March, 1904. Mammals of Southern California — Elliot. 279 



siderable stream of water flows through the canon. This locality was 

 at the upper limit of the creosote and mesquite vegetation. Here a 

 series of Tamias panamintinus, among other desirable specimens, 

 were secured, and new forms of Tlwmomys and Lepus were taken. 

 The route from here was retraced to the Coal Kilns, north of Tele- 

 scope Peak, where four days were passed. This camp was "about 

 ten miles southeast of Wild Rose Spring and much nearer the ridge 

 of the Range, but in the same drainage. The 'Kilns' are in an 

 open ravine, a short distance above the flat on which the Spring is 

 situated. The ravine at this point is 7,500 feet in altitude and the 

 hills lie at the lower edge of the Pihon Belt. A large number of 

 mountain mahogany and juniper trees covers the floor of the ravine 

 at this point." At this canon a new species of Peromyscus was 

 secured. From here the route was through Shepherd Canon, in 

 the Argus Mountains, and then over the Coso Mountains to Keeler 

 and Lone Pine. The first camp was made in the canon above named, 

 and then two days were passed on the Coso Range, one at the south 

 end, in the upper part of the Yucca arborescens Belt, and another at 

 the north end, at about the same elevation, and forty or fifty mammals 

 were secured, some very desirable. Mount Whitney and the neigh- 

 boring region in the Sierra Nevada was the next objective point, and 

 a considerable stay was made in the various localities. Of this 

 region Mr. Heller writes as follows: "The greater part of the high 

 meadows of the southern Sierras are in the Boreal Zone; that is, 

 thev are above the belt of black pines, Piints jcjjcri. The Boreal 

 is here made up largely of two trees, the lodge pole pine, Pin us 

 murrayana, and the fox-tail pine, Pinus balfouriaua. The former is 

 confined to the borders of meadows and streams, and follows the 

 water courses to timber-line, where it becomes dwarfed and prostrate. 

 The fox-tail pine grows on the ridges and hillsides above the other 

 species and forms a heavy growth at timber-line, where it grows 

 erect, but somewhat dwarfed. Both trees have practically the same 

 range, but each grows on a different kind of ground. These two 

 pines formed the great bulk of the forest. A few black pines occur 

 on the lower edge of the Boreal on Cottonwood Creek and about 

 *Monache and Ramshaw Meadows. About Monache Meadow occur 

 considerable forests of Abies magnified, the red fir, and on the ridges 

 are a few P. lambertiana, the sugar pine. 



About Crater Meadow, on Whitney Creek, and at Ramshaw 

 Meadow, the western juniper, J. occidentalis , was abundant on rocky 



* Mr. Heller throughout his notes spells this, Monache; Dr. Merriam, on the 

 other hand, gives it as Menache. 



