Outdoor Nebraska

PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY NEBRASKA GAME, FORESTATION AND PARKS COMMISSION Editor: Dick H. Schaffer Associate editor: William C. Blizzard Photographer-writer: Gene Hornbeck Circulation: Emily Ehrlich Artist: Claremont G. Pritchard July, 1958 Vol, 36, No. 7 25 cents per copy $1.75 for one year $3 for two years Send subscriptions to: Outdoor Nebraska, State Capitol Lincoln 9 NEBRASKA GAME COMMISSION Floyd Stone, Alliance, chairman Leon A. Sprague, Red Cloud, vice chairman Don F. Robertson, North Platte George Pinkerton, Beatrice Robert H. Hall, Omaha Keith Kreycik, Valentine Robert F. Kennedy, Columbus DIRECTOR M. O. Steen DIVISION CHIEFS Eugene H. Baker, construction and engineering Glen R. Foster, fisheries Lloyd P. Vance, game Dick H. Schaffer, information and education Jack D. Strain, land management PROJECT AND ASSISTANT PROJECT LEADERS Orty Orr, fisheries (Lincoln) Frank Sleight, operations Phil Agee, game (Lincoln) (Lincoln) Clarence Newton, land management (Lincoln) Harvey Miller, waterfowl(Bassett) Malcolm D. Lindeman, operations (Lincoln) Bill Bailey, big game (Alliance) DISTRICT SUPERVISORS DISTRICT 1 (Alliance, phone 412) L. J. Cunningham, law enforcement Lem Hewitt, operations John Mathisen, game Keith Donoho, fisheries Robert L. Schick, land management DISTRICT II (Bassett, phone 334) John Harpham, law enforcement Delmer Dorsey, operations Jack Walstrom, game Bruce McCarraher, fisheries DISTRICT III (Norfolk, phone 2875) Robert Benson, law enforcement Lewis Klein, operations Gordon Heebner, game George Kidd, fisheries Harold Edwards, land management DISTRICT IV (North Platte, phone 4425-26) Samuel Grasmick, law enforcement Robert Thomas, fisheries Dale Bree, land management Gale B. Mast, game DISTRICT V (Lincoln, phone 5-2951) Bernard Patton, law enforcement Robert Reynolds, operations George Schildman, game Delvin M. Whiteley, land management RESEARCH BIOLOGISTS Karl E. Menzel, coturnix quail (Lincoln) Raymond L. Linder, pheasants (Fairmont) AREA CONSERVATION OFFICERS William J. Ahern, Box 1197, North Loup, phone 89 Robert Ator, Box 66, Sutton, phone 4921 Cecil Avey, 519 4th Street, Crawford, phone 228 William F. Bonsall, Box 305, Alma, phone 154 H. Lee Bowers, Benkelman, phone 49R Dale Bruha, York (no address yet) Loron Bunney, Box 675, Ogallala, phone 247 Ralph L. Craig, Sidney (no address yet) Robert Downing, (unassigned) Lowell I. Fleming, Lvons (no address yet) Raymond Frandsen, P. O. 373, Humboldt, phone 2411 John D. Green, 720 West Avon Road, Lincoln, phone 8-1165 Ed Greving, 501 So. Central Ave., Kearney H. Burman Guyer, 1212 N. Washington, Lexington, phone Fairview 4-3208 Larry Iverson, Box 201, Hartington, phone 429 Norbert J. Kampsnider, 106 East 18th, Grand Island, phone DUpont 2-7006 Jim McCole, Box 268, Gering, phone 837 L Jack Morgan, Box 603. Valentine, phone 504 Roy W. Owen, Box 288, Crete, phone 446 Paul C. Phillipoe, Syracuse (no address yet) Fred Salak, Mullen (no address yet) Herman O. Schmidt, Jr.. 1011 East Fourth, McCook, phone 992W Harry A Spall, 820 Clay Street, O'Neill, phone 637 Joe Ulrich, Box 1382. Bridgeport, phone 100 Richard Wolkow, 817 South 60th Street, Omaha, phone Capital 1293 V. B. Woodgate, Albion (no address yet)

IN THIS ISSUE:

FLY FISHING Page 3 (Gene Hornbeck) CAMERA CHITCHAT Page 7 POISON IN THE ROUGH Page 10 (Del Whiteley) YOUTH GROUPS HELP page 12 CAMPING IN COMFORT Page 13 (Gene Hornbeck) FIRST AID FUNDAMENTALS Page 16 (T. R. Dappen) THE RETRIEVERS Page 18 (William C. Blizzard) HOW TO HOOK A MINNOW Page 21 LITTLE SPIDER WITH THE BIG BITE Page 22 (William C. Blizzard) OUTDOOR ELSEWHERE page 25 NOTES ON NEBRASKA FAUNA (Smallmouth Bass) (Robert Thomas) Page 26 FISH I. Q Page 28

FLY FISHING

by Gene Hornbeck Photographer-Writer

FEEDING trout dimple the surface of an otherwise placid pool on the White River. A big May fly quivers on the surface trying to get air-borne. But he never succeeds, for the water bulges beneath him and he disappears into the gaping mouth of a large brown trout.

A fly-fisherman catalogs the circumstances and the water, then ties on a No. 12 bivisible. After clinching the knot firmly on his three-pound-test leader, the angler casts, dropping the fly two feet upstream of the feeding fish. The brownie falls for the feathered fake and the ensuing battle is action-packed testimony to the effectiveness of the fly on trout.

The history of fly-fishing is a long one. The sport originated in England, and was introduced into this country some 100 years ago. It has since become a highly developed angling art. The dry fly, as opposed to subsurface lures, has been used for only some 50-odd years. American ingenuity, however, has put its development far ahead of that in any other country.

In recent years all fly-fishing has taken a change for the better. Glass rods, nylon lines and leader materials, finer hooks, and new fly patterns have put the sport within the financial means and skill level of the average fisherman. Many anglers, though, are confused when it comes to buying fly-fishing tackle, and understandably so. There are about 500 different fly patterns on the market. Add to this another 500 variations, plus off-pattern flies, and you can understand the confusion. Rods, reels, lines, and leaders, although not as numerous or confusing, can pose a problem as to which to buy for all-round fishing.

There are three basic fly-rod actions: fast, medium, and slow. The fast is used for dry flies, and the action is confined to the tip section of the rod. The medium action is used for wet-fly and streamer fishing, and begins to bend toward the middle. The slow action is used for streamer, wet-fly, and nymph fishing,- and the bend is carried throughout the entire length of the stick.

Many experts agree that in choosing an all-purpose rod the slow-action type in eight-foot length, weighing from JULY, 1958   4 to 4 1/2 ounces, performs well under most conditions. The angler should remember that when using a slow-action rod he must wait for his backcast to complete its backward motion and straighten out before starting his forward cast. Otherwise, he will find that the fly and leader may become tangled in the line.

Most of us cannot afford or take the time to use three different rods for our fishing. Anyway, we would look rather ridiculous tramping into a stream or lake with three rods, one for each type of fly-fishing. For those who have the time and money to go into the finer points of the sport, the use of different actions will provide specific tools designed to handle each individual job.

Much of the technical doubletalk about equipment is enough to drive a potential fly-fisherman back to the cane pole. Many of today's experts get so carried away that they forget they are dealing with fishermen who are never to be experts, but who are content to learn to handle a rod and a few basic flies.

To become fairly adept at fly-fishing you must learn the basic terms of the skill. We have already selected the length and weight of the rod for all-round use. The quality of this rod should be just as good as you can afford. You can purchase a good glass or bamboo rod for $15 and up. I prefer the glass in a two-section style.

Selecting a reel for Nebraska fishing is comparatively simple. There are two choices: single-action and automatic. Here again, you can spend from $5 on up. A reel for the fly rod serves only to hold the line. So I choose a good single-action.

Choice of line is all-important to good fly-casting. It must be of the right size to cast well in accordance with the action of your rod. There are two basic lines: tapered and level. A D-level or HDH taper should fit your eightfoot rod. I say "should" because some manufacturers produce rods that vary in line requirements. Your sportinggoods dealer is familiar with these requirements, so have him help you. Glass rods usually take one size larger than bamboo of the same weight, action, and length.

A tapered line will cast better than the level, and in fishing the larger bass bugs, streamers, and flies it is of definite advantage. A good line, preferably in nylon, will cost from about $5 in the level type to $12 in the tapered.

Proper care of your line will give it lasting life. It should be wiped clean after each use, taken off the reel in large loops, and allowed to dry overnight. Before fishing, it should be dressed with a good line dressing. Apply with your fingers and wipe the excess off with a clean cloth.

Leaders are very important in fishing for trout, more so than for pan fish or bass. For the sake of easily understanding leader weights I will use pound-test rather than "x" calibrations. Most experts recommend 10 to 14-foot leaders. I heartily agree, but for the beginner they can be hard to handle. So let's use an eight-foot leader, the length of your rod. The leader should be tapered for casting ease. Some fishermen use a simple knot to tie the leader to the line. Others split the line, insert the leader, and wind it with thread to eliminate the knot, letting the line slip more easily through the guides. I prefer a little gadget called the 4 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   NO-KNOTEYE. It is a tiny, barbed eyelet and needle that is inserted into the hollow core of the line. Once inserted in the line it is almost impossible to remove.

The butt section of your leader should be two feet long and 20-pound-test. Tie on two feet of 15-pound-test, two feet of 10-pound-test, and a two-foot tippet of five-pound-test. This is a simple taper setup, but a very serviceable one. Should you want to lengthen your leaders you can use any weights you desire, graduating from the butt section down to the desired tippet strength.

Five-pound-test is a good all-round tippet strength for most fish, including bass, trout, and pan fish. After becoming well acquainted with fly-fishing equipment you will want to use finer leaders for fishing low, clear water, and for such fish as the brown trout, a notoriously selective feeder. To join the pieces of leader a blood knot is strongest and simplest. I might mention that the turle or clinch knots are both satisfactory for tying the leader to the fly.

Flies fall into the following classifications: dry, wet, streamer and bucktails, nymphs, beetles and ants, and hair and popping bugs. Artificial flies are supposed to imitate natural insects. The purpose of this article is not to name the fly and its natural counterpart, but to list patterns and sizes which have proven themselves as top fish producers.

The following patterns and sizes apply to both wet and dry flies:

Light Cahill—size 10 wet, 14 dry Royal Coachman—size 10 wet, 12 dry Coachman—size 12 wet, 14 dry Black Gnat—size 8 wet, 12 dry

Some patterns produce better in wet form than dry, and vice versa.

The following dry patterns will help start your selections:

Gray Wolf—size 10 Quill Gordon—size 12 Red Ant—size 14 Brown Bivisible—size 12 Gray Ginger Bivisible—size 14

Additional wet patterns should include:

Wooly Worm—size 10 Cowdung—size 12 Professor—size 14 Hare's Ear—size 8 Michigan Hopper—size 10

If you have about five good patterns in the streamer and bucktail class, you have a fishable selection. I would include the following in my streamers:

Black Ghost—size 10 Colonel Fuller—size 10 Supervisor—size 10 Nine Three—size 8 Black and Yellow Marabou—size 8

In bucktails, these three are well-known fish catchers: *

Mickey Finn—size 8 Warden's Worry—size 10 Muddler Minnow—size 8

Half a dozen patterns of nymphs, beetles, and ants should give you a good selection. I would suggest learning the basic fundamentals of fly-fishing first, then try your hand at fishing nymphs.

Large May Fly Nymph—size 10 Caddis Fly Nymph—size 10 Fresh-water Shrimp—size 8 Tellico—size 12 Yellow May—size 14

In the ants, a red and a black in size 10 to 14 will fill this category. Two beetle patterns should be included: a bronze in size 8 to 14 and a green in the same size range.

The preceding may seem like a long list to have in your fly box, but it is only a small sampling of the better patterns. These particular patterns are primarily for trout, but they work well, too, on pan fish and bass. Should you want to use them exclusively for bass, buy a couple of sizes larger.

Bass bugs and poppers to fit your slow-action rod will be in medium to small sizes as these flies go. Two each of the following will cover bass bugging well:

Weber Popperackle—size 4, available in black, yellow, and white combination Deer-Hair Mouse—size 4 Frog Popper—size 2 Bullet Bug—size 2, white and yellow Red-and-White Popper—size 4 Yellow Popper—size 2

Now that we have the outfit, the next step is to pick up the rod and learn the fundamentals of casting. Grasp the rod firmly, but don't try to choke it. Let it lie down in your hand with the thumb on the top of the grip. All fly-casting stems from the straightaway forward cast, so we will deal with it only. When the fisherman becomes adept at this he may try the others on his own.

There are three phases to the forward cast: the pickup, backcast, and forward cast. Each is dependent on the other for a good delivery. To begin your initial cast, strip a few feet of line from the reel and begin false-casting. The position of the rod should be at 1 o'clock as you start forward and stop no lower than 11. The line will shoot out with each cast, both on the forward and backcast. Your casts will start out quite fast. As more line is stripped out, the casting motion should slow to allow time for the lengthening line to complete its travel both forward and backward.

Do not drop the tip from either the 1 o'clock or the 11 o'clock position. Stop there and wait until your line loops JULY, 1958   out almost straight, then put on the power with both your wrist and arm to send a few feet of line through the guides.

When you have enough line out to reach the water you want to fish, aim your final forward cast slightly above the surface of the water. Stop your arm at the 1 o'clock position while the backcast rolls over. Now drop your arm about four inches, bending your elbow to about a 45° angle, and deliver the forward cast with the arm and a snap of the wrist as if you were driving a nail with a hammer. Providing that you have stopped your forward motion at 11 o'clock, your .line should shoot out and settle lightly on the water.

To pick up the line, strip the fly to within about 30 feet and raise the rod tip slowly until only a foot or two of leader is resting on the water. Now flip the line upward and backward with a snap of the wrist to get it air-borne, following through and stopping the backcast at about 2 o'clock instead of the normal 1 o'clock position when false-casting. Follow through with the normal forward cast and you are ready to deliver the fly again.

There are basic methods, of course, in fishing flies of all kinds, and there are also many different ways to present each individual type. In this space I could not do justice to presenting the fly, but will touch only on general ways to fish them. The dry fly should be cast upstream so that it represents a natural insect drifting freely with the current. Generally speaking, the rod should be held high so that line and leader do not drag the fly.

Fishing the wet fly, the cast is made upstream or up and across. It can also be allowed to drift downstream and fished back by mending the line in your left hand, swimming the fly upstream in short, jerky movements. Nymphs, ants, and beetles can be fished the same way.

Streamers and bucktails should be fished across the stream and downstream, then retrieved upstream. They are tied to represent a minnow, so make them act like a minnow swimming by slowly moving them, imparting short jerks and allowing the fly to work with the current.

To summarize basic fly-fishing: first, have a balanced outfit; second, learn to get off consistently good casts with fair accuracy; and third, learn where and when to fish your flies. There are a lot of good books which will give the angler a guide to approaching the subject of fooling fish with feathers.

THE END 6 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA

CAMERA CHITCHAT

You con do good work with that camera if you observe some simple rules plus common-sense care; so load, aim, fire

VACATION time is camera time. This winter, as the snow swirls by the windows, you will look through your vacation pictures and relive many pleasant sights and experiences.

Sometimes, our pictures make grandfather look like Uncle Jed, though little Janie looks happy holding those sunfish. At least we think that's Janie. Or is it cousin Sue holding the shoes she went wading in?

It is a sad fact that photographs are often underexposed, blurred, light-streaked or fogged. But there is still hope. Most amateurs use simple box or flash cameras, although a trend is to 35mm color for the production of slides; and in this case the camera is apt to be somewhat more complex. If you're the average Nebraska camera fan you will take about a dozen rolls of film a year, using your camera on the average of once a month. As with any sport or pastime, it must be conceded that the average camera owner spends too little time learning important basic points of his craft.

Your camera should be in good repair. There should be no cracked bellows, loose lenses or viewfinders. Before each outing, check to see if the lens is clean. If not, use a soft cloth or lens-cleaning tissue to do the job. Load your camera with fresh film. Verichrome Pan or Ansco All-Weather Pan will do for black and white, and Kodacolor can produce good color prints.

It pays to take the flash attachment along. Here again, it should be checked to be sure it's operating. New batteries are a must if your camera has been idle for two months or more.

The three basic principles to be concerned with in using the snapshot camera are exposure (you do have some control, even on the simplest type), composition, and action or reaction. Verichrome Pan and Ansco All-Weather Pan are designed for hazy to bright sunny days

Many cameras have a built-in filter of the medium-yellow variety and this can be used for all-round scenic and personal snapshots outdoors. The filter will darken the sky and lighten the greens of the foliage, so, instead of a JULY, 1958 7   picture having a white sky and dark gray to black grasses and foliage, you will have a much better balance of tones. If you use color film in your camera, be sure to remove the filter, for it will ruin your color shots if left in place.

With modern films and flashbulbs there is very little need to put the camera away on a cloudy day. Kodak Tri-X film is designed for just such emergencies, so carry a roll or two with you. In the event that the day becomes cloudy, you can load your camera and go right on taking pictures. It should be understood that this film is not designed for taking snapshots on bright days unless you have an adjustable diaphragm on your lens. It should be used on you nonadjustable camera for only the overcast days.

Very good results in color may be obtained with the simple snapshot camera and negative-type color film such as Kodacolor. This film is designed for exposure on bright, sunny days. The camera fan should be reminded that for black and white as well as color it is important to have the subject facing the sun. The hours between 8 and 10 a.m. and 2 and 4 p.m. are best because of the angle the light falls on the face of your subjects. This point is not so important on scenics, but it still produces better results on all types of photos.

Simple composition will put depth and life into your snapshots. On scenics, the use of a tree, person, boat, car or other object in the foreground will give depth to the scene. Where people are doing something, compose the picture to put the subject and the activity in the center of the photograph. With a little care, you will soon get pictures that have all the heads on the people and scenes you will be proud of, rather than that far-away hazy look many snapshots have.

Human action and reaction are the prime requisites of the professional photographer on news and sports photography. It's rather sad to see very little of these qualities in the average snapshot album when actually they form the main reason we take pictures. Pictures of people doing things make pleasant memories.

The snapshot camera is capable of capturing a wide variety of action. Action does not always mean that the subject matter has to be moving; the old command to "hold it!" works very well for posed action. A picture of dad shooting at ducks is a good example of posed action. Have him point the gun as if he were shooting, and take the picture. Netting a fish can be handled in the same way.

A picture of a fine catch of fish should be handled in such a manner as to show that it is a nice catch. For instance, have your fisherman hold the catch up in front of him at about waist height. It may make the fish look a little larger, but you may be sure the fisherman won't object to that.

Your camera must be within easy reach if you want to get pictures of people in action, so on your next outing try carrying it on a neck strap or in one of the inexpensive gadget bags that are available. It will pay off in better snapshots for your vacation album.

One of the most common faults of the average camera fan is the tendency to take pictures of people who are so far away that expression and detail are lost. Your snapshot camera is constructed so that it is in sharp focus from five feet to infinity (as far as the eye can see), so when taking pictures close up do not stand nearer than five feet.

On close-up pictures, a good rule to remember is that you should fill the viewfinder with the subject you wish to take. Very small children, pets, and objects must of necessity be taken at the five-foot distance. They may not fill the viewfinder, but work as close as you can for welldefined snapshots.

Flash is seldom used outdoors by the average fan, but it is a versatile tool for all-round good photos. Flash may be advantageous in late-evening or early morning pictures when the light is too weak for normal exposures. It can be used when the subject is standing in the shade such as 8 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   a fisherman playing a fish along a tree-shaded shoreline. It is also desirable for top-quality photos to use a flash to fill in the shadows when the sun is overhead and causing heavy shadow such as is cast from the brim of a hat. You should try to stand at such a distance that the exposure from the flash is in balance with the sun.

Using a Press 25 or 5 flashbulb and Verichrome Pan film, you will find that a distance of between 10 and 17 feet produces acceptable fill-in exposures. Perfect balance is seldom achieved with a snapshot camera, but by using the above footage recommendations your results will be noticeably better. If you shoot color outdoors and wish to use a flash to fill in the heavy shadows, you should use blue bulbs, as these are balanced for daylight exposure.

To sum up, make sure your equipment is clean and in good repair. Load your camera in subdued light, with fresh film. Do not leave the camera lying on the back ledge of your car or in your glove compartment, or in any other place where it will be exposed to extreme heat.

Practice a little simple composition, and take a spare roll of the faster film in the event the day becomes heavily overcast. Keep the sun at your back and try to get pictures of people in action. Use flash for a fill-in on those important heavily shadowed pictures, and fill the viewfinder with the part or parts of the subject that you want to record. Last, but not least, (because a faulty release can spoil all your other efforts), gently press the shutter release so that you do not end up with blurry pictures.

THE END. JULY, 1958 9

POISON in the ROUGH

Don't touch or eat that plant if you aren't absolutely certain of its characteristics. Dangers may lurk in pretty blooms and leaves by Del Whiteley Land Management

AS THE FISHING season progresses and the urge to go picnicking keeps pressing, the outdoors seems to call old and young alike into its fascinating realm of wonders. Literally thousands of plants of every size and description are stepped on, picked, touched, or eaten. In this vast ocean of chlorophyl and protoplasm, desirable and undesirable plants thrive equally well. This story concerns undesirables—the poisonous plants that may cause some bass fisherman, picnicker, or curious child serious discomfort or injury.

Following are descriptions and drawings of some of Nebraska's undesirables. Some are poisonous to the touch, others poisonous when eaten. This is by no means a complete list of the state's poisonous plants. The few that are listed are fairly common and grow in habitats likely to be invaded by persons involved in any outdoor activity.

Poison ivy, Rhus toxicodendron, has been a rather controversial plant among people who have worked with woody perennial classification, as well as by persons who occasionally stumble onto the plant in the wild. There are actually two or more subspecies of poison ivy, one of which is often mistaken for poison oak. There is very little, if any, poison oak in Nebraska, but the vining species of poison ivy is similar in growth habits to poison oak. The other ivy, which is most common, does not vine. It has, however, most of the characteristics of the vining variety.

A general description of the plant begins with the characteristic compound leaf with three leaflets which are dull green and glossy, sometimes hairy. Leaf margins may be smooth, toothed, or lobed. Flowers are small, yellow-green in color, and several in a cluster. The seed or fruit is white to cream-colored, small and nearly round.

Poison ivy is a woody perennial and reproduces by seed and creeping rootstocks. It is usually found in woodlands, pastures, wastelands, and fence rows. Satisfactory control results have been obtained with applications of 2, 4-D.

Regardless of the species, variety, or subspecies of poison ivy that one may come in contact with, the ensuing results are the same for those susceptible to this plant. Some persons are immune to the toxic substance produced by poison ivy, while to others it is extremely dangerous.

Several remedies and treatments have been prescribed for prevention of ivy poisoning after contact, but probably the most effective is thorough washing and rinsing with an alkali soap, such as laundry soap, and water. It is best to avoid soaps containing oils, since oil seems to spread the poison. After immediate washing, application of a commercial lotion will bring satisfactory results. A physician should be consulted, where a bad case of poisoning exists.

Wild hemp, Cannabis sativa, is a tall annual weed found along railroad tracks, in city dumps and other waste areas. It is quite common in Nebraska. This plant is the source of the narcotic and deadly drug, marijuana. Its major legitimate use is for strong fiber. The waste, after the fiber is removed, is used for packing bottles for shipping, hence its abundance along railroad tracks and in railroad yards.

10 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA  

An insignificant use of the seed from hemp is made by parching the seed or making into cakes and frying. The drug is obtained from the resin in the plant, but the seeds alone are edible. The leaves somewhat resemble those in the hemlock family, but differ in that the leaves on the hemp plant originate at one point on the stem.

Jimson weed, Datura stamonium, or thorn apple, as it is sometimes called, is an annual found scattered through-out the rich lowlands of Nebraska. The plant is coarse-stemmed with large, toothed leaves three to eight inches long. The plant grows two to four feet high and produces large, white, trumpet-shaped flowers. The seed pod is a prickly bur about two inches long, containing flat, brown, wrinkled seeds.

Jimson weed is one of the most dangerous weeds in the state, since it is frequently found in vacant lots in town. It may be found in any habitat from waste places to cultivated fields. Control is easily obtained by mowing or hoeing.

The weed is especially attractive to children, who have been poisoned by picking and sucking the bell-shaped flowers. All parts of the plant are poisonous. The leaves are sometimes mistaken and eaten for spinach, with disastrous results. In contrast to many poisonous plants, Jimson weed does not usually produce vomiting, so an emetic should be given immediately to expel the poison.

Poison hemlock, Conium maculatum, is a biennial having finely dissected leaves closely resembling ferns, carrots, or parsley. It has coarse stems spotted with large and small purple, sticky blotches. The plant attains two to four feet in height, topped with white flowers in umbrella-like clusters.

Poison hemlock is extremely dangerous, due to its close resemblance to parsley, and the seeds being mistaken for caraway. If taken internally, this plant produces a paralysis which eventually results in death. Extreme caution should be taken in eating plants or any parts of plants which resemble poison hemlock. Be sure that the plant is not the poisonous variety, and that all parts are edible and harmless.

Mushrooms are probably the most difficult of all the lower plants to identify and place in a classification that JULY, 1958 11   separates one genus or species from another. Botanically, they are called fungi. They have no leaves, flowers, pollen, or seed.

It seems rather illogical to compare mushrooms with some of the other fungi such as stem rust in small grain, smut, rot, scab, mildew, molds, and yeast. But in basic physiological processes they are essentially the same. For example, the common black mold on bread under high magnification looks very similar to a colony of one of the several hundred species of mushrooms found in the United States.

Propagation of mushrooms is a unique process when compared to the higher plants. The fungi release tiny spores which are so small that one alone cannot be seen with the aid of a microscope. However, in a mass they appear as dust and may have one of several colors. This color is one of the key factors in classification of mushrooms into edible and poisonous groups.

These tiny spores do not contain chlorophyl, the substance which enables higher plants to produce green color and utilize simple elements from air, water, and earth. Therefore, mushrooms must depend on living or dead organic matter for their source of food. This is why they are usually found on decaying wood and in dead leaves.

To quickly classify poisonous and nonpoisonous mushrooms would be virtually impossible for there are literally hundreds of different species. And there are numerous variations within each species, making the job even more difficult.

Many distinguishing characteristics have to be analyzed, and one mushroom of a species should never be used to determine whether all of its kind are edible. A number of so-called rules have been handed down on separating poisonous and harmless mushrooms. "Toadstool," a common name meant to label the harmful varieties of mushrooms, has no scientific basis. Actually, many of the so called "toadstools" are edible. All puffballs, often mistakenly labeled poisonous, are edible.

The only sure way to recognize the edible plants is to be completely familiar with the species and its characteristics. It is better to stick with one edible species that you are acquainted with than to experiment with a dozen that may or may not be edible. Very few, however, actually cause death from poisoning.

One of the most easily recognizable edible mushrooms in Nebraska is the Morchella esculenta, or common morel. Its honeycomb structure and abundance along creek and river bottoms in April and May make it a relatively easy plant to find. The months of July, August, and September, however, produce the most edible varieties. It is highly prized for palatability when fresh.

Certainly many edible species go to waste in the field, because they are not recognized; but probably many collected fungi also go to waste. Treat mushrooms as a perishable food: cook the same day collected, if possible. Take only fresh, sound specimens home, and fry in butter, broil gently, or bake. Eating mushrooms alone would be like sitting down to a dinner of nothing but steak. Use moderation in eating mushrooms, and you will return again to the field to collect these delicate plants which have been a source of food the world over for nearly 2,000 years.

THE END

YOUTH GROUPS HELP

ONE Sunday afternoon, a month or so back, an area of land lying northwest of Keystone was the center of activity for a Boy Scout wildlife conservation project. Five troops from Ogallala and Paxton converged on the project site owned by Marvin Pullen of Paxton.

The scouts and their leaders were co-operating with the Nebraska Game Commission by planting trees and shrubs for wildlife habitat. The plantings will control erosion and beautify the area which will be used for scout outings.

The planting site consisted of draws and sloping terrain which lie at the head of Spring Creek basin in Keith County. Cedar, pine and shrubs were planted at scattered locations throughout the area under supervision of scout leaders and a Game Commission habitat biologist.

Wildlife conservation projects are designed by the Game Commission and are put into effect through the cooperation of Boy Scout, 4-H, Future Farmers of America, and other groups over the state. These projects provide young people with the opportunity to take an active part in wildlife conservation. They learn of the requirements necessary to produce fish and game, and they are brought in contact with their game department.

Game Commission personnel, anxious to work with youth organizations, will meet with any interested group to outline various types of wildlife programs. Organizations that actively participate in such projects receive a Conservation Award Certificate.

12 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA

CAMPING IN COMFORT

by Gene Hornbeck, Photographer-Writer Creaking bones, sleepless nights, and sour stomach? Not if you camp in the modern way, in Nebraska's play spots

A MAN and his wife relax before a flickering campfire as the ululating wail of a coyote signals the arrival of nightfall. Within a nearby tent, small voices gabble excitedly of today's adventures and tomorrow's promise. Mom enters the tent to settle her brood while dad leans back and fires his pipe.

He smiles as he recalls his early years of camping, when the items needed and available were a pup tent, a few good staples, a blanket and tough muscles. Years of office routine have softened the muscles, and the Spartan outdoor regime of yesteryear is not suitable for a wife and children.

But today, fortunately, the outdoor picture has changed. The immunity to physical discomfort of an Indian fakir, combined with muscles of steel and a cast-iron stomach, are no longer vital to a successful outing. A man and his family may now set up camp and be almost as comfortable as at home.

Portable camp stoves, lanterns and cots make cooking and camping easier. Foods may be kept in portable ice chests which also serve to transport fish and game from the field. Canned and condensed foods make menu planning for the camper an easy task.

The first requirement for comfortable camping is a good shelter. The umbrella-type tent is perhaps the best all-round canvas shelter in use today. It comes in many different sizes, but the nine-by-nine foot model has enough room for two adults and three children. Choose the model to suit your needs. Color does have some importance in the selection of a tent and some manufacturers make tents in a silver finish that reflects the sun's heat rather than absorbing it. This finish is highly desirable for midsummer camping, for tests have shown that the interior of a tent of this type will stay 10 to 15 degrees cooler than that of a tent with a conventional, darker finish.

There are many smaller tents of different types that are highly satisfactory for fishermen or boy scouts, but equipment for family camping will be stressed in this article.

Convenience is the keynote for the modern-day camper. It is unnecessary to make an endurance test out of each excursion. In addition to the more obvious needs, there will be many incidentals to fill your camping inventory. After you have chosen your tent, you will want sleeping equipment. I would suggest light, folding cots as the most comfortable, with the air-mattress a close second. You can get by with a couple of blankets on the cots, but I prefer a light sleeping bag for all-round use, whether with a cot or air-mattress.

The small two-burner camp stove is perhaps one of the handiest little gadgets ever designed for the camper. When I go fishing I like to spend my time doing just that, and the camp stove will help to prepare the meals in record time.

Charcoal cooking, is, of course, very good, and with the little woman around to do the cooking it has its merits. Almost any receptacle will suffice with charcoal. You can make a small pit in the sand or build one with available stone. A small wire grill about 16 to 20 inches in size will make a complete cooking unit for use with pit or open fire. Simply place it on top of the sand or stone.

A coffee pot, frying pan, three or four cooking pans, two good knives, a long-handled meat fork and a pancake turner will give you a basic cooking outfit. Eating utensils will vary with individual tastes. Being a lazy camper, I prefer paper plates and the hot-fluid-type paper cups. They can be burned when used and I have found, wHh my cooking, that the paper plates soak up a little of the excess grease from bacon and eggs.

Don't forget a good axe, shovel and a gas lantern, as well as a camp cooler large enough to store some beverages, JULY, 1958 13   eggs and meat. Some incidentals that will come in handy are an aerosol insect bomb, first-aid kit, thermos bottle and charcoal-lighter fluid. For further comfort, a few camp stools and a small folding table can be made or purchased for a nominal sum.

Station wagons are becoming more and more popular as camping headquarters, especially for fishermen. I know mine does very well for a weekend fishing jaunt for two people. Sleeping bags and air-mattresses provide comfortable sleeping. Window screens, to provide ventilation and keep out insects, are well worth their cost. Basic camping utensils should be brought along. The tail gate of the wagon forms my cooking area and the rear window, raised to a horizontal position, makes a fine place for cooking accessories. Move the stove and pull up a couple of folding camp stools and you have your dining table.

I usually include a piece of canvas about 10 feet square, which is used as a fly or cover over the rear of the wagon. A rope is run from the top of the wagon to a nearby tree to form the center support. Four stakes support the corners. The fly is used, more or less, as a roof over your head, rather than an enclosed shelter.

House trailers and trailer tents are another somewhat more expensive way of living in the outdoors. Living in a house trailer could hardly be called roughing it, but if your pocketbook allows it nothing could be finer. I will leave the sales points of these units up to the people concerned with selling them.

Collapsible tents mounted on trailers will sleep two to four people. They are much like a regular tent, but eliminate the need for a place to pitch a tent. And they are more easily set up. A trailer tent also provides a place for storage of camp gear.

Whatever your choice of shelter, be sure to include the camping essentials. Pick out a flat, well-drained area to pitch your tent. Rather than camping in a low spot, select a rise that has a little shade and is exposed to a breeze. The effort of selecting the spot will repay you in comfort. Make sure you have fuel, food and clothing to fit the season and you will improve your chances of enjoying your camping experience. And don't forget the fishing tackle. Having it along will make fishing stories a bit more plausible.

Now that you're outfitted, where will you go?

Nebraska highways and byways are dotted with some 60 recreation areas. These areas are state-owned and managed with you the vacationer, in mind. The accommodations of these state areas are varied, but drinking water in all has been tested by the state health department for your protection.

Open campfires are allowed in some areas, but, if fireplaces are available, it is recommended that they be used. Camp sites are kept clean for your enjoyment and trash barrels are provided for your convenience. Noxious weeds are cut or sprayed and all of the areas have shade trees for the camper who wants to just loaf.

Swimming is permitted on designated areas, but there is no supervision or lifeguard. So observe all rules for 14 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   water safety. Fishing and hunting, in season, are permitted on all recreation grounds. Hiking within state owned areas is, of course, allowed, and most camp grounds have sanitary facilities.

House trailers are allowed on all areas, and signs designating parking areas are erected on those that are the most popular. You will, therefore, be assured of a convenient spot to park your vacation home. But trailer parking in these areas is limited to two weeks. This assures everyone a chance to use the facilities. In the event that your vacation plans call for a longer stay, you may request permission by writing the Construction and Engineering Division, Nebraska Game, Forestation and Parks Commission, State House, Lincoln, Nebraska.

Thirty-three of these areas require the camper to purchase a Recreation Use Stamp. Your $1 Use Stamp is your permit to enter any or all of the areas. Funds derived from the sale of the stamp go into improving and maintaining the areas to better serve the vacationer. Stamps may be purchased from 1,200 permit vendors in the state, and from conservation officers and Game Commission employees doing maintenance work in the areas.

These recreation areas are well distributed around the state, so the camper may choose his routes and vacation schedule with confidence that he will be within short driving distance of a camping area.

Total attendance in Nebraska State Recreation areas in 1957 was 1,714,700 persons, while 96,271 automobiles passed through their gates. The Wildcat Hills Recreation grounds, in the beautiful pine ridges and bluffs of the far-western part of the state, offer water, camp grounds and sanitary facilities.

For those who wish to camp in the wide-open spaces of the Sand Hills of north-central Nebraska, Long Lake, located twenty-five miles southwest of Ainsworth, offers boating and fishing along with the primary camping requirements. In season, this area is a top spot for duck hunting. A multitude of waterfowl from the Dakotas and Canada join with thousands of local ducks to provide the scattergun fan with unequaled sport.

For the family interested in fishing and boating fun, the reservoir areas of southwest Nebraska offer top sport for young and old. The state-record rainbow trout, weighing 12 pounds, 4 .ounces, was taken from Lake McConaughy, the largest impoundment of water in the state. This huge body of water has also produced record northern pike, perch, crappie, white bass and pan fish. Two recreation areas, Otter Creek and Longerin, serve the big lake. Both are located on the north shore.

Other reservoirs in the area have excellent fishing. Enders, Swanson, Medicine Creek, Harlan County and Maloney are just a# few of the good areas that have all necessary facilities for the camper. Many areas have concessions that will enable the camper to rent boats and purchase groceries, soft drinks, bait, and fishing tackle. Recreation areas that have all concession accommodations JULY, 1958 15   are Memphis, Otter Creek, Cottonwood, Crystal and Fremont.

If you want to try for big catfish in some of the numerous fine streams of the state, an area such as Pressey, located five miles north of Oconto on the Loup River, is a peaceful setting for the family to relax away from the noise of the city.

Rock Creek Lake, tucked away in the far southwest corner of the state, has all the accommodations needed for all-round family fun, with swimming and good pan fish and bass fishing. Boating and camping essentials, such as water, toilets and fireplaces, make the area ideal for enjoying Nebraska's outdoor living.

An area noted for its hunting is Sacramento, with many pheasants and ducks. Ballards Marsh is a very popular duck area. Many areas in the Sand Hills offer the hunter a place to headquarter for hunting both grouse and ducks.

The hunter pulling a house trailer and looking for a place to set up camp in good quail, grouse, duck and pheasant country is welcomed in these state recreation areas. Verdon Lake, down in the southeast corner of the state, is in the heart of our best quail country.

Whatever your choice of recreational activity, fishing, hunting, water skiing, hiking, sight-seeing or just plain loafing, Nebraska's recreation grounds can fill your needs.

THE END

FIRST AID FUNDAMENTALS

By T. R. Dappen, director. Division of Health Education, State Health Department

DURING the summer months, outdoor recreation is an established part of American life. Swimming, boating, fishing, picnicking and other outdoor activities do a great deal to relieve the monotony of everyday living. But there are hazards in outdoor life, the possibility of the unforeseen and the unexpected.

A well-equipped first-aid kit, and skill in its use, should be constant companions on any outing. Mishaps, either major or seemingly unimportant, should have prompt attention. Even a small skin puncture, if neglected, may have disastrous results.

Along with plans to "catch the big one" should go the knowledge of how to get the fisherman as well as the fish off the hook. In cases where a fishhook has become imbedded in the flesh, there are two alternative remedies: push the hook on through, cut off the barb, and pull it back out, or open the flesh with a sterile instrument and pull out the hook intact. In either case, the wound should be washed thoroughly with soap and water before applying a good antiseptic and bandaging.

Sunburn, another concomitant of outdoor living, is best prevented by limiting the time of direct exposure to the ultraviolet rays that cause the burn. It is especially dangerous to sit in bright sunshine when the body is wet, as drops of water become little magnifying glasses and intensify the sun's rays. Remember that sand and water reflect ultraviolet rays, and also that burns may be just as severe on cloudy days. For the dangerous ultraviolet rays are not filtered out by clouds. For mild sunburn, use a good burn preparation to relieve the pain. For more severe cases, medical care is needed.

Poison ivy and its relatives, poison oak and poison sumac, are described elsewhere in this issue. Immediately upon suspected exposure to any of these plants, wash affected areas with soap and running water, then sponge with rubbing alcohol and apply a calamine lotion. If the 16   rash becomes very painful, apply a wet compress using Burow's solution diluted one part to 25 parts of water, for 20-minute periods.

All outdoor enthusiasts should be able to recognize two dangerous summer afflictions: heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The latter is sometimes referred to as sunstroke.

In cases of heat exhaustion, the patient feels unusually lired and may have headache and nausea. In severe cases, perspiration is profuse, weakness extreme, and the skin pale and clammy. While the body temperature is nearly normal, there is a feeling of extreme chill. If severely ill, medical care is needed. Provide bed rest and administer salt solution in the proportion of one-half teaspoon of salt to a half glass of water every 15 minutes for three or four doses. Never give fluids to an unconscious person.

The usual symptoms of heat stroke are dry, red skin accompanied by headache. There may be dizziness and nausea. The body temperature is well above normal. Prompt medical care is urgently needed. While waiting for the doctor, bring the patient indoors, loosen his clothing, and provide bed rest. Sponge the body freely with luke-warm water or alcohol to reduce the temperature to at least 103° F. If the temperature rises again, renew the sponging cautiously. Give no stimulants. Administer fluid and salt in small doses when the patient is fully conscious.

Traumatic shock is associated with injury to body tissues from burns, wounds, or fractures. It is a depressed condition of body functions due to failure of sufficient blood circulation. Pale, moist, cool skin, weakness, and a fast but usually weak pulse are important symptoms.

Keep the patient lying down. If there is difficulty in breathing, the head and chest should be elevated, and if blood loss or injury is severe, the lower part of the body should be raised. Place a blanket under the patient if he is lying on the ground or floor, to prevent too much loss of body heat, but do not, as a rule, add heat. Shock appears, to some degree, in nearly all types of wounds.

It is recommended by the State Health Department that everyone who has attained adequate age and ability know what are called the "lifesaving skills" in relation to so-called "hurry" cases in serious first-aid emergencies. Severe bleeding, cessation of breathing, and ingested poison are considered "hurry" cases.

In serious bleeding, use direct pressure over the wound, with gauze compresses. If possible, elevate the bleeding part. If bleeding continues, apply pressure with the hand on the pressure point to reduce flow of blood to the area of the wound. As a last resort only, apply a tourniquet.

Where breathing has ceased, you may use either of two methods of artificial respiration. These are both taught in standard first aid. They are the back pressure-arm lift and the mouth-to-mouth. The latter is used only on infants or in cases where there is serious injury to the shoulder or some other part of the body that makes it unwise to use the back pressure-arm lift.

In the case of ingested poisons, dilute the poison and wash it out of the stomach by inducing vomiting as quickly as possible. Water or milk are good for diluting purposes, and baking soda, about three tablespoons to the quart, can be added to warm water to increase the effectiveness. An antidote should be used afterward, if one is known or indicated on the container.

Animal bites and stings are treated as wounds and have the added dangers of tetanus and rabies. In the case of animal bites, the doctor may postpone injection treatment until it has been determined whether the animal actually has rabies. The first-aid treatment is to wash well with warm running water and soap, apply antiseptic, then a sterile bandage.

When in snake-infested regions, wear high boots or leggings and take extra precautions. Pain is immediate if the venom is from a poisonous snake. Swelling and discoloration appear around the punctures, followed by general weakness, shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting, a weak and rapid pulse, and sometimes dimness of vision followed by unconsciousness. Emergency treatment consists of immediate inactivity followed by prevention of return flow of blood in the surface vessels by a constricting band above the bite, if it is on an extremity. With a sterile blade, make an incision into the two punctures, remembering that the snake strikes downward and the fangs retract. One-fourth-inch cross cuts over each fang mark will allow you to suck the poison out of the wound.

In case of insect bites or stings, wash well with running water and soap, then apply a paste made of baking soda and water. You may use instead cold cream, or a compress moistened with ammonia. A cold pack will reduce the swelling. Other helpful suggestions that are well to know are given in the American National Red Cross first-aid text.

In all of the above cases, obtain the help of a physician as soon as possible.

Bear in mind three main principles of first aid: prevent contamination, protect against further damage, and relieve pain. First aid is only the immediate and temporary care given to a victim until the services of a physician can be obtained. What the first-aider does on the spot makes a great difference in the care of the injured or sick.

It is not possible in an article of this length to discuss completely all possible injuries and the treatments to be given. I sincerely urge everyone to join a first-aid class, and always to carry with him the equipment for giving assistance.

The satisfaction resulting from the possession of "know-how" and the materials to cope with emergencies if they should arise will contribute considerably toward an accident-free vacation.

Most of the emergency treatments suggested in the above are based on the American National Red Cross first-aid text and my own experience.

THE END JULY, 1958 17

THE RETRIEVERS

by William C. Blizzard, Associate Editor

THOSE dogs used primarily in waterfowl hunting have been classified as retrievers. Through selective breeding and training, a medium-size to large, strong dog with a nearly waterproof coat has been developed. Tough, swift, and eager, he will plunge through icy water and swim great distances to retrieve a hunter's kill. Retriever specialists are also used on land, particularly in areas where large game birds such as the pheasant exist along with abundant waterfowl. They are sometimes used to flush upland game, spaniel fashion.

The principal retriever breeds are the Chesapeake Bay, Labrador, curly coated, flat-coated, and golden retrievers, and Irish and American water spaniels. The most popular breeds are the Labrador and the golden retriever.

Bird hunters know the importance of a good retriever. From the conservation point of view, your own conscience, and the fullness of your game bag, a good retriever is a virtual necessity in hunting flying game. In making this statement, I am using "retriever" in a more general sense than in the rest of this article. A grouse shot in heavy cover is difficult to spot, even when killed in the air. And clean kills are not always achieved.

Last fall, while hunting rabbit in a wooded, brushy area, I flushed a grouse some distance away. It was a snap shot or no shot at all. I thought I saw the grouse waver as my double-gun roared, but, because of the dense cover, I couldn't be sure. I called in my little Welsh terrier (certainly not a breed one thinks of as a retriever) and we scouted the immediate area. I soon gave up, cursing my lousy marksmanship and the elusiveness of grouse. But my terrier didn't quit. Trailing the grouse like a rabbit, she disappeared in the distance. A few minutes later over a ridge about 500 yards away, I found her trotting toward me with the grouse in mouth. The bird was dead, but it would have been fox bait without my rabbit dog.

The incident points up the importance of the dog to the hunter, and also that many breeds may be trained to find and retrieve game. It must be admitted, though, that some dogs are more adept at finding a downed bird than bringing it back to the hunter. They may turn up with a mouthful of feathers, burping contentedly. The retriever breeds, specialists in bringing them back dead or alive, are best for this purpose, and are the only practical dogs for waterfowl.

While the Labrador and golden retriever are more popular than the Chesapeake Bay retriever, it is generally conceded that the latter is without peer when hunting in extreme cold, in shooting over choppy seas, and in all situations where strength and endurance are most needed.

The Chesapeake is large, sometimes weighing nearly 100 pounds. He loves water, often submerging completely when after diving ducks. He can swim for miles, and will attempt retrieves in rough seas that appear almost suicidal. He would do well on a television quiz show, as he seems to have almost total recall when it comes to marking down fallen ducks.

There is a legend that the Chesapeake is a cross between a retriever and an otter. His water-loving nature, according to those who started the tale, could be accounted for in no other way. Legend lovers might also have put a sheep into the Chesapeake's ancestry, for his wooly undercoat, like the sheep's fleece, is oily enough to grease you fingers when you stroke his back. It is this undercoat, combined with a tough nature, that enables him to withstand freezing temperatures and icy waters.

The Chesapeake is also blessed with an excellent nose. According to one account, he is the product of a cross between the Newfoundland dog and the yellow and tan OUTDOOR NEBRASKA 18   coonhound. The latter bloodline is responsible for his good nose, the former for his retrieving ability.

Why, with these sterling qualities, is the Chesapeake less popular than the Labrador and golden retriever? For one thing, his disposition, as a breed, is the opposite of the cocker spaniel's, the country's most popular dog. He has a tendency to be a one-man dog, and is not noted for friendliness. Nor does he have much love for other dogs. David D. Elliot, writing in The Hunter's Encyclopedia, puts it this way: "The plain facts are that the Chesapeake is inclined to like to fight."

These characteristics, while not true of all individuals, pose problems for the Chesapeake handler at field trials. And there is little doubt that field-trial appearances influence dog sales. Another factor is the Chesapeake's lack of good looks, and his breeders don't want him any other way. Better, they say, an ugly duckling of undeniable ducking ability than a slick chick that won't go near the water.

The Chesapeake gets his name from the area in Maryland where he originated. He was developed from two Newfoundland dogs picked up from an England-bound ship that wrecked on Maryland shores in 1807. The Newfoundlands were apparently bred with local coonhounds, or with other native dogs, for the authentic story is uncertain. In any case, the breed as we know it today emerged before 1900, and spread rapidly from the Maryland duck country where it originated.

His color varies from dark brown to faded tan, and he has a yellow eye. The hair over his short undercoat is thick but not long. He is indeed a mighty hunter, possibly, under extreme conditions of cold and lashing seas, the mightiest of his type.

The Newfoundland dog is credited with being not only the sire of the Chesapeake, but also the Labrador, our most popular retriever. Many writers believe the Newfoundland to be the parent stock of all water-going retrievers, with the probable exception of the golden retriever. This Newfoundland, the same breed wrecked on the Maryland shore, was smaller than the big fellow resulting from a cross with the St. Bernard. It seems possible that these lesser Newfoundlands were much like the present Labrador, if not in fact the same dog.

They were imported into England about 1835, perhaps earlier, and named the Labrador. Although some experimental crossbreeding was attempted, the strain was kept pure, or at least it seems to have been, for the history of the Labrador is rather confused. Some writers contend the modern Labrador was infused with setter or pointer blood. And it is not even certain that the Lab isn't, after all, of English origin. For Newfoundland is an ancient colony of England, and British fishermen are supposed to have brought dogs to that island in the 16th century. These may have been the founding stock of the Labrador.

The English Kennel Club recognized the Lab as a special breed in 1903, and he was run in an English field trial in 1906. The first Labrador field trial in the United States was not held until 1931. Once introduced, however, the dogs were quickly popular, winning many retriever trials. The first dual champion Labrador, Nebraskans may recall, was owned by Jerry Angle of Lincoln. Many big names have been associated with Labrador development JULY, 1958   in this country, among them Averill Harriman and Mrs. Marshall Field.

The Lab is smaller than the Chesapeake, and his hair is flat and rather short. His performance afield is similar to that of the Chesapeake, though possibly not so powerful or aggressive. Nearly all Labs are black, a fact which causes some duck hunters to dismiss them as unworthy. But there are yellow Labs, for use where camouflage is essential.

A factor in the Lab's popularity is that he is usually tractable and gentle. He may be used on upland game such as grouse, woodcock, and pheasant, and even on rabbits. Performance-wise, the Lab is at the top of the heap. In the 1957 National Retriever Championship trials near Dover, Delaware, six of the seven finalists were Labradors (one of them yellow). A black Lab, Spirit Lake Duke, was named champion.

The only other breed in the finals was a golden retriever, second only to the Lab in popularity in this country. Like Burt Lancaster, the golden retriever was discovered in a circus. At least, the ancestors from which the golden was developed were found in the sawdust arena, if we are to believe one account of his origin. Delving into the history of dogs, we find the development of goldens even more clouded in misty speculation than that of humans.

In any case, the most probable account is that an English nobleman shortly before our Civil War watched some Russian performing dogs and was impressed with their hunting potential. He tried at first to buy a pair, was rebuffed, so purchased the entire lot of eight. He took the dogs to his kennels in Scotland.

These dogs, often weighing 100 pounds, had not been circus performers throughout the history of their breed. They were Russian Trackers, at home on the cold steppes of Asiatic Russia. They had been used as sheep dogs, the story being that they could be left in the mountains with the flocks all winter, gnawing away at a cache of food, while their owner slept cozily on the stove in his home.

Sir Dudley Majoribanks, their English breeder, was not quite satisfied with the big dogs, despite their ability to withstand the winters that killed off Napoleon. He crossed the Russian Tracker with the bloodhound, producing a breed much smaller than the Tracker, with a better nose, intelligent, and an excellent retriever. It was much like the golden retriever we know today. It was not until 1911, however, that the English Kennel Club recognized the golden as a separate breed. The American Kennel Club followed suit in 1932.

Today, the golden is a popular dog, easy to train and a standout in obedience classes. These traits he probably inherited from his show-business ancestors. The male weighs from 65 to 68 pounds. He derives his name from his rich, golden color, and, like all major retrievers, the upper hair covers a heavy, water-shedding undercoat.

The water spaniels have a history dating from ancient times. They have been used in this country and elsewhere for years, but are not so numerous as the Lab, the golden, or the Chesapeake. The Irish water spaniel is a little smaller than the golden retriever, with crisp ringlets of hair all over his body. He looks like a liver-colored, seagoing poodle with a rat-tail. In fact, both he and the American water spaniel may have a strong infusion of poodle blood. The American is a smaller dog than the Irish, with similar beauty-parlor curls, but more of a spaniel look about him. Both are used on land game as well as waterfowl.

Neither the flat-coated nor curly-coated retriever, both fairly large dogs, has caught on much in this country. The latter looks like the water spaniels, as far as the coat is concerned. He may have been produced by crossing the water spaniel with another breed, possibly the setter. Many historians place the omnipresent Newfoundland dog in his history. The flat coat is also traceable to the New foundland, with either an Irish or Gordon setter cross. He resembles the setter more than any other retriever.

This concludes the list of better-known retriever specialists. Hardy, intelligent, invaluable to the waterfowl man, and an aid to the upland hunter, they will bring them back, dead or alive. It is up to you, of course, to bring them down.

THE END 20 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA

HOW TO HOOK A MINNOW

FINEST of all baits for game fish is the minnow. Fishermen's methods of hooking the minnow for the utmost in liveliness and effectiveness are legion. Here are seven good ways to make your minnow produce results.

JULY, 1958 21

LITTLE SPIDER WITH THE BIG BITE

by William C. Blizzard, Associate Editor

AT THIS moment, a petite female may be residing in your house or on your property. She is, if present, II. garbed in glossy black, with a bit of red in attractive contrast. No one has ever called her a lady. She is sinister, dangerous, sometimes deadly, with a reputation for murdering husbands. Approach her with caution.

Her name is Lalrodectus mactans. Never heard of her? Translate her name into English, and she won't be easy to forget. Latro mean brigand; declus means biter; and mactans means murderous. We call her, for short, the black widow spider.

The widow is more numerous than most people suspect. In some areas in the United States there may be several hundred on a small farm, most of them within the vicinity of the farmhouse, where man obligingly manufactures a habitat for this most poisonous of North American spiders. He constructs damp cellars, outbuildings which attract flies, and heats protective quarters in winter to keep away the killing frost.

The black widow is common in the South, occurs throughout the North, and is sometimes found in Canada. In Nebraska, according to University of Nebraska entomologists, she is most common in the northwest. The bite of the black widow has caused no reported deaths in Nebraska within the past five years. At latest count there were only 55 recorded deaths in the United States from her bite within the past 200 years. Of these deaths, 26 were in California.

This may not seem a significant mortality rate, but statistics on the black widow are none too reliable. In the past, 22 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   existence of the widow was not well known, for few people knew her when they saw her, and still fewer were acquainted with the symptoms accompanying her bite. Not even physicians were often acquainted with the widow's bite.

Small, but numerous and dangerous, is the black-widow spider. This article shows you how to identify, avoid her

Dr. John L. C. Goffin, writing in Today's Health, published by the American Medical Association, reports that black-widow bites in the past may have led to operations for appendicitis, peritonitis, or perforated gastric ulcer. The bite, he says, has also been diagnosed as renal colic, tetanus, food poisoning, and tabetic crisis. From this it may be inferred that the correlation between reported widow bites and actual widow bites is low.

In fact, until recent years there was some controversy as to whether or not the black-widow bite was poisonous. As with snakes, fear and ignorance led to the growth of some outlandish stories.

Today, certain statements based on actual experience may be made about the black widow. Its bite is poisonous, sometimes fatal. When not fatal, it causes the most excruciating pain. As with poisonous snake bites, it is most dangerous to children and to those in poor physical condition. The healthy adult will usually recover within a week. The venom of the widow has been described as from 5 to 15 times more potent, drop for drop, than rattlesnake venom. Fortunately, the widow has far fewer drops to deliver per bite.

The widow and her cousins, all of the genus Lairodecius, occur in many parts of the United States, Europe, South Africa, Australia, and the South Pacific. The common variety in the United States is small, coal-black and glossy. The mature female may be only an inch long including the extended legs. There is generally a red hourglass on her abdomen, and there may be red dots on her back. But don't look for the red trim. Avoid or kill any shiny black spider. Although the widow doesn't appear hairy to the naked eye, she is, actually; her hair is so short she appears smooth-bodied.

Only the female L. mactans is dangerous. The much smaller male is not to be feared. The black widow derives her name from her hue and from her habit of feeding upon the male, but this is rather unfair, for nearly all spiders are cannibalistic. The male, in fact, has been known to eat the female.

Don't look for a large spider when attempting to identify the widow. Again, she is small, black, and glossy. Some immature specimens could hide under a dime. It is difficult to believe that so little a creature can pack such a mighty wallop. But facts are facts.

To ease your mind a bit, widows are not so numerous as cockroaches, and are not aggressive. They like the dark, and are adept at hiding. They won't bite unless actually pressed by hand or clothing. Or, if the spider is hungry and you brush the web, it may rush forth and attack under the impression that you are food.

Few people see the widow unless they know what to look for. The giveaway is the web. It is very strong, and strands are used as crosshairs in optical instruments. It is JULY, 1958 23   not neatly geometrical, but consists of strands going in all directions. When you find this web, beware of its black weaver. Widow poison attacks the nervous system and is called proteolytic. This means it affects protein in the cells, releasing histamine and causing shock.

In nature, the black widow is not without enemies. Wasps are fond of spiders, and the widow is a special favorite of the blue mud-dauber wasp. The San Diegan alligator lizard, the scelionid wasp, and chloropid fly also attack and eat the widow.

Dr. W. Dwight Pierce, Curator of Entomology, Los Angeles Museum of History, Science and Art, in 1938 discovered and bred a brown wasp, Baeus californicus, that is the most deadly killer of black-widow spiders. Only the male has wings. The female is only 1/32 inch long, but can jump two inches. The female does the spider killing. As over 90 per cent of the wasp hatch is female, she is quite efficient.

This tiny wasp kills the black widow by finding her eggs in their silken cocoons, then laying her own eggs on the spider eggs. The wasp eggs hatch first and eat the embryo spiders. Dr. Pierce reported that eight black-widow cocoons contained 2,240 eggs, and the wasp put her own eggs on 98.55 per cent of them.

In 1939, Dr. Pierce sent some thousands of wasps and eggs to Hawaii at the request of sugar-company officials. Black widows were then so numerous in the islands that they were endangering workers. In 1940, in return for help in securing spider cocoons, he sent the wasps to more than 150 places in the United States.

Black widows are not easily killed by insecticides. But DDT will kill the insects upon which they feed, causing starvation. Creosote will kill the black widow, but she must be drenched with it. The best way to kill the black widow, though, is to find her and step on her, not forgetting her eggs.

The passing of the outdoor toilet was a great blow to the black widow, for the Chic Sale was the scene of an undetermined number of black-widow bites. The privy is dark, has many flies, and offers protection from the weather. A human touching a web in such a spot is apt to become a target of the spider, if not a vital statistic.

Widows like most buildings where rubbish is scattered about, and damp spots in dry seasons. They will build in cactus in some areas, and may often be found under stones.

Another reason that statistics on black-widow bites are not reliable is the manner in which the poison acts. A child engaged in play or an adult at work may not realize immediately that they are bitten. The first sensation may be iess painful than a bee sting. But pain follows, sometimes shock, with a general burning sensation, especially on the soles of the feet. Muscles of the stomach may become rigid, with severe spasms.

A California physician described how he was called to a farmer's home to find him in terrible pain, with belly rigid as a board. The farmer knew he had been bitten in an outdoor toilet. The doctor gave the man three-quarters of a grain of morphine before the pain eased. The man recovered after many hours of agony.

In West Virginia, two years ago, a man was bitten on the stomach while baling hay. He felt the sting and saw the welt on his abdomen. He also saw the spider, which his brother captured and placed in a jar. Recognizing the black widow, this man was in great fear as well as pain. Upon seeing the spider, the doctor quickly injected antivenin and sent the man to a hospital.

Bad luck rode with the ambulance. It wrecked on the way. The bitten man had his jaw broken and teeth loosened. Strangely, he felt no pain from these injuries. In the hospital, the pain from the bite was excruciating and remained so despite more antivenin injections. There were severe muscular cramps, ligaments in chest and arms so taut they "felt as if something would break."

This man also recovered. Said he: "I honestly believe I could go through death 100 times more easily than I could go through the effects of the bite of the black widow spider again."

Dr. W. J. Baerg, a famed arachnologist (spider man) let himself be bitten on a finger by a black widow in order that he might record his reactions for the benefit of science and other human beings. Pain was faint at first, but increased rapidly. In 20 minutes pain shot to the armpit; in two hours the chest muscles ached. In four hours, the chest cramped and breathing and speech were forced. After five hours, there was profuse sweating and pain went to the knees and finally the toes.

Nine hours after being bitten he went to a hospital where he experienced nausea while drinking a cup of coffee. A hot bath alleviated the pain and made breathing and speech easier. Pain continued severe, and sleep was impossible. In the morning a band of pimples, iy2 to 2 inches wide, ran from his left hand to his elbow. Nausea abated.

The doctor was able to sleep one hour that day and a little the following night. Next day, hot baths helped matters, though he had a tendency to faint. He was able to sleep that night and left the hospital the following noon.

This was one man's experience, and that man was a trained, scientific observer. As with snake bite, reactions vary with individuals. Even bee stings have been fatal to some people. But with the black widow bite intense pain seems invariably present.

In early May, Bill Vanderheiden of Valentine, a locker plant operator, was troubled with pain and swelling of his leg after working with his rose bushes. He went to the doctor, but diagnosis was only tentative until Vanderheiden's dry cleaners telephoned. They had, they said, found a spider in his trousers. The shiny, black body of the spider was easily identified. It was the black widow. Vanderheiden had received only a small dose of the poison, and didn't know when he was bitten.

If you or someone you know is bitten, what do you do until the doctor comes? Some actions are helpful, but unfortunately first aid is not so effective as with the more frequent snake bites. Suction, constriction by tourniquet and cutting is not advised by all physicians. If cuts are made, they should be shallow, and suction must be applied immediately to do any good.

The victim should be kept quiet—if spasms occur this won't be easy—and lying down, the bitten member hanging below body level. Cold water or ice should be applied to the bite. Muscular spasms should be treated with warm applications. Above all, if possible, rush the patient to a hospital where antivenin is available in the form of calcium gluconate.

If you must use an outdoor toilet this summer, inspect the premises carefully. Don't let your children play around old buildings or rubbish heaps. If you raise stones or logs while looking for fish bait, watch where you place your hands. For L. macians may resent your intrusion. Her resentment is not to be treated lightly. American Indians once ground black-widow bodies into paste, then smeared the venomous paste on arrow tips. The black widow is indeed the little spider with the big bite.

THE END 24 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA

OUTDOOR ELSEWHERE

FISHING AND DELINQUENCY

WASHINGTON . . . Says Judge William C. Long, Superior Court, Seattle "I have been Juvenile Court Judge in King County, Washington, for over 20 years, and during that time I have handled some 45,000 juvenile cases . . . and I cannot recall a single case, in 20 years, of serious juvenile conduct involving a youngster whose hobby and recreational outlet was fishing." Kids naturally respond to the outdoors—it's their natural element. If given a chance to learn about the outdoors through school, or contact with adult sportsmen, junior conservation clubs, boy scouts, and other organizations, youth just naturally succeeds.

* * * DOWN BUT NOT OUT

VIRGINIA . . . Charley Jordan, Richmond, says the red-tailed hawk is just about the toughest bird he knows. And Charley ought to know. When Charley shot, the hawk folded up and fell, but when he got to him, the bird was standing up. He hit the hawk in the head to kill him, then tossed the bird into a freezer with a couple of wild ducks, planning to have it mounted. Thirty-six hours later he took the hawk out and it started jumping around. The ducks were frozen solid.

* * * HIGHWAY BOOMING GROUND

SOUTH DAKOTA . . . Neither federal aid to highways nor heavy traffic made much difference when a male prairie chicken recently set up shop on Highway 14 west of Philip. The grouse set up his own private booming grounds on an island at the intersection of highways 14 and 16. There the bird began his spring courtship dances, oblivious to passing traffic. Occasionally, when a car passed too close, the grouse would stop his dance and charge the car, wings flapping. One spectator was lucky enough to take movies of the bird's antics.

* * * ELKHOUNDS FOR COYOTES

NORTH DAKOTA . . . Warden Bob Borden, Watford City, reports that two young hunters in that area bagged what they believed to be coyotes during North Dakota's 1957 deer season. When the "coyotes" were brought to the warden for identification, the hunters were shocked to learn that their bag consisted of two expensive Norwegian elkhounds.

* * * VIRGINIA'S EGGS

TEXAS ... A new record in quail-egg production has been set by Virginia, a little quail hen at the state quail farm at Tyler. Virginia laid 332 eggs in 12 months, surpassing the record 311 eggs produced by her mother Bernice, during the previous year. This performance placed Virginia at the top of all state personnel. She missed only 33 days of production, which means she even worked on Sunday part of the time, took no long week-ends, vacation, or sick leave. There were 25 daughters of Bernice in the egg test run at the hatchery by Superintendent George C. Stodghill. Seven of the hens reached the 300 mark. They produced a total of 6,295 eggs, or an average of 251.8 eggs per hen in the 12-month period.

* * * RACCOON STEW

NEW MEXICO . . . The raccoon that was stealing goose eggs at the Red River Hatchery finally got his come-uppance. Lee Fritsch, biologist aide, turned him into a succulent meal. Skeptical neighbors were treated to a delicious stew, refuting the idea that raccoon must be inedible after it had been fed on fish. Fritsch gave the recipe, which incidentally he had used on bear in Alaska. Remove every speck of fat and the scent glands on aT four legs. Using the hind quarters and tenderloin only, soak the pieces in salt water overnight for 24 hours. Roll in flour and brown in a skillet. Place alternate layers of the meat and sliced onion in a pressure cooker and sprinkle with garlic salt. Cook 30 minutes.

* * * TOLERANCE FOR VENISON

NEW MEXICO ... A somewhat unusual SOS was answered by Clovis sportsmen who heard a TV plea from the Department of Game and Fish. It was a request for game meat to supplement the diet of eight-year-old Pat Moorhead of Elida. The sportsmen donated about 75 pounds of meat, and there are plans to donate the next antelope collected by the department for research purposes. According to the physician's report, the little girl is allergic to beef and many other protein foods.

* * * CHASE IN REVERSE

OKLAHOMA . . . Something approaching the familiar "man-bites-dog" news story was observed last week. Eleven antelope were seen chasing a coyote. Normally one would expect the coyote to be doing the pursuing, but perhaps he felt outnumbered.

* * * "LIVE" DEAD DEER

MICHIGAN . . . Conservation Officer Edward Beechem of Houghton Lake related the following tale in his regular report on deer-season activity: "A hunter, alone in a pickup truck, went hunting on the first day of the season. About daybreak, h e saw two bucks standing watching him. He shot one of the bucks, but was so elated he failed to seal the deer or dress it out. The hunter loaded the buck into the rear of his truck and started for home. After driving a short distance, he heard a noise and looked around in time to see the deer jump over the tailgate of the truck. The surprised hunter stopped his vehicle and followed the deer. After trailing the animal for a short distance, he found another hunter had killed the deer and was in the process of dressing it."

JULY, 1958 25

Notes on Nebraska Fauna

SMALLMOUTH BASS

THE smallmouth bass, Micropterous dolomieu, is also known as the black bass, bronze-back, brown bass, gold bass, little bass, redeye, swago bass, and tiger bass. A member of the sunfish clan, the smallmouth's closest relative in Nebraska is the largemouth bass. The smallmouth can be distinguished from this relative by looking at the mouth opening, which extends only to the middle of the eye instead of beyond its back edge as in the largemouth.

Color of the smallmouth is golden-green on the sides and black with faint, wavy olive blotches fading to gray or bluish-white on the belly. There are five olive-green bars radiating backward from the eye, and one forward toward the end of the snout. There are 14 to 18 small scales in a row across the cheek of the smallmouth and only 9 to 12 on the largemouth.

The bass is equipped with the normal number of senses known to humans: sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch. The smallmouth's vision is keen in clear water. Its sense of smell functions through four small openings in the forepart of its snout. Water is drawn in through the two forward openings, passed over smell-sensitive tissues, and ejected from the rear openings.

The bass appears to rely on both sight and smell to secure food. Organs of taste are located in the mouth. Hearing is achieved in two ways: there is an inner ear, a complicated structure of interlocking bones that is sensitive to high - pitched sounds, and the lateral line, sensitive to low-pitched sounds. The lateral line consists of nerve endings exposed to the surface of the body and is visible as a series of small openings that run from gill cover to tail. Reactions of the bass indicate that the body surface is sensitive to touch, and that some surface nerve endings are sensitive to temperature changes.

The inner ear, eye, and the lateral line probably serve a combined function of stabilizing the fish in the water. The air bladder, a balloonlike organ lying inside the body just below the backbone, also functions in stabilization. When the fish is cleaned, the air bladder is usually ruptured and goes unnoticed by the angler. This air bladder is filled with gases and permits the fish to hover in a seemingly effortless manner at whatever depth he chooses. If the bass moves down, the bladder loses gas and shrinks; if upward, the bladder expands. It is the act of swimming, 26 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA   however, that moves the fish up and down. The air bladder merely adjusts to suspend the fish in a resting position.

by Robert Thomas, District III Fisheries Supervisor

Small inward-pointing teeth cover the jaws of the smallmouth, with a set of flat-surfaced grinding teeth located well back in the throat at the level of the gills.

The original range of the smallmouth probably included the St. Lawrence, Ohio and Upper Mississippi Rivers, and the Great Lakes. It since has been widely introduced outside this area in North America, wherever suitable habitat exists. Presently, in Nebraska, a fishable population of smallmouth exists in McConaughy Reservoir.

The smallmouth favors cool, flowing streams and cool lakes. Good smallmouth streams have a gravel or rock bottom with large pools between riffles. In Nebraska, streams with these general characteristics are practically nonexistent. Good lake habitat has clean cool water with gravel and rubble shore-line areas. Since the bass is a shore-line spawner, water levels must remain stable during June and July. Some artificial Nebraska lakes have these characteristics and may prove to be suitable for the smallmouth.

Staple foods of adult bass include fish, crayfish, and larger insects. Other animals that have been known to make up the smallmouth's diet are small snakes, field mice, baby muskrats, and what have you. Newly-hatched smallmouths feed upon minute water animals called copepods and cladocerans. As bass increase in size small insects are taken and gradually larger insects and fish make up the diet.

Because of its fish-eating habits, the smallmouth plays an important role in the over-all fish population, helping to control the large numbers of forage species that are usually present in any body of water. Other good predator fish which fall into this category are the northern pike, walleye, and largemouth bass.

Most smallmouth bass spawn in Nebraska during June. Spawning peaks vary from year to year in relation to water temperatures, with the bulk of spawning occurring at water temperatures of 60° to 70° F.

The male bass dominates in the spawning. He builds the nest and cares for the young. Normal-growing male and female bass are ready to spawn at two to three years of age. When the water has warmed to suit the male usually a temperature in the mid-50's—he begins nest construction. He selects a bed of coarse gravel, sheltered by an out-tilted tree or large boulder, if such are available. The smallmouth has been known to build its nest in water varying from 12 inches to 12 feet in depth.

Using his tail fin as a sweep, the male assumes an uphill position in the water directly over the gravel of his choice and clears out a circular area about two to three feet in diameter. When this nest is completed, he stands guard and waits for the female, who, during these house-wifely activities of the male, has been waiting in deep water. She remains in deep water until a temperature satisfactory for egg laying, usually about 60° F., is reached. Then she moves in toward the nest. The eager male darts out to greet her and succeeds in conducting her to his newly constructed home. Courtship culminates in the two fishes lying side by side over the cleared gravel. The female extrudes her eggs and the male fertilizes them.

Egg counts show that the female produces about 8,000 eggs per pound of body weight. The adhesive eggs fall to the cleaned gravel and become attached to it. When the female has voided her eggs, she leaves for good and the seemingly henpecked male assumes complete parentage. He guards the eggs with loving care, his fin movements washing away the wastes of the developing eggs and keeping them surrounded with clean, well-oxygenated water.

Under suitable temperature conditions, the eggs hatch in three or four days and the transparent young fish fall among the crevices in the gravel where they continue their development for another three or four days, finally arising from the gravel as a swarm of "black fry." Total time from egg laying to rising of the fry from the nest generally takes from seven to 14 days> depending on water temperature. Extreme temperature changes can destroy the eggs. The male housewife guards his young brood for four or five days more. Each day the fry move farther from the nest, until they finally shift for themselves.

The smallmouth does not grow as large as some people would like to think. It can be considered large when it attains a weight of two pounds, and a fish over three pounds is a real prize. But the tremendous vitality of even a one-pounder makes it a thrilling fish to catch.

In further reference to its sporting qualities, the oftquoted statement from Dr. A. J. Henshall's Book of the Black Bass is always appropriate. Dr. Henshell's writes: "He is plucky, game, brave, and when hooked, unyielding to the last. He has the arrowy rush and vigor of a trout, the untiring strength and bold leap of a salmon, while he has a system of fighting tactics peculiarly his own. I consider him, inch for inch and pound for pound, the gamest fish that swims."

THE END

Christine of Duckdom

FOR MORE than 20 years James Aagaard of Ord had a wild hen mallard duck roosting about his place, contentedly laying eggs and raising broods. She was not only a mother, but, according to Aagaard, the very model of a perfect mallard mother, tending her eggs and ducklings with the utmost solicitude.

One spring the duck laid no eggs. That fall she molted and emerged with brand new, colorful plumage. But it was the plumage of a mallard drake, complete with tail curl. The hen had pulled a Christine in reverse, and had, in appearance, become a drake.

Game Commission biologists explain that Aagaard's duck is really still a hen. But advanced age has altered her glandular make-up, causing her to display masculine secondary sexual characteristics.

THE END JULY. 1958 27

FISH I.Q

Write in the name of each fish. Check your answer below.

1. Carp 2. Gizzard Shad 3. Buffalo 4. Carp Sucker BULK RATE U. S. POSTAGE PAID Lincoln, Nebr. Permit No. 694 Postmaster: If undeliverable FOR ANY REASON, notify sender, stating reason, on FORM 3547, postage for which is guaranteed. FORWARDING POSTAGE GUARANTEED OUTDOOR NEBRASKA STATE HOUSE Lincoln, Nebraska