WILD LIFE IN CALIFORNIA 



21 



and five minutes in covering the distance of 

 five and seven-eighths miles recorded by the 

 pedometer, or just half the time it took us to 

 go up. Altogether we had walked between 

 thirteen and fourteen miles. A plunge in the 

 hot baths made us forget the fatigues of the 

 day and put us in good humor for the even- 

 ing meal. 



One morning subsequent to the trip just de- 

 scribed we concluded to take a short tramp 

 out along the base of the mountain spur back 

 of town where we found an irrigation ditch 

 which heretofore had been dry, but this 

 morning we noticed that it was running full 

 of muddy water. As our object on this trip 

 was more for the purpose of collecting beetles 

 than anything else, the flood in the ditch had 

 greater interest to us than it otherwise 

 would. The idea at once was- suggested that 

 the running of the water into the ditches that 

 had been dry so long would overtake and 

 drown many beetles that had been attracted 

 to the cracks and crevices of the waterway as 

 places of refuge. A careful watch of the sur- 

 face of the running stream soon showed our 

 deduction to have been correct. In a few mo- 

 ments we scooped from the surface of the 

 water two or three specimens of Diplotaxis, 

 then a more rare Serica. This was indeed 

 good luck. Instead of having to chase around 

 on the hot sands of the desert among rocks, 

 thorny shrubs and the vicious choya, to obtain 

 samples of the beetle life of the strange land, 

 a combination of circumstances was bringing 

 them from a large area of the country and 

 laying them down as it were at our feet. 



We selected a shaded and otherwise com- 

 fortable spot on the bank of the ditch and 

 proceeded to fish out of the water the differ- 

 ent kinds of coleoptera as they came floating 

 down the stream. In the hour and a half we 

 spent in the occupation we gathered 124 

 specimens, which was much more than we 

 would, in all probability, have captured in an 

 entire day's devotion to the purpose. Beside 

 the collection consisted almost wholly of spe- 

 cies entirely different from any we had col- 

 lected on the trip. 



As on all of our other trips we found some 

 new flowers, among which was a very pretty 

 member of the pentstemon group, another of 

 the mint family, which, by the way, is well 

 represented in the desert flora; also the flower 

 of the desert shrub, Krameria Grayi, com- 

 monly called the crimson beak; and a small 

 representative of the Phacelias. The Daturas 

 were out in full bloom and we found that the 

 beautiful large blossoms were harboring an 

 odd species of the weevil family. 



I was awakened on the beautiful morning 

 of Sunday, March 31, at a quarter to six by 

 the sweet music of an Easter anthem, ren- 

 dered by a chorus of about twenty voices. The 

 sun was just beginning to show its rays above 

 the eastern horizon of the desert, and in the 

 quiet of the early morning hour the singing 

 was not only impressive but also delightful to 

 the ear. It seems that it is the custom of the 

 permanent residents of Palm Springs to as- 

 semble at Lookout Point, an elevation on the 

 spur of the mountain range that pushes its 



way into the town limits, at sunrise on Easter 

 Sunday and hold devotional services for the 

 occasion. A large wooden cross and a flag- 

 pole with the national colors flying, marks the 

 spot. The elevation is about 100 feet above 

 the surrounding country, and is reached by an 

 easy zig-zag trail cut through the rocks. 



Being interested in seeing the working of a 

 machine used in clearing desert land we 

 walked to where one was in operation. Al- 

 though less than a mile from the inn where 

 there was scarcely a breeze, here we found 

 a strong wind blowing. Dust from the newly- 

 disturbed ground was beginning to fly, a cir- 

 cumstance that suggested a gale further out 

 in the desert, such as might be expected 

 after a heated spell described in the theory 

 outlined in discussing the subject on a pre- 

 vious page. A glance to the eastward showed 

 that an unusual disturbance of the air was 

 in progress. A cloud of dust filled the sky, 

 shutting out all view of the opposite side 

 of the desert, and the rapidity with which 

 it moved showed there was a tremendous 

 force behind it. 



When back within the town limits we found 

 no more than agreeable breeze prevailing, just 

 enough to improve the shade of the trees and 

 make them most delightful places of retreat. 

 The warmth of the sun was such as to make 

 It imperative for comfort's sake, to wear the ' 

 least amount of clothes compatible with pro- 

 priety. Yet within six miles of us overcoats 

 and wraps were necessary to comfort. 



At the Springs the evening of this day was 

 most delightful. The windows of the dining 

 room were all open, the ladies were in thin 

 dresses and men in their summer suits, little 

 thinking of the terrific sandstorm that pre- 

 vailed on the desert less than six miles away. 



After supper and bidding adieu to the fam- 

 ily and friends, I boarded the auto stage in 

 my start of the return trip home with the lady 

 chauffeur at the wheel. There were two other 

 passengers, an Indian and a lady. Soon after 

 starting the driver advised me to remove my 

 glasses and to look out for my hat, for "in a 

 few minutes we will be in the storm" that 

 had been in progress all day. As stated, I 

 had noted the disturbance in our morning 

 walk, but I was wholly unmindful of its power 

 and what its effects were upon things animate 

 and inanimate that came within the range 

 of its force. I had read of serious results and 

 dangers to human life that sometimes accom- 

 pany desert sandstorms, but to personally ex- 

 perience the fierce character of one of these 

 terrors was something I had never anticipated, 

 and to be suddenly thrust, without warning, 

 into the very vortex of one of the severest was 

 not only surprising but even startling. 



I have no knowledge of the speed of the 

 wind on this occasion, but it must have been 

 very high, judging from the carrying force 

 it exhibited. The air was filled with flying 

 sand, grit and dust and moving with such 

 speed that the partieles stung the flesh wher- 

 ever exposed, most painfully. I could readily 

 understand how an exposure to it for a brief 

 time would wound the flesh and cause the 

 blood to flow. 



