370 EXTINCT AND VANISHING MAMMALS 



the higher ranges visible from Nariz, where they killed many, 

 in consequence of which the animals were much scarcer than 

 they had formerly been. The surveyors of the party saw sheep 

 "in the rugged Tule Mountains in 1892. When my party was 

 there, in February, 1894, no sheep were seen, but many tracks 

 and heaps of horns were noted, as also in the neighboring 

 Granite Mountains. During our stay at Tinajas Altas, at the 

 foot of the Gila Mountains, from February 14 to 23, 1894, 

 sheep were seen on four occasions, in flocks of 6, 3, 3, and per- 

 haps as many as 20. They were feeding largely upon a Cy- 

 lindropuntia cactus, in valleys at the base of the mountain, 

 but tracks and beds were seen at all altitudes." 



Dr. W. P. Taylor (1936, p. 653) speaks of this region as a 

 desert of rare beauty, and one of the most arid in the United 

 States. "There is but one small cow outfit in the entire 

 region, at least on the American side. A few prospectors 

 work the territory. Aside from a handful of Indians and an 

 occasional smuggler or United States custom agent, there are 

 no other inhabitants of the area, and no permanent resi- 

 dents at all. Both antelope and bighorns are at present subject 

 to poaching on both sides of the international boundary 

 through lack of adequate warden service. " 



In 1939, by Executive order, two game ranges were estab- 

 lished in Arizona, with a view especially to protecting the 

 sheep, mule deer, antelope, and peccaries of this region. One 

 in central Yuma County, the Kofa Range, comprises over 

 660,000 acres and is at one point within 15 miles of the border 

 of southeastern California. The other, the Cabeza Prieta 

 Range, lies 35 miles to the south on the international border, 

 in Yuma and Pima Counties, and includes 866,880 acres. 

 Negotiations are still pending with the Mexican Government 

 to set aside a corresponding adjacent area on the Mexican side 

 of the border. It is believed that these game ranges will prove 

 of great value in preserving the larger wild mammals of the 

 State. "A few years ago this section abounded in game, but 

 indiscriminate hunting and poaching came dangerously near to 

 eliminating some of the most valuable species. " 



As to the present status of this sheep in Arizona, Cowan 

 (1940) quotes A. A. Nichol, who has made it the subject of 

 special investigation lately. He gives an approximate census 

 for 1937 as follows: Granite Mountains, 10; Aquila Moun- 



