1913] Zoo-Geography 19 



its northern boundary while the woodchuck, red fox, weasel, and 

 chipmunk do not extend below its southern border. Its reptiles 

 are much more numerous than those of the Alleghanian, but 

 far less so than those of the Lower Austral. It divides natur- 

 ally into an eastern or humid division and a western or arid 

 one, the former being characterized by an abundance of turtles, 

 and a scarcity of lizards while the latter has an abundance of 

 lizards and very few turtles. 



6. The Lower Austral Zone comprises roughly speaking the 

 southern third of the United States and a large part of Mexico. 

 It is characterized by a great abundance of reptiles and a com- 

 parative lack of salamanders though certain highly specialized 

 forms of the latter belong exclusively here. Its distinctive 

 mammals are the marsh and water rabbits, the cotton rats, and 

 ricefield rats, and a few others. Its peculiar reptiles are many 

 and will be mainly listed in the part on the life zones of E'orth 

 Carolina. The alligator, diamond rattlesnake, and coral snake 

 are among its more striking representatives in the reptiles. 



THE LIFE ZONES OF NORTH CAROLINA 



Four of the life zones of North America enter the confines 

 of our states, these are : 



1. The Canadian Zone. 



2. The Alleghanian or Transition Zone. 



3. The Upper Austral or Carolinian Zone. 



4. The Lower Austral or Louisianian Zone. 



1. The Canadian Zone occupies the summits of the higher 

 mountains from about 4,500 feet up, though some of its char- 

 acteristic forms occur lower down still. 



Its mammals are 



Cloudland Deer Mouse, above 5,000 feet. 

 Carolina Ked-backed Mouse, above 4,000 feet. 



And there seem to be no other species of general distribution 

 in the mountains which are confined to this zone, but its breed- 

 ing birds are more distinctive, these being : 



