324 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [May, 



The Big Hach'ets are without timber. Only the higher peaks 

 are in the pinyon zone. There are some scrubby cedars and old 

 gnarled pinyon pines, nowhere numerous. On some of the higher 

 slopes of Hacheta Grande Mt. there is a growth of very small scrub 

 oak, sometimes so close as to impede travel, as it is mingled with a 

 liroad-leaved, black-spined agave. Elsewhere a small agave with 

 white filaments is very abundant. There is also an agave zone 

 surrounding the mountains, bounded outwardly by the zone of giant 

 yuccas, both usual on the slopes leading to the mountains in this 

 part of New Mexico. South of Daniels Peak the higher hills and 

 buttes usually have Fouquieria and its characteristic society. The 

 rock is hard limestone worn into holes and points, and containing 

 few ill-preserved fossils, among which a Zaphrentis-like coral, 

 crinoid stems and a spiral univalve are most abundant. Rattle- 

 snakes, large centipedes, tarantulas and small bro^vn scorpions are 

 reasonably abundant. Birds and mammals are scarce, and owing 

 to the absence of springs, the mountains are not available for cattle 

 range. During the time we were there (August 20 to 26, 1910) the 

 heat was intense from sunrise until after 9 P.M. Sky cloudless until 

 midday, when small clouds gather, possibly covering 10 p. c. of the 

 sky. There was very little wind. The annual rainfall is not 

 known, but must be less than 9 or 10 inches, recorded from the region 

 immediately northward. 



Previous to the visit of Mr. L. E. Daniels and the writer, in 

 August, 1910, the mollusks of these mountains had been collected 

 by Dr. Edgar A. Mearns, U. S. A., while serving on the survey of the 

 Mexican boundary. 



Dr. Mearns started from Mesquite or Mosquito Springs, Chi- 

 huahua, 6 or 8 miles east of the mouth of Sheridan Canyon. Enter- 

 ing Thomson Canyon, he turned southward to get a practicalile grade 

 for mules up the steep ridge terminating in Daniels Peak. Passing 

 near or over the summit he camped at its north end. From here his 

 route lay along the ridge to the summit of Big Hachet Mt. ; thence 

 eastward to near our Station 9, south past our Station 8, and back to 

 camp, as plotted on the map, where his route is approximately indi- 

 cated by small crosses.^ On this trip collections were made between 

 camp and the first rise indicated on the map, on the out-journey to 

 the peak, and somewhere between our Stations 9 and 8 on the return. 



2 We would here acknowledge Dr. Mearns' kindness in plotting his route on 

 our map and giving the above details of his visit. From the data it is now 

 easy to determine the type localities of the specias he found. 



