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NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



cold wind of high velocity together with 

 the densely falling snow constitues the 

 so-called "blizzard" which brings con- 

 sternation to the stockmen and the 

 traveller far from shelter. The writer 

 has found stock frozen to death in such 

 a storm within a hundred yards of 

 shelter which it was unable to find 

 through the blinding blizzard. 



Destructive tornadoes are frequent in 

 the spring and early summer months, 

 though they may occur at any time of 

 the year, and often appear to "play 

 pranks" that are not usually credited 

 by those who have not experienced their 

 vagaries. In Oklahoma, a "still day" 

 is so unusual as to be remarkable; 

 any breeze that blows less than 10 mi. 

 per hour is a "gentle zephyr"; on a 

 "windy day" its velocity may be any- 

 thing between 20 and 50 mi. per hour, 

 while a destructive storm moves at a 

 rate of 60 to 100 mi. per hour. 



The months of October, November, 

 December and frequently January, have 

 usually the finest weather of the year; 

 the spring months are frequently too 

 wet for comfort; and the summer and 

 early fall months too hot and dusty to 

 be thoroughly enjoyable. Over the 

 Great Plains Region sand-storms and 

 dust-storms are frequent and most 

 annoying during the dry season. 



In short, the climate of Oklahoma has 

 the charm of novelty — it is characterized 

 by frequent changes — so that one does 

 not have time to grow weary of a given 

 variety of weather before a change 

 ushers in something different. 



III. THE ORIGINAL BIOTA 



Ecologically speaking, the state of 

 Oklahoma comprises at least four chief 

 zones, to which possibly should be 

 added a fifth to include that portion of 

 the Gulf Coastal Plain that lies along 

 the Red River south of the Arbuckle 

 and Ouachita Mountains. This region 

 is characterized by the presence of 

 southern types of biota not occurring 

 elsewhere in the state. Aside from this 

 there are: 



1. The Southern Coniferous Forest 



Region of the Ouachita Mountains. 



2. The Deciduous Forest Region of 

 the Ozarks and the northeastern part 

 of the state generally. 



3. The Oak Grove Savanna Region 

 extending thence westward across the 

 entire state to the Redbeds Plains. 



4. The Desert Grassland Region, which 

 comprises the rest of the state. Local 

 variations in these general regions are 

 numerous and some of them of notable 

 interest. 



In the Southern Coniferous Forest 

 Region of the Ouachita Mountain ; is 

 to be found most of the still existing 

 virgin forest land of the state. Here the 

 .original biota occurs in greatest abun- 

 dance though several of the larger forms 

 have been reduced by continual (and 

 often illegal) hunting almost or quite to 

 extinction. Among the larger carni- 

 vores were the cougar (Felis concolor 

 group), black bear (Ursus americanus), 

 gray wolf (Canis spp.), and bobcat 

 (Lynx spp.). The smaller carnivores, 

 such as the raccoon {Procyon lotor), 

 skunk (Mephitis mesomelas), "civet-cat" 

 (Spilogale interrupta) , otter {Lutra cana- 

 densis subsp.), mink (Mustela vison 

 subsp.), and weasel {Mustela sp.) were 

 also common, preying upon the still 

 more numerous cottontail and swamp 

 rabbits (Sylvilagus Jloridanus alacer 

 and S. aquaticus), gray and fox squirrels 

 {Sciurus carolinensis and S. niger rufi- 

 venler), and various other rodents. 

 Here too the beaver (Castor canadensis) 

 and muskrat (Ondatra zibethica cin- 

 namomina), as well as the otter, were 

 once abundant, as was also the stupid 

 opossum (Didelphis virginiana). The 

 Virginia deer (Odocoileus virginianus 

 subsp.) was probably the only native 

 ungulate found in this region and it 

 occurred in numbers that cannot now be 

 estimated; it is barely possible that the 

 mule-deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and 

 elk (Cervus canadensis) originally in- 

 cluded this area within their respective 

 ranges. Among the birds, the wild 

 turkey was present in almost unbeliev- 

 able numbers, if we may trust the stories 

 of old hunters, and they grew unusually 



