1903.]» NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 17 



of Alamogordo, and collections were made here April 11, 16, and on 

 several other occasions by Mr. Viereck. 



Laliiz Canon, Otero county, N. M. Elevation at mouth about 5,000 

 feet. This canon is about the size of Alamo Cailon, and contains a 

 large stream of discolored alkaline water, locally known as the Laluz 

 river. Laluz Caiion is located seven miles northeast of Alamogordo, 

 and extends a great distance into the range, a portion of it being occu- 

 pied by the railroad which reaches the upper slopes of the mountains. 

 Several days were spent here collecting. 



Highrolls, Otero county, N. M. Elevation about 7,000 feet. This 

 locality is about half-way up the Sacramento range, and was visited 

 by Mr. Viereck early in June. 



Cloudcroft. Otero county N. M. Elevation about 9,000 feet. 

 Cloudcroft is located practically on the top of the Sacramentos, and 

 collecting was carried on there by Mr. Viereck during the latter part of 

 May and the early part of June. 



While the authors are not prepared to enter into a lengthy disserta- 

 tion on the faunal relations of the localities visited, still the general con- 

 clusions drawn from an examination of the material collected may 

 prove worthy of record. Leaving the Texas locahties out of considera- 

 tion, as but little vertebrate material was obtained there, we come first 

 to the immediate vicinity of Alamogordo. This appears to be truly 

 Lower Sonoran (or Middle Sonoran, as has been proposed^), the vege 

 tation, the most characteristic species of which have been men- 

 tioned before, as well as the reptiles, mammals, birds and insects, so far 

 as studied, being characteristic of this zone. This fauna and flora seem 

 to extend quite a distance up the bottoms and arroyos (torrent beds) of 

 the canons, while the slopes of the same and the foothills appear to pos- 

 sess more distinctly Upper Sonoran types, such as the sotol (Dasyli- 

 rion), candle-wood (Fouqueira) and junipers (Juniperus). The pinon 

 (Pinus sp.) does not extend so ar down as the juniper, and makes its 

 appearance only when Lower Sonoran types have totally disappeared 

 from the arroyos. In Dr. C. Hart Merriam's latest faunal map of the 

 United States two tongues of the Lower Sonoran are shown to enter 

 New Mexico from the south, one along the valley of the Rio Grande and 

 the other along the Pecos. From a study of the present material, it 

 would seem that another Lower Sonoran tongue branches off from the 



^ The evidence on which this division was made does not appear sufficient. On 

 almost equal grounds we mia;ht divide tlie Carolinian belt into at least two por- 

 tions. 



2 



