away from there, and all that was necessary the nest-tree of the pigeons, it was was a lining of softer material. The possible for us to get a close-up female placed the twigs so as to view of the nest. As has been inti- form a slight depression to hold the mated, pigeons are poor nest build- one large egg. ers, but the particular nest under On August 9 the nest was apparobservation happened to be a very ently complete, but there was as good example. However, its sound yet no egg. On August 17, when ness was not due to craftsmanship, the tree was again climbed, the febut to a wise choice in selecting the male was incubating. She was renest-site. The nest was situated luctant to leave the nest, and it was in a heavy cluster of twigs and fol- not until I had approached within iage formed by that peculiar growth ten feet of her that she began to known as "witches' broom." This show signs of nervousness. She growth formed a perfect platform stood up and craned her neck and on which to place the nesting finally decided to move. There resting in a cradle of twigs was the material and, besides, the platform was large, white egg. The owner of the flat enough to obscure completely egg stood on a limb a few feet away the nest and setting bird from be- and bobbed her head in a strange, low. In such a perfect setting it nervous manner, but she was apwas an easy task for even unskilled parently not particularly frightened workmen to build a perfect nest. and held her ground until I left the And the male pigeon took advan- tree. Nothing was seen of the male tage of the situation and brought bird. spruce instead of the usual stiff No other Yosemite bird nests so twigs of incense cedar. In other late as the pigeon, and I am wondering if they do not sometimes rear two young in a season.

POHONO TRAIL ACQUAINTANCES

By James S. Smith The Yosemite School of Field and other interesting life which had Natural History left Camp Curry previously escaped their attention. The morning of July 20, anticipating With this alert naturalist afield, no two days in the open—the first to "flower is born to blush unseen." be spent on the Ledge Trail to Borrowing a John Muir expression, Glacier Point and its vicinity, the the class "sauntered" up the trail, second on the fourteen-mile Pohono halting frequently to make a study Trail back of the rim. of life along the way. Pohono Trail, which skirts Bridal Zones Change as Veil Fall, takes its name from the Altitude Gained wild spirit with which Indian legend With the gain in altitude, the vests the fall. Some of the members had covered the trail before, parent, the familiar acquaintances But with the guidance of Mrs. of the transition zone gradually Michael discovered many plants diminishing in numbers as the nest-

newer ones of the Canadian zone infir, white fir, and golden cup oak creased at about 6000 feet. Sentinel on the lower trails to lodgepole Dome, elevation 8117 feet, the highpine, Jeffrey pine, red fir, and lowest point reached, approaches the growing huckleberry oak on the lower limit of the Hudsonian zone. upper ones. In moist, shady haunts, lovely It was, however, in the glacial flowers refreshed the eye and meadows and near the meadow breathed an invitation to repose brook that the greatest variety and and enjoy their beauty. Where the luxuriance of floral life prevailed water hurried over rocks, scarlet Here individuals of the sunflower, mimulus displayed brilliant lips lily, mint, pea, buttercup, figwort, above the modest rein-orchis. At borage and primrose families flourhigher altitudes its relatives, the ished in a most delightful and sunny mimulus luteus and the deliabundant array. cately colored pink mimulus were Hardier clans of golden aster, encountered. everlasting flower, loco-weed, yarNot all flowers consort with the row and their associates relieved stream, but where the trail followed the barrenness of the gravel slopes or crossed it there against a backand provided other interesting illusground of boulders and shaded by trations for this ever-unfolding creek dogwood, chokecherry and story of the flowers. conifers, lived enchanter's nightBirds Add Color shade, blue-belled mertensia, false There were flashes of color from hellebore, Indian paintbrush, and birds on the wing, flutterings and scarlet gilia in a congenial state of calls in the trees and shrubs, and existence. Had the society been songs from hidden musicians debetter organized, the paintbrush, manding immediate attention. because of its parasitic propensiFlowers await the return of a group ties, would have been voted out as of prying naturalists; with birds it a bad citizen. is "catch as catch can." If, therefore, a sentence begun about flowers From under boulders and out of was finished about birds the soil-filled crevices along shade walls speaker's mental condition was not alum-root pushed an airy fringe of soft pink and scarlet penstemons challenged nor were the flowers posed in bright relief against green neglected. foliage or gray granite. A fox sparrow foraging under the Many Flowers Near Trails bushes, the antics of an olive-sided Other flower people, fond of the flycatcher or Western wood pewee, shade but not requiring running a "chick-a-dee-dee" from the leafy water in their homes, were found branches, the loud song of the canamong the pine woods. Giant hysyon wren, the high, clear notes of sop, arnica, harebell, false Solomon's the junco or the Sierra creeper, a seal, hound's tongue, Kellogia, larknuthatch against the red bark of a spur, monkshood, thimble berry, pine, or a bright flare of the tanaand innumerable others lightened ger or pileolated warbler were incithe shadows with their appealing dents to engage the eye and ear. blossoms. The trees changed from Thirty-five birds were seen or heard yellow pine, incense cedar, Douglas on the trip.

We had intimate glimpses of semite Valley and the high Sierra squirrels, chipmunks and the Sierra as seen from several viewpoints at chickaree. A gray squirrel of the the edge of the rim and especially Transition zone and a red of the from the bold outlook of the Jeffrey Canadian zone posed obligingly for pine on Sentinel Dome is a mere photographs. patter of words as of rain against And panoramas: Pictures are El Capitan or Half Dome. One can wholly inadequate and unsatisfaconly say, "^---- --- ' tory, and a word description of YoS. Smith,

WHY NOT BRING BACK THE BIG HORN?

By Robert P. Hays It has long been the hope of numbers, would justify the capture many who are interested in natuof a small band for restocking. ral history and conservation that It is estimated by Joseph Dixon the day would come when the that there may still be in the neighnumber of most of our big game borhood of 500 individuals alive in mammals would be on the inCalifornia. It has been hoped that, crease. Such a condition has in given sufficient time, these animals many places been brought about would gradually return into the with great success with certain northern Sierras under the protecforms, such as two species of elk, tion now afforded them. However. deer, bison, moose and caribou. it would be quicker and surer to Where properly protected and enbring a few healthy young mouncouraged, these animals have been tain sheep here for restocking pur- -found to increase and become a poses. Why would this project not valuable asset in the form of erebe worth while from the standpoint ating an interest in their welfare of the lesson in mammal conservaamong the people. tion? Could we not well afford to Just as the Tule Elk (Cervus bring back to the higher Yosemite nannodes), brought into Yosemite country our once common Sierra by the California Academy of Scimountain sheep? With the few reence, have been one of the finest maining flocks of this form, the instruments in showing the people Sierra Nevada Big Horn (Ovis what manner of game mammals canadensis sierrae) isolated in re once ranged over large areas of glens where they have very little plains and foothill country, a chance to enlarge their numbers, thriving band of Big Horn sheep would it not be a fitting and adto stir up the minds of tourists vantageous opportunity to re-estab would certainly be worth while. lish them and put them back on their once native mountain home? Let us give the mountain sheep The record that these splendid animals even more consideration than we have left on the higher slopes have, by encouraging and helping of the Yosemite peaks, showing to put it back on this part of its former they lived here in considerable r domain.

GIANT YELLOW PINE THREATENED

by C. H. Oneal ' The giant yellow pine located base. The soil that should be covbelow the old village is in danger ered -with loose " earth, decaying of dying. This noble monarch, needles, humus and ferns is packed after having withstood the ravages hard, barren, 'devoid of decaying of draught, fire, decay, wind and organic matter and parched. All old age for centuries, is in serious hope of getting the soil aerated so danger of being starved to death that decay bacteria can liberate the by its ardent admirers. Even now minerals so much needed is imposits major branches have large sible under present conditions. quantities of needles that are dead, Water cannot penetrate this pavestunted or sickly in appearance. ment-like crust. The tree is starvMany of the lower limbs hang lifeing. less. Only immediate action can The.life-giving remedy is simple. save this glorious tree; born in the There should be about a' 25-foot age of colonization; rejoicing in its radius fence placed entirely around mature strength at the time of the the tree and so constructed as to signing of the Declaration of Inkeep people; out., The hard, lifeless dependence; grandparent of a mulcrust of earth : inside the circle titude of sturdy offspring when should -.be loosened, covered with Lee surrendered; now doomed to leaf mold and, planted to 'ferns. The die unless some thoughtful friend road.,. should be set back so as to gives it nourishment. permit this, clearance around ' the Every day during.,the summer tree. The expense would be trivial months large numbers of autos and and this giant,,: over nine feet iii pedestrians encircle its base. In diameter, would be saved. Ou: order to provide for the comfort of children's children have the righ' the people, a well made, hard rolled to see and enjoy this' "blessed sun road has been built close to its fed mountaineer rejoicing in its strength."

BABY FISH EXERCISE AT FISH HATCHERY

By Ralph Teall Perhaps no habit of the tiny trout at the fish hatchery at Happy Isles interests more people than the number continually jumping from the water. It is a fascinating sight to watch them as they jockey for position and then, with a sudden rush, throw themselves clear of the water surface. Occasionally the angle at which they leave their trough is poorly chosen, and they land on the little board which separates two adjacent troughs, high and dry. Then it requires a considerable number of vigorous flips and flops for them to find their way back into their normal environment. People are prone to assume that this jumping habit is an attempt to get insects from the air, but a little observation gives no verification for such a belief. Almost all of the jumps are made at the upper end of the trough and in the inflowing stream of water. There is little reason for assuming any localization of tiny insects there

Moreover, no insects can be observed, even though the jumping may be seen to continue through the day. It is altogether probable that the little fish are only trying to make their way upstream, and jumping is the only method of conquering the obstacle interposed at the upper end of the trough. Perhaps it is only a manifestation of the normal habit or instinct of baby trout in the streams to seek the shallow pools at the sides or the heads of the streams in which they live, an instinct of great value in preventing aunts and uncles and big brothers from using them as the main course of a somewhat cannibalistic dinner.

RECENT MUSEUM ACCESSIONS

By George M. Wright While on a tour of the United by H. T. Finck, 1891 States, making museum studies "Photography for the Sportsman under the auspices of the American Naturalist," by L. W. Brownell. Association of Museums and the 1904. National Park Service, Park Nat- "A History of Land Mammals in uralist C. P. Russell obtained the the Western Hemisphere," by W. B. following volumes to be presented Scott, 1913. to the Yosemite Museum as a gift "History of the State of Califorfrom the Yosemite Natural History nia," by John Frost, 1851. Association: "The Hell-roarin' Forty-niners," "The Yosemite Valley and the by R. W Ritchie, 1928. Mammoth Trees," T. Nelson and "In the Footprints of the Padres," Son. by Charles Warren Stoddard, 1911. "Lobo, Rag and Vixen," by Ernest "Yosemite and the Big Trees of Seton Thompson. California," by J. M. Hutchings, 1894. "Preservation of Wild Animals "Stories of the Great West," by of North America," by H. F. OsTheodore Roosevelt, 1910. born. "A-Birding on a Bronco," by Flor- "The Trail of the Sandhill Stag," ence A. Merriam, 1896. by Ernest Seton Thompson. "Birds of California," by I. G. "New California Tourists' Guide," Wheelock, 1904. Sam Miller Agency, 1886. "Winning the Oregon Country," "On and Off the Saddle," by Lisby John T. Faris. penard Rutgers, 1894. "The Extermination of the Amer- "The Splendid Wayfaring," by lean Bison," by Hornaday, 1889. John G. Neihardt, 1920. "California Sketches, New and "The Shotgun and Sporting Old," by Bishop Fitzgerald, 1897. Rifle," by Stonehenge, 1859. "Last Leaves of American His- "Wrinkles; or Hints to Sportstory," by Emma Willard, 1853. men," by the old Shekarry, 1874. "Northwestern Wyoming, Includ- "The Still-hunter," by Theodore S. ing Yellowstone National Park," Van Dyke, 1904. by W. A. Jones, 1873. "The Biography of a Silver Fox," "History of American State Geoby Ernest Seton Thompson, 1909. logical and Natural History Sur- "The Pacific Coast Scenic Tour," veys," by Merrill, 1920.

"The Ice Age in North America," C W. Sawyer, 1910; "Our Rifles" by C. F. Wright, 1891. by C. W. Sawyer, 1920, and "A His- "Yosemite Legends," by Bertha tory of Firearms" by H. B. C. PoiH. Smith, 1904. lard, 1926. John Howell gave two volumes, Horace M. Albright was the don- "Sir Francis Drake's Voyage or of Volume I of the "History of Around the World, " by H. R. Wagner, 1926, and "Sketches of the mand of Captains Lewis and Clark," Sixties," by Bret Harte and Mark 1814 edition. Special interest atTwain, 1926, both of his own pubtached to this book because it was lishing. He also contributed an old the property of John Muir. railroad schedule of 1871, "ShortA set of four framed pictures ilest Route to the Big Trees." lustrating the operation of Stream Mrs. Herbert Fleishhacker preFlow Measurement Stations in Calsented three volumes on firearms, ifornia were received from the "Firearms in American History" by United States Geological Survey.

THE VAGABOND SONG

Orville O. Hiestand I know the time when the first larks rise, The pure, clear pools where the rainbows leap; I know the nest where the shy deer lies, The shadowy woods where the panthers creep. I need no money to pay my rent, And there's never a mortgage to bear. I thank the Lord for my stargemmed tent. With its bright walls like old paintings rare. My comrades are the friendly stars That peer through rifts in my leafy tent; My draperies are silver spangles and bars Through the branches by the pale moon sent. I sow no seed, no debt I owe, With shy wood folk I hold converse; I am richer than any man I know, I'm lord of the whole great universe.

YOSEMITE NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK CALIFORNIA

Dear Friend: Here are three good reasons why you should become a member of the Yosemite Natural History Association: 1. It will keep you in touch with Yosemite through "Yosemite Nature Notes". 2. It offers you opportunity to secure NATURE MAGAZINE, AMERICAN FORESTS AND FOREST LIFE, or both, at an unprecedented low price. 3. You materially aid a non-profiting Government educational activity (The Yosemite Museum and its attendant nature guide service) when you remit your membership fee. Please read a sample of "Yosemite Nature Notes", consider our purposes, and don't overlook the benefits of the combination offers with the American Nature Association and the American Forestry Association. Remit by check or money order. Cordially yours,

Russell Park Naturalist