ANIMALS AND PLANTS OF THE REGION 47 



mints, sages, and sweet grass, are still found here, and 

 furnish the favorite perfumes of many tribes of Indians. 



Water, noted for its scarcity, is not so scarce as it 

 seems when all the hidden springs and pot holes are 

 known. Almost every cave contains plenty of water 

 for drinking and cooking purposes, even if this has to 

 be caught in jars set under slowly dripping stalactites, 

 and most contain pools of clean, cold water. Many 

 deep pot holes in the rocky beds of canyons and side 

 gulches hold water from one rain almost to another, 

 and if covered with slabs of rock will hold it for an 

 indefinite period. There are always good springs or 

 streams within reach even in dry times, but a knowledge 

 of the game of locating the water holes was of vital 

 importance in occupancy of the desert. 



Economy of the water supply may have rendered 

 soap a luxury, but various roots, especially those of the 

 "soapweed, " Yucca radiosa, provided an ample supply 

 of soap when needed, and of a quality still appreciated 

 by many. 



Materials for baskets were found in the pliant stems 

 of skunk bush, the tough leaves of yuccas and bear 

 grass, and the black fibers of the unicorn plant, while 

 many variously colored stems and roots gave beauty 

 of pattern. The pinyon tree furnished pitch for water- 

 proofing the water baskets, which were lighter and 

 more durable than pottery, and a bunch of fresh green 

 grass or leaves served as a convenient cork to keep the 

 water in and the insects out. Baskets for every house- 

 hold need are still made and used by the Mescalero 

 Indians, and older types are found in the burial caves of 

 the aborigines. 



