324 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [May, i 
The Big Hachets are without timber. Only the higher peaks 
are in the pinyon zone. There are some scrubby cedars and old | 
gnarled pinyon pines, nowhere numerous. On some of the higher | 
slopes of Hacheta Grande Mt. there is a growth of very small scrub 
oak, sometimes so close as to impede travel, as it is mingled with a 
broad-leaved, black-spined agave. Elsewhere a small agave with 
white filaments is very abundant. There is also an agave zone 
surrounding the mountains, bounded outwardly by the zone of giant 
yuceas, both usual on the slopes leading to the mountains in this 
part of New Mexico. South of Daniels Peak the higher hills and 
buttes usually have Fouquieria and its characteristic society. The 
rock is hard limestone worn into holes and points, and containing 
few ill-preserved fossils, among which a Zaphrentis-like coral, 
crinoid stems and a spiral univalve are most abundant. Rattle- 
snakes, large centipedes, tarantulas and small brown scorpions are 
reasonably abundant. Birds and mammals are scarce, and owing 
to the absence of springs, the mountains are not available for cattle 
range. During the time we were there (August 20 to 26, 1910) the 
heat was intense from sunrise until after 9 P.M. Sky cloudless until 
midday, when small clouds gather, possibly covering 10 p. c. of the 
sky. There was very little wind. The annual rainfall is not 
known, but must be less than 9 or 10 inches, recorded from the region 
immediately northward. 
Previous to the visit of Mr. L. E. Daniels and the writer, in 
August, 1910, the mollusks of these mountains had been collected 
by Dr. Edgar A. Mearns, U.S. A., while serving on the survey of the 
Mexican boundary. 
Dr. Mearns started from Mesquite or Mosquito Springs, Chi- 
huahua, 6 or 8 miles east of the mouth of Sheridan Canyon. Enter- 
ing Thomson Canyon, he turned southward to get a practicable grade 
for mules up the steep ridge terminating in Daniels Peak. Passing 
near. or over the summit he camped at its north end. From here his 
route lay along the ridge to the summit of Big Hachet Mt.; thence 
eastward to near our Station 9, south past our Station 8, and back to 
camp, as plotted on the map, where his route is approximately indi- 
cated by small crosses.2 On this trip collections were made between | 
camp and the first rise indicated on the map, on the out-journey to 
the peak, and somewhere between our Stations 9 and 8 on the return. 
2 We would here acknowledge Dr. Mearns’ kindness in plotting his route on 
our map and giving the above details of his visit. From the data it is now 
easy to determine the type localities of the species he found. 
