PETE, the SCIENTIFIC CATFISH Older Male Five-Lined Skinks May {!Low· and Even Civilization Depends on Lose the Striped Pattern

lg. tat 1St !ts st. lre in­ ra­ Jd· be la­ md Iso of ted Volume 9 AUGUST 15, 1950 Number 8 Wll of the rds ISC, THOSE ELUSIVE COLONIES OF LIZARDS the ------·* ~on * * * * * * * * * * p az By Kenneth D. Carlander and I.'IS. THE SPIRITUAL SIDE OF ' Robert B. Moorman ~er. I owa State College 1en· CONSERVATION Although few people see them, Jeir lizards are found in several parts int· B y Earl L. Shaub of the state. They usually live in lfO· Volumes have been written from colonies, and several may be found at one place and none in neighbor­ cer· the scientific angle on the needs of ing localities. the conserving our natural resources. We have five species of lizards Jald We should also see these needs in Iowa. Three of them are skinks, the from a spiritual viewpoint. The fact that we draw our very life one of them is a racerunner, and ~Je from these resources carries with the last is a legless lizard, the glass it some tremendous moral obli­ snak e. pro· gations. The skinks are smooth scaled the One of the greatest of these is lizards, with flat round scales, or our duty to wisely use, conserve overlapping and more or less equal row. and restore the natural resources in size over the entire body. On r's from which we live, so that future the undersurface of the scales are generations may enjoy the same bony plates which give the skinks abundance that we have. This is a a firm armor. Two of the Iowa sacred obligation, stressed in the species are striped. The five-lined scriptures as well as in the ex­ or blue-tailed skink (Eumeces ,orne periences of the human race. Do­ fasciatus) has a light line down minion over the earth with its the middle of the back and two .hree plants and animals, fish and fowl, light lines on each side. The line Wolf is a big responsibility that should on the back extends forward and s for be met wholeheartedly and with for ks on the top of the head. >lace solemnity and dignity. The black-banded or northern entY The first of these resources, of prairie skink (Eumeces septentri­ n as course, is the soil. The scriptures onalis) has three wide brownish­ jver. refer to man as a handful of clay gray stripes on the back separated Jtber into which the Creator has blown by two narrow black stripes. On cans. his warm breath. Though this may each side, there are three black and be taken as an allegory in scrip­ stripes separated by two narrow ards; tural language it is in reality a bluish-white stripes. Young skinks 1dant great truth. Most of the elements of both species have deep blue tails in our bodies came from the soil and are very different from the into which the processes of crea­ adults. The body of a young skink tion have blown the warm bre:tth is black with narrow white stripes, of sunshine, air and water. five in the five-line and seven in the Good health, then, and even life black-banded skink. The blue col­ ~rs. itself depends on good soil. In fact, The black-band ed skink is one of five lizards found In the state. They are secretive, oration of the tail is lost when the ~rton. everything we have or hope to seldom seen in t he open, and most of the t ime live un der rocks, logs or in burrows. skinks are about two inches long Everett Speaker Phot o. r the have-our food, the wool and cot­ (not counting the tail). Adult ssion. ton in our clothes, the materials in males, which are usually larger )' and our houses, all the commodities in than the females, may be three lange our commerce-came from the soil. inches long plus a four-inch tail. :ape. " Our standard of living, therefore, PETE, THE SCIENTIFIC CATFISH Older male five-lined skinks may {!low· and even civilization depends on lose the striped pattern. ••JOY• the fertility of the earth. By A. George Morris disbelief that I had known Pete the In the southwest corner of the Nations of the past flourished Catfish for seventeen years. They state is found a larger species, the as long as their soil was good and When one's word is doubted lifted their eyebrows higher when Sonoran skink ( Eumeces obso­ , best decayed when their soil was de­ about a friendship of seventeen I added an estimate that P ete had letus). The body of this skink may 1)1~1"· II 4f(l pleted. Palestine, large stretches years' duration, then it's time to been swimming in Missouri waters be almost five inches long and the ,er of China and Greece are glarmg do something drastic- even though tail seven inches. The Sonoran 1r- for about five years before we be­ examples of what happens to once the friend is a channel catfish. came pals at the Chesapeake State skink is not striped, but each scale prosperous countries that fail to Such is what I decided when Fish Hatchery, near Mt. Vernon. on the back and sides is outlined in conserve and restore the ground fellow members of the Missouri "How did I know all that?" they dark brown or black. The young (Continued on page 64) Conservation Commission showed (Continued on pa~e 63) (Continued on page 62J Page 58 IOWA CONSERVATIONIST - Iowa Conservationist BLACKBIRDS Published Monthly By The IOWA CONSERVATION COMMISSION B.} Roberts ~\lann 914 Grand Avenue Des Memes, Iowa F u n •' I P r t•,t•n c Di.,lr ic l o f Cool. ( nunt"', Illinui' (No Rights Reserved! WM S BEARDSLEY Governor of Iowa Typical of fall evenings are the BRUCE F STILES. Director flocks of blackbirds that gather in JAMES R HARLAN, Editor the rna rsh('S, in the fields, in groves LOIS RECKNOR Asso 1atc Ed1tor of tunhe1, or along tr·ee-lined su­ MEMBERS OF THE COMM ISSION burban str eels. Occas10nally m E R~ d daytime on,, will see a flock of E ·.M. .::_ _ 1q ARTHUR C GINC~ERICH . Wellman thousands perhaps hundreds of F. L POYNEER...... Ccd"lr Rap1ds thousands flying in a narrow I D REYNOLDS . . . . n.'lslon C A. DINGES ...... Emmetsburq column that may extend as far as ~ fR:O DA VI:: r-· ~--··n-c ') t' ·n one can see and continue for an CIRCULATION THIS ISSUE 60.000 hom or more Sometimes such flocks are of one .... - on1c::t: ol ut:" M n( 1 vo kind of blackbird; sometimes they 1'147 und r lh A t I Mru are mixtures of l\'.·o or more kinds. :. bscnpt There a 1 e several species very dif­ 3 years for S 1.00 ferent m appearance in spring. ~ubscr •• t€1 rr mtss.on 914 Gran ,.. In the fall, when moulting, it IS Momcs Jowa. Snnd c-a h h c-k difficult to tell the males of some rder species from the females, or even one species from another, unless WALLEYE REPRODUCTION Big, whit e, puffy clouds tha t look l.ike balls of cotton rr.ean fair weat her H ther st a y one knows them welL In 1950 the Spirit Lake hatchery scattered , but when they gather 1.1 a mass over one spot , cwalleyes one of the first birds to arrive, is Shoo lat~ and produced 51,368 000 fry The .. the male red-winged blackbird. lie Clear Lal{e hatchcn had a 77 2 FAIR WEATHER OR NO COME RAN S W has a red patch, fringed with yel­ per cent hatch on walleyes and pro- • I 0 R N 0 low below, on each shoulder. They WI duced 32,244.000 fry. The Spirit ~o on\!, l'XCept these dry ice ex- nest neat water. usually among Lake hatchery produced 1,690,000 perts, can do much about the undersides of thetr lea\'es, look cattails, rushes and willows around northern pike fr} for ram wrthin 21 hours. weather, but if a camper or pic- marshes and ponds. Another marsh A study of the natural walleye nicker has some idea of v.hat it "Heavy dew on the grass pre- dweller, rather rare here now, is spawn over a p('rlod of five years wlll be like on the morrow, he can sages fa1r v. eather, lack of it is the spectacular yellow-headed revealed a fertility of 2 5 per cent prepare for the worst or best likely to mean ram blackbird. It is larger than the u to 42 per cent Para~nlism of the "Red at night, sailor's delight red-winged blackbird and the male Ill! eggs was noted during 1916, 1947 Luis M. H enderson. noted artist red in the morning, sallors has a brilliant yellow head, throat and 1948. Circumstantial evidence and outdoorsman, has an interest- take warning! The same rule ap­ nd che::>t, with a white wing-patch. torr pointed to the organism Hyalella 1 ~g chapter on weather signs in plies to rainbows in re\·erse. A Equally unmistakable because the and I scud, or freshwater shrimp 1 The hiS new book, "The Outdoor Guide." rainbO\\' in the morning bodes no male has wh1te patches on wings mg parasit1sm probably is not 1mpor-' These sJgns are not infallible, but good. but a rainbow 111 the evening and rump, with a buff patch on f I tant in the over-all ferl1lity of the they arc not based on superstition portends a fa1r tomorrow. the back of head and neck, is the natural spawn. and warrant the attention of any- "When the moon wears a halo, Optn bobolink, or "skunk blackbird," Wei'! Total natural production of fer- one who plans to take a camping or has a ring around it. look for famous for his joyous bubbling ner tile walleye eggs 10 Sptnt L ake trip this summer ram The same goes for a red medley of song They are common tnen for the year 1947 was calculated at Regarding weather signs, Lu moon But when the moon is a here in meadows and prairies. In gtvi 2,389,660,000, representmg about says "If the smoke from your clear, bright 'wh1le' you are pretty the South they are known as "rice crea 50 times the total production of the campfire nses in a long, sp1ral safe in plannmg a trip next day. birds" or "reed birds." t Ual hatchery. Stomach analysis of thread, there's good weather "When the sky 1s hke black Another common blackbird is gatn several species of Hsh from two ahead, but 1f 1t rises sluggishly for velvet and the stars seem especi­ the brown-headed cowbird, which fonn lakes showed that walleye egg pre- a short dJstance, drifts off slov.ly ally brilliant and more numerous follows cattle, just as they ong­ lttne dation was most promment in bull- and settles. then break out the than usual, look for ram or sno\'. mally followed the great herds It hll heads and perch, w1th carp and ram gear. the next day of bison that roamed the prairies. suckers taking a few eggs Bnefs, "If all the trees 1 parttcularly "B1g, white, puffy clouds that Perhaps that is why the female July Bioloqy Scm war the maples 1 are showmg the look like balls of cotton mean fair ~:~ weather, if they stay scattered, builds no nest but lays her eggs 01 m the nests of other birds Some­ but when they gather 10 a mass hunl what similar is the rusty black- lllor over one spot, such as a mountain 1 LONG-TIME CONSERVATION EMPLOYEE DIES or wooded hill, look out! ( Coni inucd on page 64 l I101U "C1rrus clouds, 01 'mare's tails,' * * * * * the Robert B Coopei, 44 Spirit those little wispy affairs h1gh up, Lake, Iowa, supenntendent of fish­ are a bad sign. If the~ arc drifting eries of the Stale Conservation rapidly across the sk~. there is CommiSSIOn died at a hospital in likely to be a storm within the LaCrosse \\'isconsin, July 3, after next 2-1 hours. a five-day illness. He is S\UV!ved "Clouds that moYc at different by his widow, son Robert J , 21, levels and in oppos1tc directions and daughter Lois F.: 18 are a warnmg of unpleasant Cooper had been employed by weather ahead. the Conservation CommiSSIOn and "If the clouds float high about its predecessors for 26 years. He sundown and arc tinged with red. was born at Lansmg, Iowa, Decem­ prcpa re for high wind lo follow. ber 13, 190;) He was first em­ "V.'hen you sc>c crows pitching ployed in 192·1 as cook on the old and tumbling about in their flight. Hawkeye No. 2 railway fish car. take up on the guy ropes ... He had been fisht•nes for eman on there's a gale in the making." - the Mississippi R1ver, superm­ RrmilltJfon Nc1c~ LC'ttr r. tendent of tlw Backbone trout The "ouife1u11. spt'oty" of the hatchet')' at Strawbeny Point and J lm hfrm.1n Pl"olo > to twe!Ye ft>l't ft·om the animal Unmis t DEER ATTACKS 1949-50 RACCOON SEASON Information reported by raccoon CHILDREN hunters revealed that the average hunting party caught 57 raccoon ( f:drcor s N ote The tendency of well· meaning but ill-informed people to "rescue pe>t· hour of hunting, 50 per cent of the orphaned" wildlife babies presents a sen· the hunting was done during the ous problem to game officials. W ith dee!' in becoming more and more numerous tn first 10 days of the open season, ~es Iowa, "l'escued'' fawns have added to this 57 per cent of the raccoon were headache. The release from the O!'egon SU· Game Commission is an "it can happen caught during the first 10 days of m here" story.) the open season, and 88 per cent of of Three children were recently at­ the catch was taken during the of tacked by a pet deer near St. first half of the season. Hunting 'OW Helens, Oregon. Wayne Young, success per party per hour re­ as State Game Commission agent, was mained fairly constant throughout an called upon to dispose of the un­ the season, although there was r uly deer. The officer described a slightly higher catch per trip Jne the deer as a n abandoned yearling early in the season. 1ey doe. She wore a reflector-studded More than 50 per cent of the tds collar about her neck. The doe's hunters believe that Iowa's rac­ jlf. ill temper prompted its desertion coon population is still increasing. ng. by the owners, according to Young. The sex ratio of 1,741 raccoon, as is The doe first trailed after a five­ reported by hunters and from IIDe year-old boy who was following his pelts exammed m fur houses, was ren mother and older brother through 90 7 males per 100 females. There ess a wooded area along Morgan Road. were 5 young raccoon for each Suddenly the deer reared up and adult female in the harvest. It is l!ld struck the child down. The brother, believed that Iowa's raccoon popu­ Shoot ing a wild duc k in the a utumn does not necessarily reduce the total spring popu· lation is still on the mcrease or is latlon by one duck, for ma ny a game bird falling before some hunter's gun would other· attracted by the boy's screams, He w ise have d ied before another bre eding season rolled a round. J im Sherman Photo. hurled a staff at the deer, driving that 1t is at or near its peak.­ Briefs, July Biology Semina1·. el· * * * 1t off. Fortunately, the child had !ley WILDLIFE POPULATION MECHANICS AND MANAGEMENT dropped to the ground a nd doubled Jng up. Severe bruises were t he boy's of "civilized" deer and should serve llld B) l•'r a nl< C. Bellrose only marks from the encounter. as a warning to people with ideas bunting regulations for a game rsh and Shortly afterward this same doe of rearing fawns as gentle pets. is species, we must first measure the struck out at two other children 1 EliL.aheth Bro\Ht Chase According to Robert Mace, chief ded total annual loss that a population who approached it. of big game for the Game Com ­ the Up to about 15 years ago, few of that species undergoes, and we Another recent deer encounter mission, these actions are attrib­ aale wildlife conservat.on agenc1es had must measure the influence of occurred when Willamette Valley utable to deer's natural aggressive­ ·oat a significant amount of factual in­ varying kill intensities on that loss. game agents were called upon to ness. Once a captive deer loses tcb. formation on game populations What effect does a moderate pick up a captive buck. This deer its fear of man, it can no longer hunter-kill have on the over-all the and kill. Consequently most hunt­ was held under permit, but the be considered gentle. annual mortality? How h1gh can ngs ing regulations governmg the take owner, who had bottle-fed it as a State police and game agents the kill rate go 10 a game spec1es on of game were based largely on tiny fawn, could no longer trust throughout Oregon are now re­ before it reaches a pomt beyond the opinions and more often than not the animal. When approached in treiving fawns picked up by sym­ which the productivity potential r d" . were applied in a hit-or-miss man­ its enclosure, the enraged deer pathetic individuals suffering from ner Even though recent develop­ cannot bring the populalion back defied two game agents with slash­ an illusion that each tiny fawn ling to its former level? DOD ment of w1ldlife technology has mg hooves and antlers before it lying in the woods has been aban­ In given conservation agenc1es in­ The year-to-year game-regula­ could be hauled away for release doned. Doe deer leave the1r fawns rice creasingly large amounts of fac­ tion "tactics" should come, as they in the Tlilamook Burn. When in hiding during the first two or tual information on wh1cb to base often do now, from up-to-the mm­ freed, the buck stood its ground, three weeks, returmng at frequent 1 is game regulations, most of the m­ ute census and klll information ready to attack the first man who intervals so that the fawns may biCh formation obtained to the present The population information neces­ left the truck. suckle. It is against the law to ,rig· time bas been inadequate in that sary to lay out the general game­ Actions such as this are typical hold these baby deer in captivity. regulation "strategy" should de­ erds it has been concerned mamly with * * * • * * fies censuses of the population and in­ velop from long-term b a n d recovery data and from age ratto nale ventories of the hunter take. eggs Officials engaged in drafting data. Band recoveries furnish facts on population losses; age ratios >!lie· hunting regulations need to know supply facts on productivity. ack· more than trends in game popula­ tions and kill; lhey need to know From "Population Losses in the the maximum proportion of a Mallard, Black Duck, a11d Blue­ • game population that can be har­ .dnged Teal/' Illinois Natu1 al Ins­ vested without adversely affecting tory Survey. the future of that population. It is evident that a large proportion of any game population will dis IS SILT RUINING YOUR appear each year f1·om natural LAKE? causes; it is a responsibility of Many of Iowa's little lakes are management to see that the great- filling up. Too much dirt is wash­ est possible use is made by man of mg downstream mto the lake from t he annual losses that normally unprotected slopes. The corn belt occur. Shootmg a wild duck in the needs lots of these made lakes autumn does not necessanly re· They supply recreation in a big duce the total sprmg population way. Fishing, boating, bathing are by one duck, for many a game bird made available to many fallmg before some hunter's gun I But most of the lakes were built would otherwise have dted from without full consideration of the natural causes before a nother silting problem. Makmg a lake breeding season rolled around. means more than just throwing a P araphrased f rom Elton. A duck dam across a stream. It should shot might have died m any case mean a program of tree planting, the next day or week in 1ts or- grass planting and coutouring up­ dained place in the life curve. stream.-Wallaccs' Fw mer a11 nounced 1 wtth the opposite shore lin<> CO\ ered Destgned to "meet the needs of wtlh trees and wate1 lilies bloom­ officials charged with the admm­ ing along the edgC' of the lal

1950 FISH CENSUS F1 shmg success in the seven lal{es studied has been about aver­

age th1s year, even though ex­ 1 tremely adverse climatic condi­ • .... tions prevailed durmg the census period from May 15 lo July 1 Sptrtl, Storm and Lost I sland •;IJ. • Lakes showed Significant increases m catch per hour, while East and West Okoboji, Clear and Black Hawl< Lakes remained average or " One soon realizes t he great values in fa mily life, character building, a_nd nat ure st ud y With spring Bill got the urge, took off, a nd slightly below Briefs, July Bwl­ which are provided by the people and for the people through cooperat1on of our stat e was soon out of sight He never returned J im Sherman Photo. uyy Stmillar park program." Jim Sherman Photo. - IOWA CONSERVATIONIST Page 61 G :s Tales o o o FISHIN' AN' FACTS za- (Continued from page 1;0 l ~th their reappearance. This continued We hear the carp are biting, and ust all winter. Bill Blanchard says he caught 'ish (Editor's Note: This il> the seventh of a series relative to life tn early Iowa. "In March Jim Sherman came about 50 pounds of them the other It i~ taken from a History of jones County. I!'wa, 1879. Addtllonal e_xcerpts night above the Delhi dam in about art- from ptoneer books, n<.wspapers, and dtar.es wtll be pnnted tn future tssues.) out to take some pictures. Appar­ an- ently 'Bill' had not been getting half an hour. They were all big along too well with his lady love, ones weighing s1x to eight pounds. of FISH HATCHING menced work and m the summer of and with the return of spring was Local fishermen around Hop­ lin- 1874 erected a "state hatching gettmg the urge for more com­ kmton report the carp are biting. fish ESTABLISHMENT house" near Anamosa, 20 by 40 patible company. When Sherman It's a funny thing, when carp are the feet, two stories, the second story unlimbered his camera, 'Bill' took biting you can catch 'em any place ing The 15th General Assembly in being designed for a tenement, the off, spiraling around and around, where there are carp but when 1nd 1874 passed "an act to provide first story being a "hatching and was soon out of sight in the they don't bite here they won't life for the appointment of a Board room." The hatching troughs are sky. He never returned." bite up at Delhi dam or any place in- of Fish Commissioners for the supplied with water from a mag­ else. ·ov- construction of fishways for the nificent spring four feet deep and Conservation Officer Maurice Much research has been done, do- protection and propagation of fish," about ten feet in d1ameter, afford­ J ensen, in charge of Jackson and but no one has come up with a .ent also "an act to provide for fur­ ing an abundant and unfailing Clinton Counties, writes : satisfactory answer yet. We have noticed that when there are storms !tO· mshing the rivers and lakes with supply of pure runmng water. "You can't always tell about the brewing fish don't often bite well, ous fish and fish spawn." Th1s act During the firs t year, from May Mississippi River ice. In January appropriated $3,000 for the pur­ 10, 1874, to May 10, 1875, the but when fair weather comes and Jack Musgrove, State Museum Di­ stays they usually begin to bite. DiS pose. In accordance with the pro­ commissioners distributed within rector, asked me if I would pick We have noticed that catfish bite ist- visions of the fish act above men­ the state 10,000 shad, 300,000 Cali­ up some of the lead poisoned ducks best in hot weather and in cool of tioned, on the 9th of April, 1874, fornia salmon, 10,000 bass, 80,000 up on the pool behind Dam 13. I spells they don't seem hungry- in :on- S. B. Evans of Ottumwa, Wapello Penobscot salmon, 5,000 land­ said I would and walked out on fact, we remember that bass and lan- County, B. F . Shaw of Jones locked salmon, and 20,000 of other the ice about a mile from shore other fish seem to take hold better The County, and Charles A. Haines of species. where the ducks were rafted. The in hot weather. We expect the Nsh Black Hawk County were ap­ By act approved March 10, ice looked and felt solid enough smallmouth bass to bite best in of pointed to be fish commissiOners by 1876, the law was amended so that until, all of a sudden, I was in the July and Augus t in this river here the Governor. These commission­ there should be but one instead of water I had quite a little trouble and we have always found that 330, ers met at Des Moines May 10. three fish commtssaoners, and B. gettmg out because the ice kept evening was better than early ;on- 1874, and organized by the elec­ F. Shaw was appointed, and the breaking off under me as I put mornings for bass fishing, and we ton: tion of Mr. Evans pres1dent. Mr. commissioner was authorized to my weight on the broken edge. I have often caught nice bass right by Shaw secretary a nd superintend­ purchase 20 acres of land on which kept 'cool,' however, and finally around noon in hot weather. ent and Mr. Haines treasurer. the state hatching house was lo­ rva· made the grade. I didn't try the Now over in the Buffalo west of ries The stale was parlilioned into cated near Anamosa. In the fall of ducks again, however, until the here we find that bass bite best be three d1stricts or divisions to en­ 1876 Commissioner Shaw gathered next cold spell." I most any time of the day, and we In· able the commissioners to betlet from the sloughs of the Mississippi think the reason is that there are ilife superintend the constructiOn of where they would have been de­ Dwight Morse, U. S. game man­ a lot more bass m the Buffalo than fishways as required by the law. stroyed over a million and a half agement agent and former conser­ in the Maquoketa. ::== That part lying south of the Chi­ small fish, which were distributed vation officer in Dickinson County, We think soft-shelled crawfish you cago, Rock Island and Pac1fic in the various rivers of the state wrates · to be the best bait, and they must orth Railroads was placed under the and turned into the Mississippi. "A fr1end of mine called me late be alive as bass seldom take them ~ or special supervision of Mr. Evans, In 1875-76, 533,000 California one night last fall and sa1d there dead. Next choice with us is "blue ·ood. that part between the railroad and salmon and in 1877, 303,500 lake had been a bunch of Canada geese nose" minnows, usually found Do the Iowa division of the Illinois trout were distributed in various using a small lake for several under rocks close to the shore at tO OS· Central Railroad, Mr. Shaw, and rivers and lakes in the state. The days. He suggested we have a try this time of the year. A little later :>pen all north of the Illinois Central experiment of stocking the small at them the next morning. in the year this minnow disappears, on g. Railroad, Mr. Haines. At th1s streams with brook trout is being "We went out before daylight, and where it goes is a mystery your meetmg the superintendent was tried, and 81,000 of the speckled put out about twenty goose decoys, you will find a few in deep holes in t-of· authorized to build a state hatch­ beauties were distributed in 1877. and bad ourselves in the willows creeks but not many. cor· ing house, to procure the spawn of In 1876 100,000 young eels were and brush to await developments. When the "blue nose" gets valuable fish adapted to the waters distributed. These came from N ew Developments were not long com­ scarce we use the spotted sucker • of Iowa, hatch and prepare the York and they are increasing ing. Before opening hour, the called "stone-rollers." They have young fish for distribution, and rapidly. At the close of 1877 there county road was lined with autos a small white mouth and they are assist in putting them into the were at least a dozen private fish of hunters plotting how they waters of the state. very good bait for bass and also farms in successful operation in could sneak on our goose decoys. walleyes and northern pike. Often In compliance with these in­ various parts of the state. Com- We had left our car in the farmer's catfish will take them alive or s tructions, Mr. Shaw at once com-

HOW GOOD TO BE GOOD? How good must fishmg be to be good? The Ohio Wildhfe Depart- 1 ment offers a rule compiled by fish "It's a funny thlng-wh~tn c:arp ar~t biting management experts- at least one vou c: ot n c:atch th~tm any plac:lt, but when fish per hour per angler Woods they don't bite h~tre th~ty won't bite up at Slnc:lt Iowa's first hatc:hing hou s~t was uec:t ed in 1874, more than 150 hatcheries and Delhi dam or a ny plac:~t els~t." Jim Sh~trman r~tarlng ponds hav ~t b~tltn c:onst ruc:tltd. Air vi~tw of Dec:orah hatc:h~try ponds, and Wa ters, Davenport Times Photo. Page 62 IOWA CONSERVATIONIS T - PETER RABBIT TOUGH l COMPETITOR I If there's anything that blings j dl•light to the newspaper editor, it ts to receJ\e other written or oral comment regardtng stories and con when the comments a r e crit­ ical tlu•y are welcomed as evidence that someone has read and thought o\'t•r what \\'£>'\'C had to say. No Frankly, the editorials a r e oc " We 're left a bit punled a s to just what deer possess as a topic of conversation casionally wrillen for the express t hat our pe t Issues so notably lack." purpose of "getting- a rise." When • we feel that a subject is important * We're most grateful for the calls enough to warrant wide discussion, we've received regarding the sur­ we may do our blamedest to arouse prising prevalence of deer in thi::; asl discussion of it vicinity. But we're left a bit puz­ So what happens? We goad, we zled as to just what deer possess fi beg, we deride, we enthuse ove1 as a topic of conversatiOn that our ~e, The ftv e·lined skink on it s nest In a hollow log The lizard w il l soon leave the e ggs, matters dear to our heart in the pet issues so notably lack. Bel­ which w ill ha tch w ithout pa re nta l a tte ntion. J a mes A . Slat er Photo. hope of forcing some comment on mond I ndependent Pfl them and NOTHING happens. wl away. \Vithin a few \\'ccks a new Then we print a little item in :\lain psnake Street regarding a fawns being fa ( r ut frum pns::c 57) mals is greatly increased by ha vin~ Opl!lsuurus tlUitwlis) gets its seen south of town. Promptly one are jet black v.ith bright blue tails, the tail vertically flattened. Thus 1al name from the fact that the tail kind reader after another rings flat tails are very common in aquallc ca and the scales on the head have breaks off readily and that it has us up to report deer being seen animals, occurnng for example in sci while or orange spots. As the muskrats ollers, many lizards, and no legs and therefore looks more in their fields and farmyards. tiq skink grows older, the color be­ even in the ridicuously small lull of like a snake than a lizard It has I comes paler and oli\e tan. Now don t misunder stand us. the hippopotamus. eyelids and external ear openmgs Skmks are secretive lizards, sel­ thl near the back of the head which Cal dom seen in the open. :\lost of the will distinguish it from any snake time they h\e under rocks or logs w~ or in burrows. They hibernate in Glass snakes have smooth hard scales and an inward fold of skin ~~ the burrows from October to April. tll Scott and Sheldahl ( 1937) report the length of the body on each side to allow for expansion after a tb finding 52 hibernating black­ ne banded skinks in a football-sized big meal. The back is usually mass, four and one-half feet below light gray to brown and the sides usually have one or two dark did the surface in a gravel p1t refase ho plle m Palo Alto County, Iowa. brov. n stripes and vertical barring The lower surfaces arc white. Ha The black banded skink seems to wa prefer gr·assy hillsides with sandy Glass snakes usually burrow PI soil, while the five-lined skink is and farmers frequently find them hu wh1le plowmg. They have been le­ primarily a woods dweller. llU The six-lined r a c e r u n n e r portcd from several parts of th, (CIIemi head and the belly are tive creatures fr om some areas lllJ covered w1th fairly large plates The authors would appreciate ne The tail is extremely long and cov­ lcaming of any similar observa­ lht ered \\'lth 1 ough scales. An adult tions of lizards being killed in large rac.erunner may be up to three numbers. HOW ABOUr I mches long plus a stx-inch tail EVERY PHEASANr N~Xr YEAR ? ~~~ The back is olive brown, and the A COCK tha sides arc black with three narrow Echoes • • • (Continued from )lnge Gl) - - het m· yellov. green stnpes. Males dur­ missioner Shaw IS enthusiastically Of ing the spring mating season may devoted to the duties of his office six be brightly colored. and has performed an impor tant Of The name "racenmnet·" is de­ sen·1ce for the people of the state 35 ri\ ed from their habit of sunning b)- his intelligent and successful ha1 them sci vt•s on bare paths or roads operatwns ter and running ahead as a person ap­ The 16th General Assembly the proaclws. Although their running passed an act m 1878 prohibiting hal speed has been clocl

I balan('e of nature 01 suffer lhe many fold with full larders. good nattttal consequences health and prospenty And so it is with all othet nat­ This work is a means of self-ex­ ural resources, includmg the pressiOn for we are a part of the streams. which we must keep clean ltving landscape The man who I and free hom erodmg s11t and the part1c1pates m it is a pat tner with pollution oi cities and industttes God in a creative act. The very If we fat! lo protect and replemsh subject ts alive and the thing that the \ ounttes we use \\e must suffer bmds us in fellowship is a quiet, and die That is the nJ.tural pen­ deep feeling a love of the land, alty for failure to keep the sacred the source of our sustenance, om trust. inspiration, our enJoyment. The results of out neglect to It is a h1gh c lhng to preside keep fa1th \\lth natme are appall­ at the mystery of the growth of the mg Forests ate d1sappeatmg be­ plants, the birds and the animals fore the ruthless axes, fertile land It is in this work that we live is \\ashing down the rivers and closely \\lth nature and read the Yo mto the sea at a costly rate, many story she is contmually writing spec1es of buds and beasts ar-e be- Let's be acutely sens1t1ve to per­ coming extinct OUI neglect 1s all ce1ve and feel and appreciate that the more shameful because we stm·y. Let's live and enjoy it. know how to repair the damage It is m that story that v1e re d Conservationists have all the set- that creation 1s all one piece. We enlifk remedies to the pi'Oblem must conserve all or we will lose but they are helpless Without pub- all S01l, water, forests, wildlife he support. are but p1eces m the pattern All • Conservation is just sound com- are bricks with wh1ch the Master mon sense econom1cs and good B\llldet has created the pyramid of bus mess from whtch everybody life a pyramid on \\hie h man will profit, and any practice that stands at the apex. prestdmg over More conserva t ion should be t a ug ht In the schools; more ministers should base sermons will benefit the world is smely all on the subject, more b ankers should d eny loans to fa rmers who fail to practice co n· b serva t lon, a nd eve ryone sho uld be a le rt t o this vital c a use, because the1 r health and based on fundamental spintuai All th1s \\as aptly summtd up bv prospe rity de pend on It J im Sherma n Ph o t o. laVI.s Charles N Elliott m what he calls ha " • '" \Ve must conceive of the earth the eleventh commandment. which th 1 p10perty and hves Fish and other as the Lord's, not the prope1ty of reads Spiritual Sid e . . . forms of aquallc life fot wh1ch mdtvlduals \\ ho hold legal title to "Thou shalt inherit the holy IContmut~l frum pa~e 01) we are 1espons1ble will vanish as the land The scnptures word it earth as a fa1thful steVI.ard. eon­ from which they draw their sus- well as the water we need m our th1s way. serving 1ls resources and produc­ tenance homes and factones. "The earth is the Lord's, and the ltvtty ft·om gene1 at10n to geneni- So, if we at·e to have healthy It is in the fmest that we get a fullness thet eof" lion Thou shalt protect thy fields bod1es. a htgh standard of hving clear sense of unity. Anyone who We also read. from soil eros10n and thy hills and a thriving, pros perous CIVIhza­ meditates f01 five minutes in the "The cattle on a thousand hills, from ove1 grazing by the herds. so tion we must keep the soil m good grove will feel his kinship Vl.lth all these are mine" that thy descendants may have condition The conservat10msts all Then he must reahze that one When Vl.e take that to heart we abundance forever If any shall and the sot! chemists know how source of life equally am mates lhe wlll 1 eahze that we are treading fall m lh1s stewardship of the that can be done. but they are tree. the bird the deet and man. on holy ground and that we are land, his fertile field sha11 become havmg a stubborn uphill fight Trees and other forms of vegeta- the stewards who have the pnv1- sterile stones and gullies, and his against ignomnce, greed and pub­ tlon also prov1de the habttat and lege of catmg fot the earth Then descendants shall decrease and lic mdifference and it is ever y food for the bitds and ammals of we shall know that conservatiOn is 1ve in poverty 01 v:mish from the ext man's duty to ass1st them in every wh1ch \\'e are the guard1ans They a vital part of spiritual life and face of the earth " Tile Tc mzesscc. It way we can. for we all have a stake are an active part of the plan of an expression of pract1cal love for Conserrat ionist bet in the good earth. creation and we could not ex1st those who wtll come after us. IDg More of th1s should be taught in w1thout them It 1s a h1gh pnv1- We should meet our obligations Pet st~ k e ... con the schools, more m1msters of the lege to be the custodians of thos<:: with devotion and joy Our tas 1 Cc>ntinued frum page ~~:1 1 gospel should base sermons on th1s e~ c re:1tures ~nd we must ~eet that! should be as pleasant as working age, so I !:itepped aside lie went raq subject; more bankct·s should deny 1 esponsibthty by mamtammg the m a garden where the rewat ds are to the laboratory instead of to a ( loans to farmers who fail to prac­ * * * . delightful IV!Jssoun stream T h1s tice conservatiOn and all busmess abl noble catfi~h gave h1s hfe for sci­ Ol men and housew1 ves should be ence, to bring about a better un­ alert lo this vital cause because ~·r derstandmg of his brothers a nd Poq their health and prosperity depend sistet s. children and grandchildren on 1t whose lives thereby deserve to be Next m tmportan<'e to the sot! is :>tJ lived in a stream rich m small thd the fores t We must protect and frogs. crawfish, mmnows and other alllt test ore our trees as rap1dly as we answers to catfish dreams.- .Mts- gra, use them. ExplOitation of the soun Coi..'>C nxttio111st woods is a cnme against nature "lea _.... and and society The 1mpo1lance of • -~• Blackbirds ... wood m our daily hves and m ou1 - •'1'. .... < • ( C 1111 inued from pag< ''I !~e l economic world is seen in the facl I • bn·d, whtch nests m northern \\lti thal forest industnes are second • can only to agriculture A tt emendous ·- United Stales and Canada and number of useful products, m addi­ m1grates through bet e in huge theJ lton to lumber, come from trees flocks each fall tis~ Where the woods have been slashed Largest of all, except for the 1' .., e find desolation and poverty. - toat-tallcd grackle of the Atlantic Coast, is the bronzed g rackle or ~:d I<'orests also ameliorate chmate -- tea ___, "crow blackbird" conspicuous for and guarantee a perpetual and es even flow of cleat, pure water in - .,. r - i ls long VI. edge-shaped tat! T he • males ha\'e irid<'scent plumage, Pott the sti earns and rivers \\'hen the - ~,..~ "' ... J ~- particulatlv on head and neck, that hke fm ests a1 e gone they VI. Ill be t·e­ :;..,. r - .,,r: ..... glints hke polished bronze and Sle13 placed by deserts. Then at times Pow the rivet beds w1ll be dry and at blued ste<'l. Our neglect of t he soil IS all the mo re sha meful beca use w e know how to re pair the Blackbirds walk mstead of hop. are other times they w1ll be the paths damage Co nservat ionists have the scie ntific remed ies but are helpless w ithout public of raging floods that will destroy support J im Sherma n Photo In fact they waddle