490 



NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



Owen, LeuUa. Caves of the Ozarks and 

 Black Hills (Notes on Missouri cave 

 fauna). Out of print. 



Widman, O. Ecological relations and 

 distribution of birds (flocks and 

 migrations). Trans. Acad. Sci., St. 

 Louis, xxiv. No. 8, 70-77. 



Moore, Geo. T. May, 1923 Missouri 

 Botanical Garden Bulletin, Vol. XI, 5 

 (gives distribution of the 108 species 

 of Crataegus). 



Missouri Forest Trees. Mo. Agr. E.Kp. 

 Sta. Bui. 98. 



4. OKLAHOMA 



By H. H. Lane 



The state of Oklahoma has an area of 

 70,470 sq. mi. lying between the Red 

 River on the south (at approximately 

 34° north latitude) and the 37th parallel 

 on the north. The main part of the 

 state, roughly a rectangle, extends 

 from 94° 30' west longitude westward to 

 the 100th meridian; to which the "Pan- 

 handle" adds a narrow e.xtension, 

 between latitudes 36° 30' and 37°, west- 

 ward to the 103rd meridian. The north- 

 ern boundary is about 470 mi. long, while 

 the main portion of the state has a total 

 length of 320 mi. and a maximum breadth 

 (eastern boundary) of about 225 mi. 



I. TOPOGRAPHY 



The general surface of Oklahoma is a 

 plain sloping gently toward the south- 

 east, with the greatest elevation of a 

 little over 4500 ft. near the northwest 

 corner of the Panhandle and a minimum 

 elevation of a little less than 400 ft. at 

 the extreme southeastern corner of the 

 state. 



Four mountainous uplifts occur wholly 

 or in part within the state, viz., (1) the 

 Ozarks in the northern third of the 

 eastern portion; (2) the Ouachita Moun- 

 tains to the southeast; (3) the Arbuckle 

 Mountains extending in an east-to-west 

 direction for about 30 mi. in the south- 

 central part; and (4) in the southwest at 

 a d stance of about 30 mi. from both the 

 Red River on the south and the Texas 

 line on the west, the Wichita Moun- 

 tains, which extend southeastward for 

 about 60 mi. 



The Ozarks are an elevated plain 

 through which the streams have cut 

 deep, narrow V-shaped valleys. The 

 broad, flat-topped hills standing between 

 these valleys are treeless, and for that 

 reason are locally termed "prairies," 

 some of them so extensive as to have 

 been given distinctive names. At the 

 northeastern corner of the Oklahoma 

 Ozarks the ridges attain their greatest 

 elevation, 1150 ft.; while in their south- 

 eastern portion they do not rise more 

 than about 400 ft. a ove sea level. The 

 individual hills in no case rise more than 

 400 ft. above their bases, and their 

 average height is certainly not over 

 250 ft. The streams are characterized 

 by the clearness of their waters and the 

 rapidity of their flow; their bottoms are 

 gravelly and they carry practica ly no 

 mud. This region was formerly covered 

 with deciduous forests, principally oak, 

 with some pine in the southern part. 

 The large timber has now been practi- 

 cally all cut off, leaving only the scrub, 

 chiefly blackjack and post oak. The 

 region is but sparsely settled. 



The Ouachita uplift comprises the 

 roughest surface in the state. Irregular 

 weathering of the rock strata has re- 

 sulted in the formation of many hills or 

 mountains, of which Rich Mountain is 

 the highest peak, reaching over 3000 ft. 

 above sea-level and almost 2000 ft. 

 above the streams which skirt its base. 

 The whole Ouachita area is covered with 

 a thick growth of timber, mostly pine 

 and cedar. It is the most sparsely 

 settled portion of the state, and the 

 roads are mere trails, with few bridges 

 over the streams. The majority of the 

 inhabitants outside of the villages are 

 Choctaw Indians. There are no rail- 

 roads and life there now is as primitive 

 as it was 60 years ago. Though there 

 has been an invasion of lumbermen who 

 have devastated the forests. Congress 

 reserved nearly a million and a half 

 acres of this timber land from allotment, 

 and this portion remains a virgin wilder- 

 ness and a welcome place of refuge for 

 wild life of all kinds. This region is 

 extremely rugged and along its in- 



