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POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



rare beauty. To the north lies the range of the Santa Catalina Moun- 

 tains, extending through 40° of the horizon. Its rugged topography 

 scarcely noticeable in the glare of the high sun, is thrown into bold 

 relief when the shadows begin to lengthen. Then the dazzling 

 purples and yellows of midday give way to the deep blues and purples 

 of the valleys contrasted with the reddening tones of the higher slopes 

 and ridges. The well-wooded and watered regions of this fine country 

 are within two days' travel of Tucson, and excursions may be made 

 thither with comparative ease. 



To the east stands the rounded mass of the Eincon Mountains, the 

 illumination of which by the afternoon sun is most remarkable. The 

 vividness of details, the shimmer of heat, the blaze of reflected light 

 modified by the merest veil of purple — these are faint expressions of 

 what one quite fails to describe. To the west the desolate defiles of 

 the Tucson Mountain, seen at short range, gives us, with the sun in 

 the same position, a contrast picture of hard and rugged profile, 

 dark browns and black shadows. To complete the panorama, one 

 needs but to climb to the top of the hill, from which may be seen in 



Prickly Pe\r. 



the far distance the deserts of Sonora and the malpais — the rendezvous 

 of the few ' bad men,' now so hard to find. 



Aside from the conditions for study offered by the Desert Labora- 

 tory as such, the matter with which the student is especially concerned 

 is the plant life. In seeking for the right place to plant a laboratory 

 for the study of desert vegetation, it is obvious that some practical con- 

 ception of what such a vegetation is had to be formulated by the ad- 

 visory board. It was necessary for this board to find a locality with 

 a desert climate and possessed of as rich and varied a flora as possible, 



