find such animals as a water shrew, the Raccoon, Short-tailed 

 Weasel, Otter. Red Fox, Mink, Beaver, and a whole galaxy of 

 other rodents not found in the more arid southern regions. But 

 in the latter the list of mammals alone is extraordinary. There 

 are no less than 17 species of bats: both the Desert Wood Rat 

 and the Rock Rat; the Muskrat: three voles or "field mice": a 

 small shrew; a jumping and a harvest mouse; the Porcupine; a 

 pocket mouse; two kangaroo-mice, four species of kangaroo-rat, 

 two grasshopper-mice, and five types of white-foottd mice: the 

 Golden-mantled, White-tailed Antelope, and three other kinds 

 of ground squirrels: the Yellow-bellied Marmot, three chipmunks; 

 five kinds of pocket-gophers; the Pika, the Brush Rabbit, two 

 kinds of cottontails, and two jack rabbits: the Mule Deer, the 

 Pronghorn, and the Bighorn Sheep: the Puma and Bobcat: the 

 Coyote, the Gray and Kit Foxes: the Striped and the Spotted 

 Skunk: and the Badger. Less than half a dozen of these are either 

 typically desert animals or confined to deserts other than in this 

 locality. 



Almost all groups of birds are equally well represented, and 

 the marshes are often crowded with many kinds and many 

 families. Ducks of a dozen species are plentiful, and there are 

 many waders such as the stilts and avocets. Gulls and pelicans 

 play a considerable part in the natural economy, as we shall see: 

 and the number of crows, owls, swallows, swifts, goatsuckers, 

 and birds of prey, plus the scavenging vultures, signify a large 

 animal food supply. The rest of the roster of resident birds reads 

 like a catalogue of the avian fauna of the Southwest generally, 

 just about the only species not present being those most typical 

 of the Sonoran Deserts. 



The reptiles, however, show more pronouncedly desert 

 affiliations, led by the Desert Tortoise. There are twenty species 

 of snakes including the Desert Gopher, the Sidewinder, and two 

 other rattlers found only in this province, as well as the Mojave 



Below: Vast colonies of V/hite Pelicans live on islands in 

 and around Great Salt Lake. Here on Gunnison Island the 

 birds line up for "inspection" before going fishing. 



Rattler, Of the twenty-two listed lizards, most are typical desert 

 forms; but a skink and a gecko are to be found here, the latter 

 quite surprising because it is a moisture-loving form, here iso- 

 lated from the rest of its kind. But most surprising of all is per- 

 haps the abundant frog and toad population, including a tree 

 toad, a spadefoot, four typical frogs, and four species of toads. 



The mammals, as usual, for the most part keep well out of 

 sight, but those that are about by day are naturally more evident 

 in open, sparsely vegetated places. The birds, on the other hand, 

 are very obvious and bold, and the insect-catchers and predators 

 appear as if by magic in swarms at dawn and dusk, while even 

 in the more arid areas owls seem often to hunt by day. The 

 reptiles are all well camouflaged and are hard to find; they also 

 shun direct sunlight. (A Gila Monster forced to stay under the 

 midday sun on open ground died of heat prostration in fifteen 

 minutes!) Reptiles are dependent upon external heat and go into 

 a sort of coma if deprived of it, so they come out and sun 

 themselves in the morning. They then pass the day in the shade 

 and start hunting in the evening, when insects also are out in 

 force: and they often carry on late into the night while their 

 body heat lasts. The amphibians, on the other hand, stay near 

 water, since they have to lay their eggs therein, and have porous 

 soft skins through which they must to a considerable extent do 

 their breathing. 



BOWLS. PANS. AND BASINS 



Most of the animal life of this province congregates around the 

 lower parts of depressions in the land surface due to the avail- 

 ability of water there. Such depressions are numerous, wide- 

 spread, and of all sizes in this country; in fact, they are a fea- 

 ture of it, and are mostly of the kinds known as bowls, pans, 

 and basins. These are rather rare topographical features in other 

 areas and have been brought about here by the odd history of 

 this region. 



The whole province, which is basically a fairly flat plateau 

 about four thousand feet above sea level with long, wide, but 



