Douglas Squirrels at C.C.C. Camp Tahoma Creek find enrollees as adequate for climbing purposes as the trees from which the former take their name.

Just at supper time, a pair of these little mammals were frisking about and came upon a double line of men marching in to the mess hall. Instead of turning tail and fleeing, they scampered quickly up a leg, over a shoulder, a short leap to another shoulder on the man opposite, and thence to a tree. Pandemonium broke loose among the men but the squirrels seemed unabashed. (H.H.Dill, CCC Student Asst., 1935)

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The carnivorous taste of various herbivorous animals is a well known fact to any field observer. It is said that the female occasionally devours the young; and often when an animal is injured so as to draw blood, his fellows will turn upon him and tear him to bits. A new stunt for the chipmunks was observed in the cabin camp at Paradise late last summer. Noticing a Chipmunk running around on the grill placed in front of the radiator of a parked car, we observed him more closely, thinking that he might be looking for loose nuts. However, he knew what he was after, and not until every insect impaled on that grating had been eaten did he disappear over the hood with a satisfied flip of the tail. (W.Durstan)

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This spring the more elusive and seldom seen animals have been especially considerate because they made their appearance before those who had been wanting a glimpse of them.

J. H. Bell, the landscape gardner, was finally rewarded with an interesting tableau of several mountain goat on the rocky wall above Fish Creek on the West Side highway. The author and Duane Franklin saw a beautiful Silver-tipped black fox in the Longmire meadows. He stood still long enough for us to make sure of his species and appreciate the scene. (Julius Hoverson)

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This winter the feeding board outside of the Park Naturalist window proved to be an interesting battleground of the different birds of the park.

As one would expect, the Oregon Jay was the first bird to get his generous helping. The nonchalance with which this bird fed at the board intimidated the nervous little Chestnut-backed Chickadee which came between intervals for a few morsels. The little Chickadee was an unexpected delight because after a few feedings he took bits of bread from my hand with perfect calmness. Following close upon the visits of the Chickadee, an elusive visitor, the Harris Woodpecker lighted on the board and fed from the bread, remaining all the while in a sort of squatty position, as if it were afraid the Oregon Jay might appear suddenly from the branches of a nearby tree. But none came and I had the opportunity of studying this woodpecker for several cherished moments at a time. His appearance on the flat board seemed decidely awkward to the nimble little Chickadee.

Whenever there was a distinct rapping on the board I knew that a Stellar Jay was feeding. He preferred the grain to the soft bread which probably accounted for the great many dents and splintered condition of parts of the board. Several would feed at a time and they must have made too much noise either with their beaks as they picked up the grain or by that peculiar clucking sound with their throat for they aroused the ire of a Western Red Robin that was patiently warming a nest of eggs under the eaves of the porch roof below. For a brief moment there would be a rush of wings, utterances of wild cries, and a mixture of blue color and brown. This continued into the trees and deeper woods. When all was calm again, the robin could be seen on her nest and the board except for the food was bare. (Duane Franklin, CCC Asst.)

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Sometimes even a Ranger-Naturalist begins to doubt the validity of certain biological laws that he likes to tell people about. One of these laws is that one about Life Zones. Certain alpine forms of plant life have been successfully reared at lower elevations under rather bleak conditions. An opportunity to test our principle of zoning was given the naturalists at Paradise during last summer (1935).

In the summer of 1934, considerable landscaping was done by the CCC crew about the Community House. The foreman in charge informed the Ranger-Naturalists when the job was done that he had placed examples of all the kinds of trees about the Community House, so that we would have them handy for comparison. We wondered; but bided our time. During the winter and summer which followed, those trees that had not been removed from the natural zones (Alpine Fir, Lively Fir, Mountain Hemlock and Alaska Cedar) continued to live and grow; but the Western Red Cedar and the Western White Pine have lost in their battle for existence. The Douglas Fir looks quite ill at this writing and will probably be quite yellow and dead by the end of the season. (Wayne Durstan)

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And here are some notes written by a New York youth as he sat atop a flat-topped rock at the apex of Eagle Peak, 5,955 feet high.

"Facing east -- homeward -- the ranger-naturalist points out Steven's Canyon in the distance. And in it the new highway that will lead around three sides of Mount Rainier. To the left is Paradise Valley. Skiing still continues. Narada Falls below the valley.

"Only the lower section of the Mountain is visible.

"Clouds cover the top part down to the 7,500 foot level.

"Nisqually Glacier, and the highway that goes past its snout. The lower end of the ice mass is very dirty. Caused, the naturalist said, by the action of the glacier gouging at the rock and dirt walls on either side.

"Nisqually River flows from the glacier. Downstream about three miles is Longmire, our starting point, 3,200 feet below and four miles away by trail.

"Above Longmire, from out of the west, opaque, blue-gray clouds drive toward us. (We had hiked up in spasmodic sun shine and showers.) Desolate. Seemingly enveloping every peak and valley as they roll over the ground.

"Time to lower away, to get at least part way down before the rain hits." (W.H.Mc.)

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Full summer Naturalist activities will resume in Mount Rainier National Park June 20, Associate Park Naturalist C. Frank Brockman, now enroute west after completing a year of graduate study at Yale University, announced by letter.

Brockman will arrive at Park Headquarters June 15. He has arranged that the six temporary Ranger-Naturalists report for duty by the time he arrives. This gives his organization five days to complete summer preparations.

Hearty return welcome is extended "Broc" by every member of the National Park Service here. He has brought honor to the park by being the first person offered the Yale fellowship. More important, he will bring back fresh knowledge with which to improve the Naturalist's service here.

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