22 THE NAUTILUS. 



middle of the island. On these rocky ridges, which are generally 

 free from brush and chaparral, one may find rough trails, or get 

 along by some rough climbing in his search for specimens, if he has 

 a pair of stout legs and strong hob-nailed brogans under him. The 

 only wild creatures that inhabit these islands to-day, so far as my 

 knowledge goes, are wild goats (introduced with sheep), wild hogs 

 (introduced and found to-day only on Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa 

 Islands), foxes, mice, birds, lizards, snakes (rare), snails and insects. 

 I have no evidence to show that any other animals except the 

 Indians ever did inhabit them ; but there are reports of the discov- 

 ery of the bones of some large creature on Santa Rosa Island some 

 years ago by Dr. Yates. 



The northern and more shaded slopes of these island ridges are for 

 the most part covered with scrub-oak bushes and other chaparral of 

 various kinds, their branches low and reaching the ground, the twigs 

 interwoven in many places so that all travel through this tangled 

 wildwood is shut out except an occasional place where the sheep and 

 goats have browsed off the lower twigs and made narrow openings or 

 rough trails in their search for food during the dry season, or in 

 seeking cool, shady retreats during hot summer days. Cacti have 

 nearly full possession of the south and sunny slopes or exposures of 

 the ridges on the island, and here on Santa Catalina, so far as my 

 experience goes, is the breeding ground and home of the various 

 kinds of snails, while the north and more shaded slopes are destitute 

 or deserted by these children of the mist. 



Notwithstanding the thin, scanty soil in most places on the steep 

 slopes and narrow rocky ridges, the cactus secures a tolerably firm 

 hold by sending strong, wiry roots down into the cracks and crevices 

 of the bedrock, and in spite of the long dry weather during the sum- 

 mer they succeed wonderfully in developing their stout, succulent 

 and curious forms. 



Sometimes these plants are isolated, but generally they grow in 

 dense patches and frequently take full possession of ridge, hill and 

 slope where they stand in great masses, and apparently the more 

 crowded they are the larger and stouter they grow, and armed as 

 they are, with long, sharp thorns and thousands of fine needle-like 

 " pointers " barbed to the end, one must work among them in his 

 search for specimens with great care, otherwise he may receive some 

 painful stabs and wounds which I have frequently met with in my 



